Bodycote Heat Treatments' Woodford plant gains NADCAP approval

Citation

(2004), "Bodycote Heat Treatments' Woodford plant gains NADCAP approval", Anti-Corrosion Methods and Materials, Vol. 51 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/acmm.2004.12851aaf.001

Bodycote Heat Treatments' Woodford plant gains NADCAP approval

Bodycote Heat Treatments' Woodford plant gains NADCAP approval

Keywords: Heat treatment, Contracts, Aerospace

Bodycote Heat Treatments have announced that their plant at Woodford, UK, became the first sub-contract heat treatment service centre in Europe to gain National Aerospace and Defence Contractors Accreditation Program (NADCAP) approval.

NADCAP has been operational in the USA since 1990. NADCAP is an industry-managed approach to conformity assessment of “special processes” that bring together technical experts from prime contractors, suppliers and representatives from government to work together and establish requirements for approval of suppliers using a standardised approach.

Rolls-Royce has now mandated that companies who provide a service in “special processes” obtain NADCAP approval.

Opened in 1979, the Bodycote Woodford plant was the first UK heat treatment centre to be established and equipped specifically to service the aerospace industry. Since then, Bodycote has continually invested in the latest technology and trained personnel to achieve the highest standards in quality at all its locations around the world.

NADCAP's aerospace approval at Woodford is for vacuum heat treatment, vacuum brazing and associated processes. Under the leadership of Derek Alty (Technical Director) and Bill Hewitt (Group Quality Manager) and with the dedicated involvement of David Donnelly (Works Manager), Steve Wrench (Chief Inspector) and Neil Johnson (Assistant Works Manager), the Woodford team were able to move from audit at the beginning of July 2003 to secure full accreditation in only 10 weeks. This is believed to be unprecedented in the sub-contract heat treatment industry and illustrates the robust quality systems and procedures which already existed at the plant.

Procedures are in place to complete the audit and accreditation activities necessary to secure NADCAP approval of the atmosphere heat treatment, vacuum heat treatment, brazing, nitriding and electron beam welding services provided by Bodycote Heat Treatments at a further nine UK sites. Four of the sites have audits booked during the last 4 months of 2003, with the remainder being audited in the first half of 2004. It is expected that Bodycote Heat Treatments will have all their ten sites that process aerospace components NADCAP approved by June 2004.