The Performance Review Institute and it's role in NADCAP welding

Lynn Welding provides NADCAP approved welding services for most aerospace primes. Our team includes 16 NADCAP approved welders and 18 Nadcap approved resistance spot welding machines. This blog posts will help you better understand the important role the Performance Review institute plays in Nadcap approved welding. 

What is the Performance Review Institute?

The company responsible for administering the Nadcap audit is the Performance Review Institute (PRI). In 1990 the performance review institute was incorporated to administer the Nadcap approval process, a solution that was designed to streamline suppliers compliance verification requirements. 

PRI was created through the concerted effort of aerospace Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs or primes). Throughout its development, it has sought to be an instrumental mediator between the needs of primes and their suppliers. Subscribers are audited by PRI as well, with the hopes of managing and ensuring the quality of the systems in place at every level of an aerospace job. PRI’s mission is to “be the global provider of customer-focused solutions designed to improve process and product quality by adding value, reducing total cost and promoting collaboration among stakeholders in industries where safety and quality are shared goals.”

Photo by: Lynn Welding Nadcap accredited fusion welding; Titanium components welded in vacuum chamber per aws d17.1

How is the Performance Review Institute structured?

There are several tiers to the internal organization of PRI to ensure that the audits never overstep their bounds or trample on the needs or concerns of the suppliers. The key department in this effort is the Supplier Support Committee (SSC), through regular meetings and discussions, the committees garner the general opinion and input of suppliers. Nadcap is an audit with a core concept of being mutually beneficial to every tier that it’s applied to in the industry, whether one is a prime, a tier one supplier, or tier two. Therefore, the activities brought up during committee gatherings and events are intentionally designed and implemented to keep enhancing and improving the effectiveness of the audit at meeting the needs of suppliers and subscribers.

Members of the Task Groups department are also in attendance at SSC events. The Task Groups are the people in charge of choosing expert engineers from the specific field of a given company to audit them. For instance, only welding experts can proctor an audit to a welding company, so the Task Group would be the ones in charge of finding a reliable, knowledgeable auditor for them. To become a Nadcap auditor is an entirely different series of procedures from what suppliers like Lynn Welding have to go through during a Nadcap audit.

The managerial sub-departments within the PRI include: the board of directors, administrative staff, and the Nadcap Management Council (NMC). All of which are responsible for ensuring that any issues occurring at the level of the Task Groups and SSC’s are properly and completely managed.

Why is the Nadcap Program so important for the aerospace & defense industries?

The Nadcap Program is a crucial piece of the industry's quality standardization and helps to prevent redundant auditing. This program has allowed prime contractors, suppliers, and government representatives to join forces in building a solution that prioritizes the following initiatives;

• Put stringent industry standards in place that satisfy all participants requirements. 

• Substitute the recurring supplier specific audits with a singular audit that is approved by all members involved. 

• Create a more conclusive, comprehensive, and advanced auditing system

• Drive down costs associated with frequent auditing by standardizing the process

Photo by: Lynn Welding Nadcap accredited fusion welding; components entering vacuum chamber in preparation for welding

PRI is a not-for-profit, industry-driven company. Through their dedication to making Nadcap better and better each and every year, the audit has become one that represents consistency, high standards, and control. For every question on the audit’s checklist, there are a hundred different controls that could, and often are, double-checked and verified.

Lynn Welding is proud to hold Nadcap accreditation for our fusion welding, resistance welding, and torch brazing services. For a full list of our Nadcap accredited services and specific approvals you can visit our Nadcap certifications page. 

Sources: 

“Nadcap.” Performance Review Institute, 2 Nov. 2021, https://p-r-i.org/nadcap/.