  The ALICE experiment at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN is upgrading its
central tracking detector, the Time Projection Chamber (TPC). The installation
is foreseen during the second long shutdown of the Large Hadron Collider. The
upgrade includes the complete exchange of the present MWPC readout chambers
(ROC) with new ones based on Gas Electron Multiplier detectors. This is
necessary due to the higher LHC luminosity and thus higher interaction rate.
The new ROCs allow for continuous readout at 50 kHz compared to 500 Hz of the
gated MWPC readout, while maintaining the particle identification capability of
the present system. A thorough quality assurance scheme was developed to build
a strict QA protocol. The QA consists of two stages. The first stage, the basic
QA is done close to the GEM production workshop at CERN and later at the
framing and assembly centers. The second stage, the advanced QA is done at
dedicated QA centers. Full traceability of detector components will be
maintained throughout the process. A detailed description of the protocol will
be given with emphasis on the high definition optical scanning and gain
measurements of individual GEM foils. The production of the new ALICE TPC ROCs
has finally started. First QA experience under production conditions and
workload will be presented.
