PCI 3000 Certification Documents Process Criteria for Custom Coaters
Posted on Saturday, February 1, 2014
The Powder Coating Institute
began certifying custom
coaters in 2009. The
PCI 3000 certification process
uses a comprehensive audit to differentiate
the capability to produce
quality work from one job shop to
the next. PCI® is re-launching this
process at the end of the first quarter
of 2014. The program is designed to:
- Help differentiate a certified
custom coater from all other
custom coaters.
- Use the PCI world renowned
logo and benefit from the high
standards this image brings to
elevate the marketability of the
custom coater.
- Create a methodology to improve
and enhance a custom
coater’s process and results.
- Help build the business of certified
coaters through aggressive
marketing to OEMs who
require a certified coater.
- Ultimately elevate the overall
performance of powder coating
in the industry.
In a nutshell, certification is the
auditing process that evaluates the
business practices, process elements,
equipment capabilities, employee
competencies and quality control capabilities
of a coater to produce a high
quality powder coated product with a
high degree of customer satisfaction.
Like other certifications, including
ISO 9000, it does not determine
the quality of the powder coated
product that will be produced. It certifies
that the coater has the capabilities
and competencies to produce a
high quality powder coated product.
The PCI 3000 certification program
is designed and offered to all
custom coaters applying powder
coatings and is not exclusively designed
for PCI® member companies.
However, member companies
will qualify for substantial program
discounts.
The program offers standards to
consistently rate powder coating processes
focused on 12 main areas: pretreatment,
ovens and curing, application
area, quality control, training,
maintenance, customer satisfaction,
safety, process control, quoting and
warranty policies, incoming quality
control, and loading, unloading
and packaging.
All PCI audits for certification
are performed at the custom coater’s
site. The audits are usually 1-2 full
days and generally follow this typical
agenda: management meeting
and discovery process; plant tour
and visual evaluation; interviews
and discussion with key personnel;
review of recordkeeping, logs and
audit; system and process evaluation
in plant to include all facets of
the powder coating process; and a
closing meeting with management.
The scoring of the audit will be delivered
to the custom coaters within
two weeks.
Once the custom coater has
achieved PCI 3000 certification, they
will be allowed to use the approved
PCI 3000 logo to promote their qualification.
Additionally, they are listed
on PCI’s website and in Powder
Coated Tough as a Certified Applicator
and gain the ability to quote jobs
that require PCI certification.
For more information on how
to become a certified custom powder
coater, please contact me at:
dlurie@powdercoating.org.
Dave Lurie
Executive Director, PCI®