PMI Conformity Assessment Task Force Focuses on Standardization of Certification Program Criteria/Auditors
For Immediate Release
April 08, 2002
Contact: Barbara C. Higgens, Executive Director (847) 884-9764
Schaumburg, Ill. — The PMI conformity assessment task force has re-focused its efforts to streamline the NSF Standard 61 product certification, auditing, and testing processes. The group will support the efforts of the NSF 60/61 Joint Committee to address the essential elements of a drinking water system components certification program that will bring about uniformity in certification program requirements.
Currently, the lack of specific requirements for drinking water system component certification programs results in significant variability among the certification agencies, which raises concerns about equivalence and confidence of compliance.
At the request of PMI and others, the NSF 60/61 Joint Committee established a task group to evaluate current requirements and identify opportunities to develop performance-based procedures and policies that bring about equivalence and confidence of compliance.
Previously in response to the slow progress, PMI formed an ad hoc task group to study the feasibility of becoming a third party certifier in order create a program that eliminates certification redundancies by achieving national and international recognition, enhancing the quality of product testing and auditing, and streamlining the test data acceptance process.
The PMI task group feels that this new focus - that is to use a process that is already in place - may be a quicker, more cost-effective means to achieve our goals and objectives than other strategies. While the task group emphasizes that becoming a third party certifier is still a viable option for PMI and is only tabling the effort temporarily, PMI will continue to work diligently with current third party certifiers to eliminate redundancies to achieve the PMI objective of a conformity assessment infrastructure that allows plumbing products to be tested and certified once, but recognized throughout the United States and Canada.
"Manufacturers are continuously pressured by wholesale and retail customers to reduce supply chain costs which do not add value. The duplicative costs and time delays caused by an inefficient product certification system need to be eliminated," according to Craig Selover, former vice president of engineering at Delta Faucet Company, now with parent-company Masco. He adds, "It is also important that certification programs are rigorously enforced. Those that invest in developing good manufacturing process control are not rewarded for producing consistent quality under current certification programs. We would like to see the follow-up audit/inspection programs improved."
Universal Conformity Assessment - a concept whereby plumbing products would be tested once and recognized worldwide - is one of the chief focus issues on the radar screen of the Plumbing Manufacturers Institute (PMI). Meetings hosted by PMI to bring certifiers together on the issue have been well attended, but progress has been slow. Lack of harmonization between ANSI-accredited organizations results in unnecessary and redundant product testing which in turn adds costs to manufacturers and ultimately end-users, and delays the process of getting innovative new products to market.
Founded in 1975, the Plumbing Manufacturers Institute is the voluntary, not-for profit national trade association of manufacturers of plumbing products serving as the Voice of - the Industry. Member companies produce a substantial quantity of the nation's plumbing products. For more information on PMI or its semi-annual meetings, contact the Institute at 1340 Remington Road, Suite A, Schaumburg, Illinois 60173; phone (847) 884-9PMI (9764), facsimile (847) 884-9775, website address www.pmihome.org.