| 1 Why have ACRS? |
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2 What is the aim of ACRS? |
In the Australian construction industry, local builders have come to expect construction materials to comply with all relevant Australian Standards. However, with reinforcing steel and prestressing strand now being sourced from various suppliers within Australia, and from other parts of the world, this is no longer necessarily the case.
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The aim of ACRS is to provide specifiers, builders and final owners with independent assurance that all reinforcing steel materials delivered to sites throughout Australia meets the relevant standards and is fit for the purpose intended by the user.
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| 3 Is ACRS independent? |
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4 So, who runs ACRS? |
We are transparent & completely open about this – ACRS is an independent body, completely self-funded by its activities. It is not beholden to any interest group or other party.Yet, we understand that we must not just be impartial - we must also be seen to be impartial. And we work constantly to maintain this stance.
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To maintain our impartiality, ACRS was set up and is overseen by a Council comprised of ten groups, none of whom is a company that is or might be certified by ACRS.
These groups include associations representing building contractors, academics, engineers and specifiers. Steel manufacturer and processor groups are restricted to only four seats on the Council.
We are currently in discussions to bring further building industry groups onto the Council to ensure we are as representative of the industry as possible.
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| 5 Does ACRS set the “standard”? |
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6 Is ACRS the only product certification system? |
Australian Standards sets the “standard” - in AS 4671 for bar, wire and mesh. ACRS independently monitors and certifies steel bar, wire and mesh manufacturers and processors to the long-term quality requirements of that Standard.
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No. There are similar 3rd-party product certification schemes in place in many parts of the world and in many industries. Other Australian industries (some in the construction sector) also operate such systems.
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| 7 Is ACRS compulsory? |
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8 How much of the reinforcing steel and mesh used in Australia is ACRS certified? |
ACRS is a voluntary 3rd party accreditation system – it is not compulsory. However, ACRS accreditation (or another independent system for certification, such as the UK “CARES” system) may be one option demanded by users or specifiers to provide certainty of materials quality for their projects.
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As of January 2005, we believe that approximately 80% of steel reinforcing materials supplied into the Australian market is ACRS certified. We are obviously looking for this to rise to 100%!
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| 9 Does an ACRS certificate cover all the materials and processes of a certificate holder? |
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10 Does ACRS do the same thing as a QA system? |
No. Certificates are issued specifically for certain materials: rod or bar or wire or strand (or a combination) and for materials processing (bar or mesh). Having a certificate for rod manufacture, for example does not necessarily mean that the certificate holder has been certified for mesh manufacture.Specifiers and purchasers should acquaint themselves with the different certification categories available.
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Compliance with ISO 9000 quality systems guarantees that consistent processes developed by a company are being followed. It is therefore an important part of any manufacturing or supply system. However, ACRS is not QA reinvented or merely rebadged. ACRS certification is a completely separate, yet complimentary system. ACRS formats the tests in a particular manner to the appropriate existing Australian Standards to achieve a uniformity of output. This gives certificate holders and their customers the ability to compare product offerings as well as the confidence that comes from our independence.
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| 11 Is certification restrictive? |
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12 Does ACRS increase costs? |
ACRS is not a threat to manufacturers and suppliers, and certainly not to importers – many of whom are already used to such systems in other markets around the world. We already have members from Singapore and New Zealand, and we are in discussion with entities from still other countries, whom we hope will choose to join us.
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There is no evidence whatsoever in Australia or overseas that such certification systems increase costs to manufacturers and suppliers or consumers as they are already following quality procedures and testing anyway.
ACRS compliance costs are measured in cents per tonne, not dollars (i.e. a fraction of 1% of costs), making ACRS a highly cost effective means of ensuring and advertising product quality and consistency!
Additionally, there is increasing evidence that compliance costs are actually lowered through ACRS certification in the longer-term, as companies refine their quality processes through ACRS practice.
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