The 12-n-12 testing program is one component of our ongoing quality assurance system at Animal Science Products. The program’s goal is to monitor our outgoing premix samples to assure that nutrient concentrations are meeting the standards established by regulators. The 12-n-12 program focuses on a different premix component each month. For example, samples of applicable premixes produced in the month of January, 2009 are tested for manganese. The QA manager targets a statistically relevant number of samples based on the premix plant’s production volumes. These random samples are collected from the production line throughout the month, representing every production day and every production shift. The samples are submitted to third-party laboratories for assay. The results are tallied and charted to evaluate the premix plant’s success at meeting the customer’s specification. It is important to isolate potential manufacturing variation from other sources of error in the testing process. Tracking a single nutrient for the entire month helps reduce errors due to variation between different nutrients. Similarly, using the same third-party lab for the assays reduces the analytical errors attributable to different labs and analysts. The 12-n-12 program has been an important tool to confirm that we are consistently meeting customers’ specifications every day throughout the month. While it does not stand alone as the sole means to assess QA, it provides excellent insight into one aspect of the premix production process. The 12-n-12 program provides a tool for ongoing process management within our premix plant and is a great source of satisfaction assurance for customers.