Newsletter February 2022:

By: Ye Liu
Translated by: Xiuguo Dong

Advices for in-depth supplier audits in China

There are three most common types of supplier audits in the manufacturing industry: system audits, process audits, and product audits. The focus of each of the three is different:

  • system audits to assess the integrity and effectiveness of the basic requirements of the quality system
  • process audits to assess the quality of the production process
  • product audits to assess the quality characteristics of the product

All three are closely related. Qualified products need to be supported by qualified processes, and qualified processes are based on professional systems.

bdp Mechanical Components (MC) has been working in China for many years. Regularly, the focus with our producers is product audit. In many cases, product audits are extended to process audits simultaneously.

Usually, at the producer’s site, we first review the producer’s inspection report for all dimensions and material performance of the final products. After confirming that there is no error in the reports, we randomly spot check the final products and inspect the parts based on:

  • drawings,
  • defect catalogs (if provided by customer)
  • existing samples (if provided by customer)
  • allowed deviations by the customer
  • relevant technical specifications

The sample size and batch are determined based on:

  • customer requirement
  • inspection specifications
  • previous customer complaints
  • key product characteristics, etc.

The parts, which are spot-checked, must be marked according to batches to avoid confusion with other parts. The inspection shall include product dimensions, appearance, marking, packaging, and functional testing.

During the inspection, several methods and techniques can be used, for example:

  • For projects with multiple inspection methods, you can choose to implement the method not used in production to test so that you can find the misjudgment caused by improper testing.
  • You should review the appearance of the part in a brightly lit environment. If the customer provided any sample in advance, it can be used as a benchmark for further comparison.
  • If a spot-checked part can still be used after inspection, it shall be cleaned and oiled, repackaged, returned to the original state before the inspection, and then put back in the original way according to delivery.

While inspecting the final products, we also check the producer’s P-FMEA, control plan, process flow diagram, process documentation, etc.

bdp MC requires all producers to place all relevant process documentation and inspection specifications for the production process at the production site. These must be visible and within reach for all operators on site. Based on these specifications, we ask the operators about key characteristics, risks, and previous customer complaints, to find out if the production site is really performing according to the control plan, process documents, and other requirements. If there is no clear answer at first, it is necessary to ask more questions and ensure that the questions have been correctly understood.

The parts shall be checked during the production process in accordance with inspection specifications.

When any defect is found, we immediately communicate with producers and search for a solution together on site. The on-site inspection must be documented. The process capability Cpk must be determined. For example, customers in the automotive industry usually require Cpk ≥ 1.67.

In addition, the maintenance of gauges and production equipment is essential. For gauges, we ask the producers to provide Gage Repeatability & Reproducibility (R & R) report and check whether the gauges used on site are within the validity period and are properly stored. For production equipment, we check the maintenance records of the equipment, etc.

In addition, handling of non-conforming parts, production batch and traceability management are also the focus of the audit. Non-conforming parts must be marked with different colors or with labels according to their categories, then recorded and isolated. We check the batch identification, audit batch records, and production inspection records of the parts on-site for the batch and traceability of products.

All strengths and weaknesses found during the audit process shall be documented. Sometimes it is also helpful to take photos. Finally, we communicate with the producer for the problems found in this audit, put forward the improvement report, and ask the producer to rectify it by the deadline.

Later, we will audit again after the producer completes the rectification. In this round after round process, bdp Mechanical Components and the producers work together to continuously improve product quality and enhance customer satisfaction.

Ye Liu

Ye Liu

Senior Supplier Quality Engineer (SQE) ·bdp Mechanical Components China
Xiuguo Dong

Xiuguo Dong

Senior Technical Sales ·bdp Mechanical Components Germany

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