NDT Ethics: Maintaining Ethics and Integrity While Satisfying Production and Aerospace Prime Requirements

by Antionette (Toni) Bailey

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Welcome to our quarterly column on NDT Ethics from the special edition of Materials Evaluation issue focusing on women in NDT. This month, we take a different twist and take a moment to highlight ethical practices (instead of focusing on nonethical practices) regarding maintaining ethics and integrity while satisfying production and aerospace prime requirements.

For this article, TB3 NDT Consulting LLC had the pleasure of interviewing Schaeffler Aerospace—we applaud their unprecedented accomplishment of having nearly all their management and NAS 410 Responsible Level 3 roles filled by women. The personnel interviewed included Director of Strategy and Business Development Christopher Duffy and the Schaeffler team of Responsible Level 3s and quality management.

We asked our highly esteemed guests a few key questions. Here are their answers:

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Schaeffler aerospace is known for manufacturing precision engine balls and bearings. How do these extraordinary women in NDT help maintain acute and execute high-quality NDT inspections for a multitude of Level 2 and 3 personnel? 

Honesty, hard work and relentless inquisitiveness that builds experience are keys for our NDT team in aerospace. You have to be able to know when to say yes, and not be afraid to say no. Diversity is very important to Schaeffler, as we believe in giving everyone an opportunity: people merely need self-motivation, a willingness to learn, and a bit of ambition.

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Laurie Altenburg

ASNT NDT Level III and NAS 410 Responsible Level 3 in MT,
PT, ET, and Nital Etch; Stratford, Ontario, Canada

You recently sat for and passed ASNT, NAS 410, and prime (customer examinations) in all NDT methods. During that time, you also met audit, inspection, and production demands. Was this journey stressful? How did you maintain ethical policies (your moral code of honor) while still satisfying production? You also flawlessly passed Nadcap audits and obtained Nadcap merit, while still meeting production numbers.

There are so many things to keep in mind when looking after an NDT program, it can become overwhelming. From reviewing customer specifications to maintaining internal personnel certifications to obtaining my own certifications—for me, having the NDT records and documentation organized was the most important thing I did to ensure I had everything covered and could say we met our requirements with confidence.

Preparation is key to a successful Nadcap audit. Our quality NDT system is robust and makes the gap analysis when doing the self-audit easy.

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As a newly appointed Responsible Level 3, you have the challenge of inspecting parts for acceptance as well as calibrating complex automated equipment and precision master balls. How do you maintain accuracy of the equipment and master balls while still meeting production numbers?

As well, you recently sat for and passed NAS 410 Level 2 and then Level 3 examinations. During that time, you experienced equipment maintenance problems but still met production demands. How did you maintain ethics and quality while still accomplishing these goals?

As a newly certified Level 3, I deal with methods in quality control. This means I always have to be aware of quality when I make any decisions, while at the same time trying to manage NDT work to meet our production goals.

As part of my training to become an NDT technician, I learned that there are rules that are necessary to protect the life, health, and property of the public. We will achieve these objectives by being responsible, working in an honest and transparent manner, and following the instructions and correct procedures.

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As supervisor of quality inspection, you are known for training technicians for precise NDT process controls and inspections. Kudos to your hard work! How do you train NDT techs so acutely but still satisfy production numbers?

We as a team are very involved in the training of new inspectors. To that end, we expend a great amount of time showing them why, how, and when to perform the NDT, and we make sure to let them know the great responsibility that comes with approving a job. Production targets are very important, but we will not compromise the quality of our product.

I have been involved in enough audits (Nadcap, internal audits, customer audits) to know the importance of always keeping everything organized; this way I avoid unnecessary findings. I take my job very seriously, and there is no need for cheating when you receive the proper training.

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Dana Corpening

Quality Department and ASNT NDT Level III/
Responsible Level III in ET, Fort Mill, South Carolina

Schaeffler is known as one of the best automotive parts manufacturers in the world. As the Responsible Level 3 for your location in South Carolina, how do you maintain quality control and yet manufacture precision parts? How do you balance stress, leadership, and ethical decision-making for the NDT department?

As the Regional NDT Coordinator and Corporate Level 3, I maintain regular contact with support personnel in each plant. I perform NDT audits, assist with training, and participate in the planning and implementation of new NDT processes. Integrity, prioritization of tasks, and being flexible with my schedule are key for me to balance and maintain stress, leadership, and support while making ethical decisions regarding NDT.

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From these discussions, readers can see why this company is known for manufacturing “precision” balls and bearings. We would like to thank Schaeffler Aerospace for offering their expertise and transparency in maintaining a good company name by ensuring that good ethics policies are always considered first, regardless of the rigorous production struggles and high demands. We also want to let the audience know how proud we are of the amazing accomplishments of these women in NDT.

We now ask you, the reader, to evaluate the mentioned questions.

• How do you maintain ethics and integrity while satisfying production and your customer requirements?
• What are your thoughts on the questions and answers presented here?

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We hope this column is helpful to you. We would like to hear from the NDT community.

Please leave a comment below.

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Editor

Antionette (Toni) Bailey: ASNT NDT Level III/NAS 410 Level 3 (MT, PT, RT, UT, and ET), IRRSP; TB3 NDT Consulting LLC, Manorville, NY; toni@tb3ndt.com

For more information on ethics:

• NDT Ethics: Combating Unethical Certification Examination Practices
• NDT Ethics: Rewriting Your Written Practice According to Your Needs 
• Professional Ethics: The Role of the “Whistleblower”
• Hear A Discussion of Ethics in NDT with Todd Sellmer in Latest Chat NDT with ASNT

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