Quality Policy

Purpose. This policy states the quality commitments of CAQA Polyform Plastics and Cable and the system through which moulded, extruded, rubber and cable products are specified, made, inspected and released.

1.Commitment

CAQA Polyform Plastics and Cable will supply products that conform to the customer drawing or specification, the applicable Australian standard and the approved sample. Quality is built into the process through controlled setting sheets, first-off approval and in-process checks, and verified by final inspection and laboratory testing. Every worker is responsible for the quality of the operation they perform and must stop the run and raise a concern when the product does not match the sheet.

2.Setting sheets and first-off

Every tool, die, line and compound has a controlled process setting sheet that records the machine, material, drying, temperatures, pressures, speeds, times and inspection points established at validation. A production run must not continue past the first shots or the first length until the first-off has been measured against the drawing and the sheet and approved by the setter or supervisor. Changes to a setting sheet must be approved by the technical team and recorded as a new version.

3.In-process and final inspection

Operators must carry out the in-process checks at the frequency on the setting sheet and record them on the job card. Final inspection must confirm dimensions, appearance, marking, quantity and packaging before the job card is closed. Cable must pass conductor resistance, spark and high voltage testing on every reel before it is marked and released. Pipe must pass the dimension and performance tests required by the standard at the frequency in the test plan.

• Moulding: dimensions, weight, appearance, short shots, flash, sink
• Extrusion: outside diameter, wall thickness, ovality, marking, length
• Cable: conductor resistance, insulation thickness, spark test, high voltage test, marking
• Rubber: rheometer cure curve, hardness, tensile, adhesion for belts

4.Nonconformance and corrective action

Nonconforming product must be quarantined and tagged, recorded in the Quality Nonconformance Register and dispositioned as rework, regrind, accept with concession or scrap under the Nonconformance and Rework Procedure. Customer complaints will be acknowledged within two working days and investigated to root cause. Corrective actions will be assigned an owner and a due date and verified before close.

5.Traceability

Material lot numbers, compound batch numbers, tool version, machine, setter and shift must be recorded on every job card so that any product can be traced back to its material and process. Cable reels and pipe lengths must carry the marking required by the standard, including the batch identification.

6.Review

Quality objectives will be set each year and reported monthly. This policy will be reviewed annually by the General Manager and the Technical, Quality and WHS Manager.