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The LSP, along with the Office of the Inspector General of NASA and the US Department of Justice, found that Sapa Profiles falsified critical tests on the aluminum it sold. For nearly two decades, employees dictated faulty numbers or violated other test standards, such as increasing the speed of test machines or using sample sizes that did not meet specifications. They would then provide customers, including government suppliers, with falsified certifications. SPI itself was motivated by profits and the need to hide the inconsistent quality of its aluminum products while its employees were motivated by production-based bonuses.
Jim Norman, director of NASA Launch Services at NASA headquarters in Washington, explains why supplier integrity is extremely important to the agency's missions:
"NASA relies on the integrity of our industry throughout the supply chain." While we conduct our own testing, NASA can not test all components, which is why we require and pay for certain components to be tested and certified by the supplier. the results of the tests are altered and the certifications falsely falsified, the missions fail.In our case, the Taurus XLs that failed in the OCO and Glory missions resulted in the loss of more than $ 700 million and in years of scientific work of the people. we are able to rely on our industry to produce, test, and certify materials to the standards we demand, in which case our trust has been severely violated. "
The company, now known as Hydro Extrusion Portland, Inc., has agreed to pay $ 46 million to Nasa, DOJ and other entities. It's a small fraction of NASA's $ 700 million lost from failed missions, but at least the authorities have been able to hold SPI accountable for their actions. Sapa Profiles / Hydro Extrusion was also suspended from public procurement on September 30, 2015 and can no longer do business with the federal government.
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