Quick Answer
Quick Answer
TestCert helps fabrication and machine shops track customer-supplied material certificates, build outgoing cert packages tied to job numbers, and maintain audit-ready quality documentation — without the complexity or cost of a full enterprise QMS. Purpose-built for shops that need structure, not overhead.
Fabrication and machine shops occupy a challenging middle ground in the quality documentation landscape. They're too complex for a shared drive and email — jobs involve multiple materials, multiple customers, and ongoing documentation obligations. But they're too small and lean for a full enterprise QMS that requires a dedicated quality manager to operate.
The typical fab shop manages quality documentation with a combination of job folders on a server, emailed mill certs from the material supplier, handwritten traveler notes, and a drawer full of printed certificates. That system works until a customer asks for traceability documentation, an ISO 9001 audit requires you to demonstrate documented procedures, or a critical part goes back for a warranty claim and no one can find the original material cert.
TestCert gives shops the structure they need without the overhead they don't. Job-based organization, straightforward inbound cert intake, and outgoing cert package generation cover the core documentation workflow — with no implementation consultant required.
The Fabrication Shop Documentation Challenge
Customer-Supplied Material Tracking
Many fabrication jobs use customer-supplied material (CSM) — steel plate, tubing, forgings, or bar stock that the customer provides and expects you to account for. When CSM is used, the customer typically wants to confirm that only their material went into their parts, and that the original mill certificate is part of the job record.
TestCert tracks CSM as a distinct material source, links the customer-supplied cert to the job and the specific work orders that consumed it, and includes it in the outgoing cert package for that customer.
Outgoing Certificate Packages
When a job ships, the customer often requires a certificate package that includes:
- Mill certificates for all materials used
- Certificate of conformance (CoC) signed by an authorized person
- NDE reports (if applicable)
- Material test reports for any welds or heat treatments
Assembling this package manually — pulling PDFs from multiple folders, printing and signing a CoC, emailing or shipping with the parts — takes an hour or more per job. TestCert assembles the outgoing package from job records in a few clicks, with a digital CoC generated from configured templates.
Job-Based Organization
Unlike supply chain or distribution businesses, fabrication shops think in terms of jobs and work orders, not purchase orders and heats. TestCert's job-centric data model organizes everything by job number: all materials, all certs, all inspection records, and all outgoing documentation for a job are linked and retrievable by job number.
When a customer calls about job 2024-0443, everything relevant to that job is one search away.
Audit Readiness Without a Full QMS
ISO 9001 and customer-specific quality requirements (CQRs) increasingly require even small shops to demonstrate documented control of quality records, defined procedures for material traceability, and evidence of inspection at key points. TestCert provides the structured record foundation for these requirements without requiring a dedicated QMS platform.
Key Features for Fabrication Shops
| Feature | Benefit |
|---|---|
| Job-based organization | All certs and records indexed by job number |
| Customer-supplied material tracking | CSM linked to customer identity and job record |
| Outgoing cert package generation | Cert packages assembled from job records in clicks |
| Digital CoC templates | Certificate of conformance generated and signed electronically |
| Inbound cert validation | Material grade checked against applicable standard at intake |
| Inspection record management | Dimensional, visual, and NDE inspection records per job |
| Role-based access | Quality Manager, Inspector, and Read-Only access roles |
Typical Shop Sizes and Use Cases
TestCert is used by:
- Structural steel fabricators (5–150 employees): tracking A36, A572, A992 plate and shape certs for construction and industrial jobs
- Pipe and tube fabricators: managing A106, A53, A333 certs and weld records for industrial and process piping
- Precision machine shops: tracking bar stock certs for turned, milled, and ground components with customer traceability requirements
- Specialty fabricators (heat exchangers, tanks, skids): managing ASME and non-ASME material certs, NDE, and PWHT across complex jobs
- Defense subcontractors: meeting customer-specific quality requirements for material traceability and documentation
What You Don't Need to Buy
TestCert is purpose-built for certificate and traceability management. You do not need:
- A full QMS platform (ETQ, Intelex, MasterControl) to use TestCert
- An ERP with a quality module
- A document management system with complex workflow configuration
- A dedicated IT administrator
Setup takes one to two weeks. Most shops are processing live inbound certificates and generating outgoing packages within a week of signing up.
Do we need an IT person to set up and maintain TestCert?
No. TestCert is a cloud SaaS with a web-based setup wizard. Initial configuration (job templates, material grades, customer records, user accounts) is completed by the quality manager or shop owner using guided setup screens. No server installation or IT infrastructure is required.
How does TestCert handle jobs that use both purchased and customer-supplied material?
Mixed-source jobs are fully supported. Each material record on a job is tagged as purchased or customer-supplied, linked to the appropriate supplier or customer identity, and included in the outgoing cert package with the correct source designation. The outgoing CoC reflects the actual material sources used.
Can we generate a certificate of conformance with our company letterhead and authorized signature?
Yes. TestCert supports custom CoC templates with your company logo, letterhead, and configured signatory. The electronic signature of the authorized Quality Manager is captured at approval and linked to the CoC record. The signed document is generated as a PDF that matches your existing CoC format.
What if we're not ISO 9001 certified — is TestCert still useful?
Absolutely. Many TestCert customers are not ISO 9001 certified but have customer quality requirements that mandate documented material traceability. TestCert addresses those requirements directly. If you later pursue ISO 9001 certification, the structured records in TestCert serve as documented evidence of clause 7.5 (Documented Information) and clause 8.5.2 (Identification and Traceability) requirements.
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