Quality Assurance
Meeting International Standards in Quality Control and Excellence.
Product quality at Smiths, is guaranteed by first off’s, pre-control charts, daily and weekly product audits. Our processes are supported by a team of dedicated engineers who focus on lean manufacturing principles such as JIT, TQM and Kaizen, ensuring continuous improvement.
Every Associate at our plants is deemed a “quality checkpoint” for the previous process. Quality consciousness does not end at final inspection, it continues through picking, right through to despatch. Production lines are developed and designed to meet customer specifications. These lines have very stringent quality and built-in systems, including computer driven SPC to ensure that the units are built to our customers’ specifications.
Kanban systems are run throughout all processes including dispatch. New generation production lines have in-process automated quality checks (including Poka-yoke – Fail Safe methods), which ensure international standards are consistently met.
Fin Inspection
Fin quality is checked daily on our Jordon fin measuring equipment, ensuring fin quality adherence to specification.
Leak Testing
Products are leak tested to stringent customer specific requirements using state of the art leak test facilities.
Dimensional Analysis
Dimensional verification on all products manufactured at Smiths is carried out by our fully equipped Metrology Department.
The Department is equipped with the latest measuring technology applicable to our scope of work. Our high-tech equipment includes a Coordinate Measuring machine capable of 14-micron volumetric accuracy, a 6-axis measuring arm, an Optical comparator, Hardness testers and general precision measuring equipment.
Highly skilled and trained Metrologists carry out Initial inspection measurements on all components to ensure all parts comply with engineering drawing specifications. This is a mandatory requirement for customer part approval.
All measuring Equipment is calibrated by SANAS accredited
laboratories using methods traceable to international calibration standards.
The Smiths Metrology laboratory also performs internal
calibration in accordance with calibration procedures for all
measuring equipment used throughout the company.
Parts Inspection
Advanced facilities for the elemental analysis and verification of parts and materials used in production processes.
Test Lab
Our test lab is equipped with hot and cold temperature testing, rain and heat load testing, thermal shock testing, durability testing, hot room/rolling road testing and vibration testing with a climatic chamber.
