SLV – Schweißtechnische Lehr- und Versuchsanstalten
Competence of the GSI
Quality assurance
Quality assurance has a very long tradition in GSI. The regional structure of its Welding Training and Research Institutes is essentially based on the supporting performance of monitoring activities of public bodies in the fields of structural steel engineering, steel construction and bridge construction.
On the path to qualification and certification, GSI is a reliable companion for the companies and its competence can be relied upon. In order to be able toguarantee neutral quality assurance, the accreditation rules associated with the European Construction Products Ordinance demand the clear separation of the certification activities from other activities. As the Notified Body NB 2451, DVS ZERT GmbH has thus taken over from GSI the certification activities in the field of the construction products (particularly DIN EN 1090-1) since July 1, 2013.
According to these rules in quality assurance, GSI offers the following services to the companies:
- Personnel qualifications
- Process qualifications (procedure qualification tests)
- Support during the setting-up of a system from which the factory production control (FPC) system can be set up: The initial audit serves to check whether the factory production control system functions within the company and whether the demanded performance characteristics are also audited and documented in a verifiable way so that the performance declaration can be issued.
GSI also sees itself as a reliable partner for companies on the path to the certification by DVS ZERT GmbH in the following spectrum of services:
Certification of construction products according to DIN EN 1090-1
Manufacturers of load-bearing components made of steel or aluminium must be certified according to DIN EN 1090-1. Companies must issue a performance declaration so that they can launch their components on to the market. In turn, a certified factory production control system is the prerequisite for this.
Certification of QM systems according to DIN EN ISO 9001
For companies from industry or skilled trades, a certified quality management system is an important building block in order to strengthen the trust-based relationship with the customers.
Certification of quality requirements in welding technology according to DIN EN ISO 3834
For companies which utilise welding technology processes in particular in production, this certification can be carried out both separately and in conjunctionwith DIN EN ISO 9001.
Certification of companies according to SCC (Safety Certificate Contractors)
In the field of occupational health and safety, companies are placing ever more emphasis on certified proof. In particular, subcontractors are being called upon to prove their SHE (safety, health protection and environmental protection) management. Companies and their employees need SHE certification for this purpose.
Certification according to DIN 6701
TC-Kleben is the recognised body for the adhesive bonding of rail vehicles, nominated by the Federal Railways Office (EBA). On behalf of EBA, TC-Kleben carries out plant audits at manufacturers and repairers of rail vehicles or their components in order to grant certificates.
Competence of GSI mbH and its cooperating facilities
GSI is a group of eight branches and five cooperating locations with a uniform and superordinate quality management manual. The common quality management system due to the bundling of all the competence of the branches and the cooperating locations is the strength of GSI.
GSI as a group has a wide variety of authorisation, accreditation, notification, certification, nomination and recognition certificates. These are issued by the bodies responsible for the area of application in question and, in GSI, are applied in the four fields of training and further education, quality assurance, materials engineering as well as research and development.
Training and further education
In training and further education, GSI is the leading company as far as qualified and certified personnel is concerned. Its great competence in this field makes GSI a reliable partner for companies which place their faith in qualified and certified personnel. And even if employees want to push ahead with their occupational development and careers upon their own responsibility, GSI is the first contact.
The range of certified education in welding and joining technology offered by GSI encompasses the following qualifications:
- DVS-IIW International Welding Engineer (IWE)
- DVS-IIW International Welding Technologist (IWT)
- DVS-IIW International Welding Specialist (IWS)
- DVS-IIW/EWF Welding Inspection Personnel (IWI)
- DVS Welding Designer
- DVS-EWF Spraying Specialist (ETSS)
- DVS Welding Shop Foreman
- DVS Welding Instructor (Certification)
- DVS-EWF Adhesive Bonding Engineer
- DVS-EWF Adhesive Bonding Specialist
- DVS-EWF Adhesive Bonding Practitioner
- DVS-EWF Specialist for Resistance Welding (EWSR)
- Experts for resistance welding, stud welding or thermal spraying
GSI qualifies the participants in courses and guides them to the qualification testing and certification according to DIN EN ISO 9712. Publicly promoted further education for unemployed people or for people threatened by unemployment frequently needs a new or extended occupational perspective. Therefore, GSI has had a lot of its courses, from the welder to the welding engineer, certified for public promotion. Moreover, all the locations of GSI possess an organiser authorisation certificate from CERTQUA GmbH.
