Early June: re-certification audit of the works quality management system to check the compliance with API Spec. Q1 requirements (9th revision)/ ISO 9001:2008 and production of seamless pipes to check the compliance with API Spec. 5L (45th revision), API Spec 5СТ(9th revision) was held at Byelorussian Steel Works.

The representatives of the certification body, i.e. Svetlana Hramova (leading auditor) and Konstantin Polyakov (RF), appointed by American Petroleum Institute API (the USA), have been inspecting fulfillment of the requirements of the above-mentioned standards for four days. The following departments and services were inspected: Pipe shop, Marketing dpt., Sales dpt., Research center, Technical dpt., Training center, Human resources dpt, Wage dpt., Department of development and assessment of personnel, Material-and-technical supply dpt, Quality assuarance dpt., Technical control dpt., Central plant lab, Non-destructive lab, Chief metrologist dpt., Organizationofmaintenanceandtechnicaldiagnosticsdpt.

According to Quality assuarance dpt. the audit was quite difficult. The thing is that there are around 90 changes and new requirements in the new (9^th) revision of API Spec. Q1, which came into force on June 1, 2014, and BMZ had to implement them. Among them: assessment of the risks related to quality and delivery of products; planning actions for contingencies; management of changes; control plans and test plans, etc.

Based on audit results, the auditors gave a positive evaluation of compliance of the works quality management system and production of pipes with the above-mentioned standards. American Petroleum Institute will be made a proposal about extension of the current licenses and conformity certificates for the next period of three years, as well as about wider scope of СТ-1300 license for coupling stock up to the highest grade L80 group 1 PSL1. Nonconformities were not found within the audit. Recommendations to improve Quality management system were given.