Quality control from coil to crated panel
Mill certificates on arrival, dimensional and film checks in process, and a photo record of every crate before it closes. Here is what is measured, with which instrument, against which standard — and what we do not claim.
What gets measured, and with what
Three gates: material on arrival, work in process, and the crate before it is closed. Each gate has an instrument and a record you can ask for.
Quality in this industry fails in predictable places — a coil that is 0.08 mm under, a film that lifts at the edge after two winters, a hole pattern that is 3 mm off the post. Each of those has a cheap check. The cost is doing the check every time, not knowing about it.
| Stage | Check | Method or instrument | Standard | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Incoming | Chemistry and mechanicals | Mill certificate against heat number | EN 10204 3.1 | Certificate filed per heat |
| Incoming | Thickness | Micrometer, 5 points per sheet | EN 485-3 | Dimensional sheet |
| Incoming | Flatness | Plate table and feeler gauge | EN 485-3 | Dimensional sheet |
| In process | Cut size and squareness | Calipers, diagonal measurement | Drawing ±0.5 mm | First article + 1 in 20 |
| In process | Hole position | Program check plus sample gauge | Drawing ±0.5 mm | First article record |
| In process | Film adhesion | Cross-hatch tape test | ASTM D3359 | Per shift |
| In process | Retroreflectivity | Handheld retroreflectometer | ASTM E810 | 1 per 50 panels |
| In process | Colour | Spectrophotometer against retained master | ΔE ≤ 2 | Per batch |
| Final | Edge seal and trim | Visual, 100% | Internal work instruction | Packing record |
| Final | Crate and marking | Visual plus photo set | Packing list | Photos per crate |
Records are kept for three years and travel with the shipment when the customer asks for them in the PO.
Tolerances we hold
The numbers below are what we will put in a contract. If your drawing needs tighter, say so at enquiry stage — sometimes it is possible, always it is visible in the price.
| Feature | Standard | On request |
|---|---|---|
| Thickness | EN 485-3 standard | Half tolerance |
| Sheet width / length | ±1 mm sheared | ±0.5 mm |
| Cut parts | ±0.5 mm sheared, ±0.2 mm laser | ±0.1 mm laser |
| Hole position | ±0.5 mm | ±0.2 mm |
| Flatness | ≤ 3 mm/m | ≤ 1.5 mm/m |
| Squareness | ≤ 1 mm/m on the diagonal | ≤ 0.5 mm/m |
| Burr | ≤ 0.1 mm | ≤ 0.05 mm, deburred both faces |
| Channel length | ±0.3 mm | ±0.2 mm |
Documents that travel with the goods
Ask for these in the purchase order and they arrive with the shipping documents, not after three emails.
- Mill certificate
- EN 10204 3.1, chemistry and mechanicals per heat
- Film certificate
- YEAGOOD certificate of analysis, batch number and ASTM type
- Inspection report
- Dimensional and film results for the actual shipment
- Packing list
- Crate and bundle numbers, weights, dimensions, bay numbers where relevant
- Photographs
- Half load and closed container, plus one photo per crate
- Origin
- Certificate of origin; Form E or Form A where an FTA applies
- Test reports
- Acoustic (EN 1793), mechanical (EN 1794) and salt spray (ISO 9227) on request
What we do not claim
You will not find a wall of certification logos on this page, because a logo is not an audit. If ISO 9001, BSCI or a product certification matters to your tender, ask and we will send the current certificate set with its scope and expiry date — including telling you which scope we do not hold.
Current and available on request: ISO 9001 (quality), ISO 14001 (environmental) and ISO 45001 (occupational health and safety) management-system certificates; factory inspection certificates for traffic safety products issued under the Ministry of Transport product certification programme; and an AAA credit rating. Copies of the live certificates are sent with any quotation — ask rather than relying on a badge.
We also do not claim to manufacture what we buy in. Road safety hardware comes from specialist moulders and is inspected here; bimetallic power fittings come from a friction-weld specialist. Where a product is not made in our workshops, this site says so.
If something is wrong
Send photographs of the crate label and the defect, with the quantity affected. We answer within two working days with one of three decisions: replace on the next shipment, credit against the invoice, or a technical explanation of why the part is within the agreed tolerance. We do not ask you to return defective goods to China — the freight costs more than the parts.
Buyer questions
Can you send a pre-shipment inspection report?
Yes, and it is worth asking for on the first order. It lists the dimensions, thickness and film results for the actual batch, with photographs, and it is issued before the container is sealed so a problem can still be fixed here rather than at destination.
Do you accept third-party inspection?
Yes. SGS, BV, TÜV, Intertek or your own agent — tell us the scope and we will schedule production so the inspector sees the goods at the right stage. Inspection fees are yours; the access is ours.
What is the warranty?
24 months against manufacturing defects in the panel, the cut and the print. Film durability follows the sheeting manufacturer's warranty — 3 to 12 years vertical depending on grade, which is stated on the batch certificate.
How do you handle a colour mismatch?
We keep a master coupon per colour and per film batch. If a reorder does not match your approved master within ΔE 2, we re-make it. Send us the approved coupon back with the reorder if you still have it — it removes the argument.
Related
Ask for the inspection report from a recent shipment.
It is the fastest way to judge whether the process described here is real.