Paper forms and even digital forms that cannot auto-detect when a measured QC value is “out-of-spec” are of limited value.  Real QC requires that every value measured (Actual Results) is compared to engineering-accurate Expected Results.  Finding out at Audit or after your product is shipped can be very problematic.  In fact, starting in 2023, the American Concrete Pipe Association (ACPA) auditors now require that every value measured as “out-of-spec” be marked as such and the correct tolerances be added to the document to prove that the QC tech knows the situation.  Our tech does this automatically due to its unique “Expected Results” tools.

Krinkle Concrete QC® guides even the newest QC techs through the data collection process in a way they find easy to use and understand while still being quick to complete. (We call this a “Guided Process,” which is so much more than a traditional form).

The Krinkle Concrete QC® mobile app doesn’t just collect data. Based on the detailed steel requirements of a Pipe or a Box Culvert (Steel areas, spacings, M and Laps values, etc.) or the details of a mix design (cementitious materials, aggregates, admixtures, and water) being tested, Krinkle Concrete QC® knows when the data entered (measurements for steel, measurements for dimensions, Batch ticket analysis, etc.) is out of tolerance. It can even show (as an on/off feature under management’s control) precisely what is out of tolerance with a “red light alert.” Management can choose to show these “red light alerts” to the tech as soon as they occur or only on reports that are auto-triggered to the QC techs leadership (or both).

It is common for Concrete Plants to have limited internet connectivity in every place. Sometimes, it is only available in a person’s office and never in the plants or the stockyards. Due to Krinkle Concrete QC®s advanced design, complete with a secured database on each mobile device, the system can work all day if it has to, without an internet connection. An occasional connection (for example, connecting once in the morning and once at the end of the work day) is all that is required for all of your data to be securely collected, stored, and analyzed. Even reporting to a printer (see wireless printing direct to the printer) does not require a live internet connection.

Krinkle Concrete QC® provides a “Smart Guided Process” to all QC users and management via auto-notifications (near real-time text messages, emails, or both) that let all necessary parties know as soon as something is out of tolerance. Krinkle Concrete QC® is NOT just another digital paper replacement system.

Krinkle Concrete QC® also requests photos at certain points in its guided processes to show all reviewers (Management, Auditors, etc.). Images can be critical to confirm the nature of the work. Photos such as the results of a compression test, Plasticity tests, and even batch tickets printed from batch plant computers for analysis are photographed for comprehensive and professional record keeping. Additionally, photos are stamped at the moment they are taken with critical information such as Pipe or Box description, date, time, plant ID, and more. These images are then available to print in reports or view on the mobile device. See an example of a stamped Batch ticket image to the right of this paragraph.

Krinkle Concrete QC® includes several professional, client-facing reports, all of which can be run in Excel, Word, or PDF format at the touch of a button. These reports are designed to meet and exceed the nation’s best practices, which are expected by today’s state Departments of Transportation (DOT) and your private construction clients. We know you have to keep your file cabinets “auditor-ready” by printing to paper; however, reports can always be run and rerun at any time, right on your iOS or Android tablet, PC or Phone.

Although the reporting system can print paper reports, it is not required. The reports can also be exchanged, stored electronically, or viewed on a mobile device or a PC at any time, to support any need (such as audits, internal data reviews, etc.).

Krinkle Concrete QC® supports wireless printing of all reports. Any printer that supports Apple Print®️ (for Apple devices only) and Android Print®️ (for Android devices only) is fully supported for Wireless printing. These printers connect directly to Krinkle’s apps on your mobile devices; no live internet connection is required.

Krinkle Concrete QC® supports an audit from any specifying agency, even if they show up at your plant with no notice! After all, you can run any historical reports at any time with just a few clicks.

Krinkle Concrete QC® comes out of the box with all the tests, reference images, and guided processes needed to track the concrete production of pipe & box culverts, no matter the specifying agency. Although Krinkle Concrete QC® is based on ASTM standards, other standards established by other customers (both Private & State DOTs) can also be configured and supported. Even “special designs,” either below or above ASTM requirements, can be supported when needed.

Near Real-Time “Out-of-Tolerance” alerting enforces a fundamental requirement of Concrete QC that often gets overlooked or missed. All QC requires that any measurement is taken or test performed in which the user records the ACTUAL results, which must compare them to the EXPECTED results. Krinkle Concrete QC®’s production work order has contained within it all the EXPECTED results. As soon as any QC person begins to perform measurements on any test and enters data into Krinkle’s dynamic forms, the form constantly compares the data entered to the expected data for that product – in near real-time. The system can then warn the QC tech, in near real-time, if the data entered is outside of allowable tolerance. Of course, the QC manager can choose to turn this feature off if they wish. This application allows them to immediately give feedback to the production line and possibly even stop them before the error propagates through their production line. The potential savings, rapid error correction, and quality assurance this brings cannot be understated.

Management has a lot of data to review daily to ensure that things are going as they should be. Their day can easily fall into a state of data overload, and something QC techs should catch early can begin to fall through the cracks. Often, these issues (only visible when reviewing large quantities of data) go unnoticed until a critical situation arises. Nobody wants to find out what they missed after its effects have already occurred. Krinkle Concrete QC® can be configured to alert managers via daily emails and even real-time text messages when certain conditions arise that they need to know about. This approach frees them from needing to spend endless hours scouring through handwritten reports. Krinkle’s reports that follow the “Management by Exception” rule only show the issues that the built-in automation is looking for. This limits what a manager has to review and helps keep them focused and efficient. No longer are they always required to dig through data, looking for problems in a haystack.

With one click, the system can generate a thorough report on all its inspections and tests, making it easy always to be audit-ready.