Posted by Shane Krueger on (January 27, 2015)

6 Tips for a Successful Final Inspection with Your Apparatus Manufacturer

final-apparatus-inspection

After months of debating different specs, pouring over designs, and deciding what features to include on your new rig, your department’s new apparatus is finally ready for final inspection with the manufacturer. The final factory inspection is an extremely important part of the truck-building process and it shouldn’t be taken lightly. This will be the last opportunity to ensure your apparatus is built exactly to your specifications, and find any deficiencies before it’s delivered to you.

To help make sure the final inspection goes as smoothly as possible and you don’t overlook anything, we’ve put together a few useful tips that will make it a huge success. So before you head out to see your new apparatus, make sure you review our tips below:

  1. The committee that was selected to design the order should stay with the project and attend final inspection. Though your department might be full of great staff, the best way to ensure the apparatus was built to your needs is to send the original committee. They know what went into the truck, and they’ll know what to look for.
  1. Plan for the inspection to last at least two days. If all goes well, you can wrap up early, but you should never try to rush through things. Your apparatus committee has put a lot of hard work into this project, and there are a lot of details that require attention. The more you can review at the factory, the quicker and smoother the in-service process will be back home.
  1. After the shock of seeing the fully built apparatus sinks in, you should get down to business by starting at the beginning of your build specification and working through it line-by-line. We recommend having one committee member and one narrator (possibly your dealer) evaluate the requirements.
  1. As you go through the inspection, keep a running list of discrepancies or questions. As you review the apparatus and find concerns, make sure you write them down and discuss them with the factory representative at the end of each inspection session. This is usually a good job for your dealer or narrator.
  1. Inspect every inch of the apparatus. This includes the top AND the bottom. Most OEM’s have the ability to raise the truck, so you don’t have to spend the day on the creeper. You can tell a lot about the construction quality by examining the bottom of the vehicle, so make sure everything is routed concise and secure.
  1. Test all items to make sure that they’re working and that you understand how to operate them. Take the apparatus for a test drive, and ask the factory representative for a quick tutorial of anything you don’t understand. Regardless of any training sessions you might have gone through before delivery, there will be plenty of valuable operational tips available during the inspection.

Designing, building, and purchasing a new apparatus can be a tough and lengthy process. Don’t waste all that hard work by not taking your final inspection seriously.

Reasons to choose all aluminum fire apparatus

About Marion Body Works

Marion Body Works manufactures Fire & Emergency Apparatus, Commercial Truck Bodies, Aluminum Custom Cabs, Custom Engineered Vehicles, and Defense Products for customers across the country. Marion has been privately owned, family operated, and continuously operated in Marion since they were founded in 1905. Marion specializes in all aluminum products, with more experience in this area than any other U.S. manufacturer. The company’s capabilities include aluminum and steel fabrication, welding, plumbing, foam insulation, hydraulics, electrical and electronic controls, and painting.