Nadcap is the leading worldwide cooperative program of major companies designed to manage a cost-effective consensus approach to special processes and products and provide continuous improvement within the aerospace and automotive industries. Nadcap is administered by the not-for-profit Performance Review Institute (PRI).

Nondestructive testing (NDT) is one of the special process and product programs operating within Nadcap. The NDT program has seen significant growth since its launch: in fact, in the last decade, the number of audits conducted annually has grown from 146 audits in 1993 to 1,000 audits in 2009. The NDT program now accounts for almost 23% of all Nadcap audits conducted each year.

During the month of June 2010, PRI invited Nadcap stakeholders to respond to a survey to evaluate the perceived impact of the program on Nadcap accredited suppliers. 1,151 people responded to the survey: 15.4% of all those contacted. Of these, 628 (54.6%) were involved with Non-Destructive Testing.

A comparison of the NDT and total responses is below. Unsurprisingly, as over half the responses came from NDT suppliers, there is a close match between them and the total responses. 34% have reduced their scrap rates compared with 35% of all respondents; 40% reduced their rework rates compared with 41% of all respondents; and 42% reduced their escape rates compared with 44% of all respondents.

In the same survey, more than half of the NDT suppliers (52%) reported that their sales and/or ability to attract new business had increased.

The survey also looked at the impact of Nadcap on driving lean manufacturing: 60.3% of the respondents indicated that their standardization had improved and 15.2% had increased productivity.

One Nadcap NDT accredited respondent commented that Nadcap has “improved our commercial capacity to take new business” while another explained that “knowing that you carry a Nadcap Accreditation is an advantage in both selecting suppliers and being selected by Primes.”

Click here for detailed survey results. Learn more about Nadcap at www.pri-network.org.