controls are in place to monitor,
contain, and address quality
issues in order to achieve on-time
delivery.
Q: Bailey: Your company recently
passed critical audits for state
and government agencies, and
you passed those NDT and QA
audits with compliments from
the auditors. Was your journey
stressful, and how did you maintain
ethical policies (your moral code
of honor) while still satisfying
production and quality at the same
time?
A: Cloak: The stress was only
momentary while we sought
out an outside vendor that
could supply the radiographic
equipment that would allow us
to meet customer requirements.
Once we understood the scope of
requirements and sought outside
guidance, our stresses were
relieved. As a DoD contractor,
we have ethical guidelines that
we must follow to fulfill our
contractual obligation. Whenever
there are constraints that may
interfere with our ability to
act within the guidelines, we
collaborate with our customers to
find an amenable solution.
Q: Bailey: Your company transitioned
from meeting Recommended
Practice No. SNT-TC-1A to meeting
the very strict NAS 410 standard
for NDT. Was the journey to convert
challenging?
A: Cloak: Yes. We needed to acquire
new equipment to meet customer
radiographic requirements. In
addition, we needed assistance
to educate in-house operators
to be able to navigate the new
equipment, software, and NAS 410
skills and responsibilities, all while
sustaining our production schedule
to meet customer delivery
requirements.
Allen Sanders
Allen Sanders
has held the
Certified Quality
Auditor creden-
tial from the
American Society
for Quality. In
his prior role, he implemented ISO
and AS 9100 certifications for multiple
companies while also serving as the
company’s Responsible Level III.
Q: Bailey: Please tell us a little about
your former role as an NDT quality
manager. What is the impact of
a company not implementing
an NDT quality procedure or not
adhering to a quality system such
as ISO 9000 or AS 9100?
A: Sanders: The purpose of a quality
system is to assure that we delight
our customers and fully meet their
requirements. When we follow a
“quality system,” it provides a road
map to that satisfaction. Without a
quality system, we are much like a
ship without a rudder.
In Conclusion
Readers can see why QA goes hand
in hand with NDT and how having an
ethical quality department can have a
tremendous impact on reputation, busi-
ness, and company growth. We want
to thank the quality managers featured
here for offering their expertise and
transparency in maintaining a good
company name by ensuring ethics are
always considered first regardless of the
rigorous production struggles.
We now ask you, the reader, to eval-
uate the following questions. What is your
secret to maintaining ethics and integrity
while satisfying QA requirements? What
are your thoughts on the questions and
answers presented in these interviews?
We hope this column is helpful to
you and we’d love to hear from the
NDT community. Please go online and
comment on this article on ASNT’s blog
(scan the QR code for quick access).
EDITOR
Antionette (Toni) Bailey: TB3 NDT
Consulting LLC ASNT NDT Level III, IRRSP,
NAS 410 Level 3 (MT, PT, RT, UT, ET, Nital
Etch) toni@tb3ndt.com
Alloy Surfaces designs and manufactures products that aid in the defeat of heat-seeking missiles
from acquiring aircraft.
SCOPE
|
NDTETHICS
READ THE
BLOG POST
102
M A T E R I A L S E V A L U A T I O N • J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 4
2401 ME January.indd 102 12/20/23 8:01 AM
contain, and address quality
issues in order to achieve on-time
delivery.
Q: Bailey: Your company recently
passed critical audits for state
and government agencies, and
you passed those NDT and QA
audits with compliments from
the auditors. Was your journey
stressful, and how did you maintain
ethical policies (your moral code
of honor) while still satisfying
production and quality at the same
time?
A: Cloak: The stress was only
momentary while we sought
out an outside vendor that
could supply the radiographic
equipment that would allow us
to meet customer requirements.
Once we understood the scope of
requirements and sought outside
guidance, our stresses were
relieved. As a DoD contractor,
we have ethical guidelines that
we must follow to fulfill our
contractual obligation. Whenever
there are constraints that may
interfere with our ability to
act within the guidelines, we
collaborate with our customers to
find an amenable solution.
Q: Bailey: Your company transitioned
from meeting Recommended
Practice No. SNT-TC-1A to meeting
the very strict NAS 410 standard
for NDT. Was the journey to convert
challenging?
A: Cloak: Yes. We needed to acquire
new equipment to meet customer
radiographic requirements. In
addition, we needed assistance
to educate in-house operators
to be able to navigate the new
equipment, software, and NAS 410
skills and responsibilities, all while
sustaining our production schedule
to meet customer delivery
requirements.
Allen Sanders
Allen Sanders
has held the
Certified Quality
Auditor creden-
tial from the
American Society
for Quality. In
his prior role, he implemented ISO
and AS 9100 certifications for multiple
companies while also serving as the
company’s Responsible Level III.
Q: Bailey: Please tell us a little about
your former role as an NDT quality
manager. What is the impact of
a company not implementing
an NDT quality procedure or not
adhering to a quality system such
as ISO 9000 or AS 9100?
A: Sanders: The purpose of a quality
system is to assure that we delight
our customers and fully meet their
requirements. When we follow a
“quality system,” it provides a road
map to that satisfaction. Without a
quality system, we are much like a
ship without a rudder.
In Conclusion
Readers can see why QA goes hand
in hand with NDT and how having an
ethical quality department can have a
tremendous impact on reputation, busi-
ness, and company growth. We want
to thank the quality managers featured
here for offering their expertise and
transparency in maintaining a good
company name by ensuring ethics are
always considered first regardless of the
rigorous production struggles.
We now ask you, the reader, to eval-
uate the following questions. What is your
secret to maintaining ethics and integrity
while satisfying QA requirements? What
are your thoughts on the questions and
answers presented in these interviews?
We hope this column is helpful to
you and we’d love to hear from the
NDT community. Please go online and
comment on this article on ASNT’s blog
(scan the QR code for quick access).
EDITOR
Antionette (Toni) Bailey: TB3 NDT
Consulting LLC ASNT NDT Level III, IRRSP,
NAS 410 Level 3 (MT, PT, RT, UT, ET, Nital
Etch) toni@tb3ndt.com
Alloy Surfaces designs and manufactures products that aid in the defeat of heat-seeking missiles
from acquiring aircraft.
SCOPE
|
NDTETHICS
READ THE
BLOG POST
102
M A T E R I A L S E V A L U A T I O N • J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 4
2401 ME January.indd 102 12/20/23 8:01 AM
