Quality is a crucial factor to consider when you’re searching for the right erosion control solution. What are the verified performance ratings of a product? Will your erosion control blankets offer the functional longevity advertised? Will they protect your vegetation from the harsh effects of wind and water? Having access to erosion control products with high-quality design is the key to maintaining functional longevity and soil stability.

At East Coast Erosion Control, we work to protect waterways, slopes and construction sites from the elements with our erosion control products. Some of our most popular options include a variety of roll erosion control blankets and high performance turf reinforcement mats (HPTRM). We design and develop these products with high-quality materials so they can withstand some of the toughest conditions.

One of the most important parts of our erosion control product manufacturing process is quality assurance. We understand the critical role that erosion control blankets play in land development, restoration and infrastructure projects. Our quality control process helps us save time, deliver better products and maintain high levels of soil quality.

How Do We Select Our Raw Materials?

East Coast Erosion is a manufacturer of erosion control solutions for specifying engineers and distributors. Our product options include erosion control blankets, sediment control rolls, coir mats and more.

We focus on keeping our erosion control blankets up to date with the latest quality standards so they can offer the necessary protection against the elements. The functional longevity on your blanket can range from 45 days to several years, depending on the type you use.

East Coast Erosion’s quality assurance measures begin with the materials we use to create our erosion control blankets. A selection of our accelerated and short-term erosion control blankets are made with biodegradable materials like straw and aspen wood excelsior. Some of our longer-functioning options use tougher materials like permanent polypropylene and UV-stabilized thread.

One of the most common types of netting we use on our blankets is jute netting, which comes from Bangladesh. This is a strong material, and we hold it together using a leno weave as opposed to the more popular yet less reliable basket weave. The leno weave is a type of double weave used on both sides, which helps ensure better stability and integrity.

In addition to our jute nets, we also use high-quality coconut fibers in our erosion control blankets. These coconut fibers are sturdy and eco-friendly, and we use the fibers in our blankets to help increase resilience and elemental resistance. You can choose from 100% coconut fiber and 30% coconut fiber/70% straw, depending on the blanket you need. At East Coast Erosion, we only use double-cleaned coconut fiber, as an essential part of the raw material requirement process.

At East Coast Erosion, we select and inspect all our materials based on strict quality control standards. We use a quality control manual and specific criteria to determine whether our materials are fit for each product. If a material we receive from our suppliers falls below the standards we’ve set, we move on to netting and fibers that we know will deliver the right balance of strength and adaptability.

How Do We Build Supplier Relationships?

Maximizing quality control is about more than simply finding materials that meet our standards. It’s also about finding suppliers we trust to deliver those materials and work within our parameters. We partner with vendors who value their relationship with us as much as we value our relationship with them.

We care about building positive relationships with our suppliers, distributors and business partners. We build all our partnerships on a foundation of mutual trust and respect. The suppliers we work with are the ones we know can deliver consistent quality and reliability. Many are vendors we’ve been in touch with for years, and we’ve been working with some of them since we first started doing business.

We make honest communication a priority with every transaction. This both speeds up our process and gives us more control over the materials we buy and use. As long as we have close, trusting relationships with our vendors, we can keep our processes running smoothly and ensure our products are made according to strict quality assurance policies.

What Does the Manufacturing Process Look Like?

Quality control is such an important part of manufacturing because it helps maintain reliability and consistency. We design the manufacturing process to include quality control from start to finish.

We manufacture our rolled erosion control blankets by sewing together fiber materials such as straw, excelsior, coconut or polypropylene with a strong netting material. The more durable the netting and material, the longer the product will continue protecting the soil and vegetation underneath.

We’ve taken steps to automate and streamline the manufacturing process so every blanket comes out just as effective and resilient as the last. We choose high-quality materials and fast, automated processes when it comes to producing our erosion control blankets. This reduces the risk of error and simplifies our job so we can help our distributors and engineers support their land development applications.

Our machines are efficient and effective, increasing the speed of production without sacrificing quality. Once the finished product comes out of the machine, we use a special software program to provide quality assurance. This award-winning software is unique to our business and helps us enhance our product management strategies. It simplifies our process by tracking both the machine and the product so we can monitor quality and consistency.

The software records the weight of the roll and assigns it a lot number, which makes it easier for us to trace back to any quality issues that may arise. Machine tracking also gives us an easier way to monitor the productivity of our processes. As a result, we’re continually improving our operations and working to reduce downtime.