Testing, monitoring and certification
The various GSI locations have developed differently oriented core competence in the fields of testing, monitoring and certification. However, it is guaranteed that there is always at least one location which is optimally acquainted with the specialist field in question!
Construction products
No matter whether welding fillers, freestanding stacks or hot-fabricated or cold-fabricated hollow sections for structural steel engineering made of structural steels and fine-grained structural steels and no matter whether high-strength screwed joints pretensionable as planned for metal construction, products made of aluminium and aluminium alloys for applications in load-bearing structures, requirements for lamp posts made of steel and aluminium or much more: In its affiliated facilities, GSI as a group possesses a wide variety of recognition certificates as a testing, monitoring and certification body according to the Construction Products Act from the German Institute for Construction Technology (DIBt). Upon request, we will be happy to provide information about all our individual recognition certificates.
Rail vehicles and railway construction
Companies which are active in the field of welding on rail vehicles or in railway construction welding are governed by particular requirements. GSI is recognised as a certification body for manufacturers and issues certificates in order to prove the suitability for the welding of rail vehicles and rail vehicle parts according to EN 15085-2. Moreover, GSI has employees who are authorised as plant auditors in compliance with DB-Ril 826 for the granting of suitability certificates in railway construction for the execution of railway construction welding work on the tracks or in the factory.
Military technology
GSI is a body which the Military Science Institute for Materials and Operating Materials (WIWeB) recognises for the granting of a manufacturer qualification (military technology products with various requirements as well as with suitability for aviation).
Underwater welding
In compliance with Chapter 5.3 of the DVS 1801 technical code, GSI is a recognised body for the certification of manufacturers which carry out wet underwater welding work.
Corrosion protection, thermal spraying and coating
In GSI, joining technology and corrosion protection belong together. GSI offers the companies advice, the elaboration of expert reports, monitoring as well as the testing of corrosion protection work and training. With courses for gang leaders and as preparation for the qualification test for globally recognised coating inspectors according to FROSIO NS 476, GSI offers everything from one source. The testing laboratory for corrosion protection technology is accredited by DAkkS.
Pressure devices
Companies which are active in the field of the Pressure Device Directive need welders with additional certification according to the Pressure Device Directive.The Central Agency of the Federal States for Safety Technology (ZLS) has notified GSI for the certification of personnel and permanent joints according to Article 13 of Directive 97/23/EC, implemented by the Device and Product Safety Act (GPSG) and the Ordinance Concerning the Introduction of Pressure Devices on to the Market (14th GPSGV).
Adhesive bonding technology
GSI stands for the joining of components and for the growing-together of areas of specialisation. TC-Kleben is GSI's adhesive bonding technology centre authorised by DVS and a service provider in the field of adhesive bonding technology. Due to this authorisation, a high level is set on the qualifying institution and its personnel. This serves to guarantee the independent, proper and recognised qualification for adhesive bonding technology personnel.
Materials engineering
The quality system of GSI includes the recognised competence to carry out audits in the following fields according to DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025:2005:
- Manual non-destructive testing procedures (radiographic, ultrasonic, penetrant, magnetic particle, visual, eddy current and leak tests)
- Mechanised non-destructive testing procedures (radiographic, ultrasonic and penetrant tests)
- Mechanical-technological tests
- Emission-spectrometric analyses
- Electron beam microrange analysis and structural measurement by means of scanning electron microscopy
- Corrosion tests and tests in surface technology
- Metallographic investigations on metallic materials, their alloys and welded joints in the metal-producing and metal-processing industries as well as in chemical plant engineering and installation construction
- Mechanical-technological tests on plastics
- Investigation of fabrication coatings
- Hydrogen determination in materials and measurement of electrical, mechanical, thermal and hydraulic variables in welding and cutting technologies
Through DAkks, GSI possesses accredited testing laboratories with a wide variety of testing procedures which comply with DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025 and are specified on the document. A list of the accredited locations and fields is available from GSI upon request.