DocM Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 http://www.kgw.com/story/news/2015/11/05/portland-aluminum-plant-falsified-test-results-letter-customers-says/75259028/ Portland aluminum plant workers falsified test results, company says PORTLAND, Ore. -- A Portland aluminum manufacturing plant has been temporarily suspended as a federal government contractor after employees falsified test results. Sapa Profiles produces aluminum extrusions at its Portland plant that can be used in a variety of products including transportation, building and construction. In a statement, Sapa Profiles said test results for certain aluminum extrusions have been altered to change failing test results to passing test results between 1996 and 2015. The company said once it learned of the misconduct the company stopped it, fired the employees and reported the false testing to government officials who launched their own investigation. As part of that process, Sapas Portland plant has been temporarily suspended as a federal government contractor, wrote Mike Stier, Vice President and General Manager in a letter to customers. SAPA letter (scribd.com).... A government website shows on October 1, Sapa Profiles was listed as ineligible for large federal government contracts. The excluding agency is listed as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). This unsanctioned practice is completely unacceptable, the company said in a statement to KGW. Sapa said it has hired a new plant manager and lab supervisor. It has also added new training, testing and compliance programs. It is not clear which specific products are effected by the falsified test results, how they are being used or where. Statement from Sapa As a result of internal investigations, Sapa Profiles Inc. (SPI) has learned that the test records for certain aluminum extrusions manufactured at the SPI facilities were altered by certain employees. Specifically, we have learned that some test results for mechanical properties ultimate tensile strength, yield strength, and elongation have been altered to change failing test results to passing test results between 1996 and 2015. This unsanctioned practice is completely unacceptable. The misconduct was immediately stopped, the employees involved were terminated. SPI alerted government officials and are working closely with them as they conduct their own investigations. SPI has taken extensive measures to enhance the integrity of the quality systems at the SPI facilities. These measures include: SPI has hired a new senior level plant manager and a new lab supervisor. SPI, together with other Sapa Extrusions Americas plants, are conducting additional training for all lab technicians, installing new state of the art testing equipment and improving overall ethics and compliance programs. The Sapa Extrusions Americas organization will be further strengthened with the forthcoming addition of a new Vice President of Quality and a new Director of Compliance. Our primary concern throughout this process has been, and still is, our customers. Over the last weeks, SPI customers have been contacted. SPI has set up a technical response team to reach out proactively to customers, inform them of the testing issues that have been discovered, and work closely with them to address any concerns they may have. The Sapa Extrusions Americas management team takes ethics and integrity very seriously. We remain 100 percent committed to setting this situation right and preventing it from ever happening again. We will also continue providing the affected customers with their full support to resolve any issues this situation may have caused them. Sapa Profiles Inc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unobscured Vision Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 Are these the guys that made the strut which then failed on the SpaceX flight? Who knows how many other failures they're responsible for ... worldwide. And of course they'll blame some Engineer or QA Person -- they're potentially on the hook for a mountainous series of lawsuits. They had to know it was going on ... the same employee for 19 years, not once getting caught for fudging numbers?? Nah. I don't buy that for a second. Draggendrop 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted December 1, 2015 Author Share Posted December 1, 2015 The SpaceX failed S2 strut was a cryogenic rated stainless steel. Still trying to find out who did that one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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