Benefits of Better PQR and WPS Management

Why You Need Better PQR and WPS Management for Your Welding Company

In the world of welding, everything must be traced. When your company is part of a team-building bridge, for instance, if there’s a problem, you need evidence that the issue wasn’t from one of your parts. You need proof it was built correctly.

However, if that evidence is in a spreadsheet, it can be difficult to find, especially when you consider there are thousands of procedures, each of which can have 30-40 variables, from diameter and thickness to type of materials and more. Likewise, if a variable was entered incorrectly – due to a small typo – it could put the whole project and your entire business in jeopardy.

The Solution? Digitization

That’s where digitizing comes in. With it, evidence in the PQR or WPS is a click away and you can have a document – and a paper trail – that protects you and also keeps data assets completely secure. You can access every detail you need faster and maintain more accurate records, from when a part was welded and by whom to how it was welded and what materials were used.

Unfortunately, many shops still take a manual approach to this process of traceability. The problem is that it’s time-consuming, costly, and leaves room for typos and errors.

In addition, a highly paid engineer is typically the one entering in the information, meaning their valuable time is eaten away by paperwork. In fact, it can take days for them to enter all the variables related to a specific project.

It’s not an efficient way to track work, the procedures followed, or the materials used. Not only that but if an issue does arise – and you’re called to account – you could be left scrambling, searching for the documentation you need.

Instead, you want to be able to find it immediately. With WeldCloud Notes, you can. It offers digital PQR, WPS, and WPQ management, including tracking weld specs, monitoring weld production, and staying on top of welder qualifications and their expiration dates. You’ll have reliable records at your fingertips, improve quality assurance during project execution, and avoid potential liabilities upon completion.

Ways WeldCloud Notes Helps Your Team

Many industries are seeing more stringent documentation requirements for welding and fabrication, whether it’s a request from the client or required by a certain jurisdiction. In the past, a piece of paper might have traveled with a part, with documentation stored in a spreadsheet. However, with WeldCloud Notes, every detail related to a part can be captured digitally on the cloud and accessed anytime, anywhere.

For your managers, they can check production status in all shops, identify bottlenecks, reduce repair rates by removing weak procedures, and target underperforming welders for more training or re-assignment. They can also quickly and easily compare the data collected to predefined limits for the weld in progress.

For welding engineers, they can analyze and compare project requirements with their company’s PQRs, WPS, or welder qualifications. They can search company records by base material or filler metals. They can also create procedures based on qualifications, introduce essential variables, calculate approval range, and generate a PDF with all information in minutes.

For the rest of the team, they can access information, all in one place. They can search for the correct qualifications, create welding procedures, introduce welding records, keep track of production, and print reports for each activity completed.

Together, this reduces the burden of time-consuming administrative tasks. More importantly, it eliminates sources of human error. In a way, it can become your company’s unofficial insurance policy. Data is stored and can be easily referenced should any issues arise. Parts that fail can be manually inspected by the operator and scrapped or reworked.

Another valuable advantage offered through WeldCloud Notes? You can maintain each welder’s continuity with ease.

When you have a team of hundreds or even thousands of welders, managing the continuity log can be a difficult, expensive, and time-consuming task. Your company might have multiple jobs going on at once, each with different end dates and a mix of welders coming and going on them.

As a result, once a welder completes their activity on the project, they might get lost in the shuffle. This can lead to a loss in continuity and procedure qualifications. If you then need them on a job urgently, they might not have the proper qualifications in place.

However, with WeldCloud Notes, you can see each welder’s certifications and when they expire, cross-check your welders with their respective Welder Qualification Test Records. You’ll be notified when a welder needs to be recertified, for instance, so you’ll never miss an expiration date. Likewise, you can see, at-a-glance, if you have enough qualified welders on your team in place when you’re submitting bids.

Bottom-Line Benefits of Better PQR and WPS Management

When you have WeldCloud Notes in place, you can maintain continuity across your welders with ease. You can also submit more competitive and accurate bids, as a result. You won’t have to waste time and money requalifying welders, all while remaining in compliance without worry or hassle.

And if an issue does arise after a project is completed? You will have the facts to back up your work, right at your fingertips. You can ensure you had a qualified welder working on a particular part, that the correct filler metal was used, and that they are welded within a certain specification according to the WPS. With WeldCloud Notes, you can achieve quality and compliance, gaining complete peace of mind in the process.