NHLA Inspection Services provides financial guarantees on lumber shipments, independent quality checks and onsite lumber inspection training.
Have a picky customer that you can't seem to satisfy? Taking on a new customer and not sure how they will grade your lumber after you have shipped it? Have a high dollar item to be shipped with little margin for error?
If you have any of these problems, call a National Inspector to “ship it on certificate.” The Inspector will grade your lumber and strap and seal the load with official NHLA steel clips.
If there is a legitimate complaint against any loads that are strapped and sealed, NHLA will refund the monetary value difference to the shipper after re-inspection.
Don’t ship lumber without the NHLA Financial Guarantee.
NHLA FACILITY GRADE CERTIFICATION PROGRAM
As the hardwood industry searches for new markets, the NHLA Facility Grade Certification Program is a vital component of attracting new customers. This quality assurance program (QAP) is designed to help differentiate your business from the competition and assure customers that your lumber is on grade.
Companies that participate in the NHLA QAP are illustrating to customers and potential customers, their willingness to openly submit to independent quality checks. Each participating member of the program pays an annual enrollment fee which covers all costs of the certification visits. A minimum of two facility grade inspections are conducted annually and coordinated with the NHLA Chief Inspector.
As a member of the Facility Grade Certification Program your company is listed as a participating member on the NHLA website and has use of the “NHLA Certified” logo in all promotional materials.
For more information, please review the NHLA Facility Grade Certification Program Regulations or contact the NHLA Chief Inspector.
Hire a NHLA National Inspector for Onsite Lumber Inspection Training at Your Facility
With the high cost of raw materials today, accurate inspection of incoming or outgoing lumber can be the deciding factor in making a profit.
NHLA Inspectors can train your inspectors on:
- NHLA Rules
- Grading accuracy
- Recognition of individual species characteristics
- Ability to upgrade lumber prior to shipment
NHLA Inspectors will train at your location, whether on the grading chain or “on the pile.” This optimizes learning because the training is done on your lumber, with your equipment, at your speed and at your facility.
A visit from an NHLA National Inspector can also improve your overall operation. Inspectors, yardmen, sawyers, buyers, sellers, office personnel, edgermen, and other employees versed in the basics of the grading rules are valuable assets.
A “rules conscious” employee will result in a more carefully manufactured product, more profitable yields from the log, a keener sense of the value of lumber being sold, and a more consistent product to the customer.
The Association will provide instruction at the sponsoring member’s facility taught by a qualified NHLA Inspector. In addition to a thorough explanation of the Sales Code, the course will answer the following questions:
- What is a legitimate complaint?
- What is NHLA's role in resolving disputes?
- When can a buyer refuse a load
- Ability to upgrade lumber prior to shipment
For on-site courses, the sponsor provides instruction materials based on the type of class scheduled, facilities for classroom work and an outdoor location to practice grading lumber.
Don’t lose any production time. Call your National Inspector today!
For more information on any of these services contact:
Jack English, Interim NHLA Chief Inspector
Direct: 518-366-1161
j.english@nhla.com.