What to Ask Your Commercial Glazier About Certifications

When you’re in the process of selecting a glazier for your glass project, it can be easy to go with your first contact or the lowest priced glazier. However, either of these strategies can lead to selecting a glazier who does not have your best interest at heart. That’s why Kensington Glass Arts, Inc. (KGa) wants to share with our readers what questions you should ask your glazier. To start the series, KGa wanted to share what questions you should ask your glazier about certifications. Read this article to learn more about some common glass certifications, and the importance of certifications.

What glass certifications do you hold?

The reason KGa wants to share this article first in the series is because third-party certifications are an easy way to tell if the glazier will deliver you high-quality glass products. Third-party certifications ensure that a company has standardized processes to support superior craftsmanship and performance. In addition, these certifications serve as formal recognition by an authoritative body.

Put another way, hiring a glazier with certifications can save you money in the long term. Having to call a glazier for an emergency repair is often costly and inconvenient. However, hiring a certified glazier means that you can be assured that the job can be done right the first time and will not require unplanned emergency repairs.

Kensington Glass Arts is certified by three different organizations. These organizations all evaluate KGa on different measurable dimensions and give our customers peace of mind regarding their glass fabrication or installation. This simple first question can help you easily select and eliminate which glass subcontractors you will work with.

NACC Certification

The North American Contractors Certification (NACC) is a professionally administered third-party certification for glass and metal contractors. The purpose of the NACC is to “provide certification recognition as a means of creating a baseline for competency, business practices, and adherence to industry-accepted guidelines for glazing contractors.” In 2016, KGa was certified by the NACC for Interior and Entry Systems, Building Envelope (Low Rise), Guardrails, and Service Work.

The certification process involves an annual, multi-day on-site audit of the company’s operations. Companies must meet a 32 page, 45 category checklist in the facility and at job sites.

All contractors who work in architectural glazing and metal field of expertise are encouraged to apply for this certification. If you are a fellow glazier and want to learn more about applying, visit the NACC’s website now or contact KGa now.

The program requires our company to have a quality process that is controlled by a fully implemented Quality Management System in place with procedures, verification steps, and proactive quality measures, and management controls to prevent construction defects and provide the best possible outcome for glazing projects.

ISO 9001

Kensington Glass Arts is also ISO 9001 certified. The
International Organization for Standardization (ISO), an independent, international organization created this certification to encourage standardized practices amongst various business practices. This certification is not specific to glaziers. However, this certification means that Kensington Glass Arts has developed and implemented a quality management system that adheres to precise ISO standards.

This certification was spearheaded in KGa in 2015 by David Bibb, our Vice President of Manufacturing, and Cameron Mullineaux, our Inside Sales Manager (formerly Process Engineer). The two of them ensured that KGa developed internal processes and procedures to maintain efficiency, safety, and high-quality standards of glass fabrication. First, measurable quality standards must be defined by the company. After, the company must ensure they are meeting these measurable quality standards and track variances. The ISO certification process occurs in three stages, a Pre-Assessment and two phases to evaluate if the organization has defined and is maintaining their quality standards.

The ISO certified over 1 million companies in various industries worldwide. If you’re interested in showcasing your standardized processes, learn more about the ISO Certifications on their website now.

SGCC

Finally, Kensington Glass Arts is certified by the Safety Glazing Certification Council (SGCC). The SGCC ” a non-profit corporation that provides for the certification of safety glazing materials.”  Safety glazing materials must meet or exceed the applicable specification(s) before they can be certified by SGCC®. After initial certification, the SGCC administrator verifies the production at Kensington’s manufacturing facility during twice per year audits. During each audit, compliance to SGCC’s Quality Assurance Program is validated. During these audits, independent routine test sample selection is performed as well as a review of proper labeling practices.

All tests are conducted by SGCC® approved testing laboratories. All laboratories, whose test reports are utilized by the Certification Program, must be approved by the SGCC® Certification Committee. Initial or prototype tests are performed at an approved testing laboratory selected by the licensee. An approved testing laboratory selected with the concurrence of the Administrator by the licensee, tests routine evaluation samples.

In short, these third-party certifications ensure that Kensington Glass Arts and other glass sub-contractors are giving you the best glass possible. This glass is produced with standardized safety processes to make sure the glass looks the best and holds up long-term.

About Kensington Glass Arts

Kensington Glass Arts is a high-end commercial glass fabricator, installer, and service provider. We have four locations through the Mid-Atlantic area that can help you with your interior and exterior glazing needs. To learn more about our products and services, visit our Contact Us page to give us a call or email.