Product Certification and Quality for Plywood.

The Plywood Association of Australia (PAA) Product Certification Scheme, which commenced as a process based quality control program in 1963, is now in use industry wide. Approximately 98% of all plywood manufactured in Australia, together with plywood manufactured by three large producers in New Zealand, two in Fiji and one in PNG, is product certified under this scheme. The scheme's objective is to ensure that all PAA members’ product complies in all respects with the relevant Standards Australia or industry plywood Standards.

The PAA Product Certification Scheme is an industry self help programme. It consists of

• A combination of process quality control and end product testing carried out within each participating mill
• Independent audit testing of end product samples from each mill carried out at the Plywood Association of Australia's laboratory. This laboratory is registered by the National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA).
• Surveillance of product quality in the open market.
• Inspection of participating mills at regular intervals by PAA technical staff to ensure that in mill procedures meet the requirements of the "PAA Quality Control Policy and Specific Rules for Product Certification".

Each mill must employ a Quality Control Officer who is registered with the PAA laboratory. The maintenance of in mill quality control procedures is the responsibility of the Quality Control Officer. It is the Officer’s responsibility to ensure proper quality control continues between the inspections made by independent PAA technical staff. Additionally, it is the Officer’s responsibility to ensure that the prescribed daily end product testing programme is carried out in the mill and that the correct number of samples from each shift is forwarded weekly to the PAA laboratory for independent testing. All end product testing is carried out in accordance with Australian Standard AS2098 Methods of Test for Veneer and Plywood.

A mill maintains the use of the PAA/JAS-ANZ brand stamps only if it meets all the requirements of the PAA Quality Control Policy and Specific Rules for Product Certification. This includes mill process quality control, end product testing at the PAA laboratory, market place surveillance and the regular inspection of mill quality control procedures by PAA technical staff. Mills losing stamps must undergo a rigorous recertification procedure to regain their use.

The benefits of using PAA/JAS-ANZ branded plywood are:

• Product Certification to relevant Australian and industry Standards.
• Product acceptance by building and lending authorities.
• Availability of technical data relating to product application in residential and commercial construction.
• Defined physical and mechanical properties.
• Availability of professional advice from qualified PAA technical staff.
• Compliance with SM Codes of Practice, AS1684 Timber Framing Code, AS1720 Timber Engineering Code, and AS1610 Concrete Formwork Code.
• Readily available due to local production.
• Reliability of design data.

Reference: Plywood Association of Australia

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