After more than a year of intensive work to meet the requirements of the ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) quality control handbook, at the end of 2009, the Siempelkamp ASME Team successfully achieved ASME accreditation without any deviations or findings. The team consisted of employees from the manufacturing plant in Mülheim (project management, quality unit, quality management and manufacturing management), the central office in Krefeld (cask technology staff unit supported by the quality unit of Siempelkamp Foundry) as well as the engineering division of Siempelkamp Nukleartechnik and Siempelkamp Prüf- und Gutachter-Gesellschaft.

The ASME code is comparable to ISO standards – but is more formal. Founded in 1880, the “American Society of Mechanical Engineers” (ASME) is a professional association of mechanical engineers in the USA. The association is focussed on the advancement of science and engineering technology and also the development of technical rules and standards that are applied in many countries.

This first audit of the Siempelkamp quality arrangements took a full week in which three ASME-auditors from the USA put the SNT’s quality assurance system through its paces.

As proof of effectiveness of the ASME compliant quality assurance system, a cask was used to demonstrate the high quality manufacturing process, production tolerances and the highly qualified material properties. As a result, the “NPT” and “N3” stamps were issued, which applies to the evaluation, construction and manufacturing of casks and component parts for the nuclear sector. In the future, orders can be processed in accordance with the ASME requirements and the resulting manufactured products can be identified as ASME compliant with the registered mark on the manufacturer’s identification plate.

As there are no other N3 registered holders in Germany at this time, Siempelkamp is again No.1. In addition to the important quality benefits of the ASME accreditation, especially those of NQA-1, this approval will have an impact on SNT’s entire product range and serve to open new markets. Components manufactured in conformance with the ASME code will add important new sales potential in the USA, Canada, China, Japan and further 111 countries, where the ASME code is preferred to national rules and standards and as a result is demanded from suppliers.

An external triennial audit will ensure that the quality standards at Siempelkamp are being maintained.

We would like to give our heartfelt thanks to the whole of the ASME Team, for the support given by the Siempelkamp Foundry and for the co-operation of ONE-TÜV-BV!

Picture above: The Siempelkamp Team with ASME auditors