Another strategy we use to maintain erosion control quality assurance in our manufacturing process is organization. In a fast-paced manufacturing plant, regular maintenance and cleaning routines are essential. Staying clean and organized helps create a safer and more comfortable workspace for everyone. Keeping our facility organized also makes it easier for us to focus on ensuring the quality of each individual product.

By implementing these strategies, we can save time and reduce overall costs. In addition, we can ensure that the blankets going out to distributors are equipped to handle harsh outdoor environments.

How Do We Adhere to Market Guidelines?

At East Coast Erosion, we uphold quality assurance by subscribing to the most recent performance standards. We work with the Erosion Control Technology Council (ECTC) to help build and strictly adhere to reliable quality control guidelines.

The ECTC was created to protect soil from erosion by educating users, distributors and manufacturers about the proper uses and practices. As a member of the ECTC board, we play a part in setting and maintaining quality standards.

Other groups we associate with include the Geosynthetic Materials Association (GMA) and the International Erosion Control Association (IECA). The GMA is a similar organization to the ECTC, except that it focuses on the use and education of turf reinforcement mats and general erosion control products. The IECA works with other groups and businesses to host conferences, provide training and create networking opportunities for others who want to learn about the latest erosion control developments.

We’re committed to using these organizations both as a way to educate ourselves and to educate other businesses and users. We even dedicate our resources to spreading knowledge about the importance of the GMA and ECTC by lobbying in Washington.

We’re also part of the National Transportation Product Evaluation Program (NTPEP). The NTPEP is run by the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO), which acts as a representative for the transport organizations of the United States. Our partnership with this group gives us access to product testing every three years. We use this opportunity to have all our products ASTM tested. Some of the factors considered during these quality assurance measurements include:

Tensile strength
Weight — both wet and dry
Light penetration capabilities

We also participate in performance tests that measure the run-off and effectiveness of our products. By conducting these examinations every few years, we can paint a better view of our erosion control blankets and how they hold up against market standards.

ASTM standards apply to all types of materials, including wood, metals and plastics. As a result, we can test almost any of our materials through ASTM International Methods. We’re also active members of ASTM, which allows us to play a part in enhancing and adjusting standards.

What Testing and Inspection Procedures Do We Follow?

East Coast Erosion places a high value on consistency and ongoing quality control. Rather than performing tests when an issue arises or when it’s most convenient for us, we strive to uphold quality and performance by conducting frequent tests and inspections. This strict adherence to quality benefits both you, the engineer, and us, the business, by saving time and money for all parties involved. We stand out because we take a proactive approach to quality control and use modern technology to make the process as seamless as possible.

We start our quality control process by testing products at the beginning of every run. During the manufacturing process, a staff member also records the weight and performs an inspection to ensure that it meets quality standards. We continue to evaluate the roll throughout the course of operations so we can send it out to our distributors with total confidence in its capabilities.

The quality of our erosion control blankets continually exceeds expectations thanks to our attention to detail and commitment to the thorough testing of each product. Our quality assurance methods ensure that our erosion control blankets are durable and effective before they leave our facility.

What Happens When a Product Has a Defect?

Our erosion control blankets are designed to offer excellent functional longevity and provide security for vegetation growth. You can use these control solutions to establish healthy soil or vegetation, and in most cases, you can do so without having to worry about defect risks.

We’re usually able to catch defects and imperfections ahead of time because of our ongoing inspections and quality evaluations. When we find defects or products during the manufacturing process that don’t match our quality assurance manual, we mark them for non-conformance and dispose of them. This reduces risk and allows us to maintain stronger professional relationships with our distributors. It also helps maintain soil integrity and helps you avoid investment losses and disaster expenses.

We expect all erosion control blankets that we provide to meet the specifications offered on our product pages. If any design issues arise or a defect slips past our radar during manufacturing, we’re prepared to offer replacement blankets. Our goal is to minimize these types of issues for our own financial benefit and that of our distributors.

Learn More About East Coast Erosion Products

As part of our product manufacturing process, we take erosion control quality assurance very seriously. We adhere to guidelines set by experts in the industry so users can protect new vegetation from the effects of wind, rain, run-off and harsh weather conditions. Whether we’re manufacturing a temporary erosion control blanket or a long-term solution designed to support larger land restoration projects, we put the same amount of effort into our quality assurance process, every time.

We use quality control measures to help you make the most of our products and provide more reliable solutions to your customers. To learn more about erosion control blankets or the types of solutions we have available, view our products online today.

East Coast - Model ECP-2 -Polypropylene Turf Reinforcement Mat