1st4Limited
In section 7.4 of the ISO 9001:2000 standard, Purchasing, we
find the requirement that “the organization shall ensure that purchased
product conforms to specified purchase requirements”. While this
requirement in itself is fairly straightforward, a fair degree of
latitude is allowed here regarding the type and extent of the controls
necessary, as these are simply stating as being “dependent upon the
effect of the purchased product on subsequent product realization or
the final product”.
While the basics for supplier control may seem fairly rudimentary for
those organizations with an established Quality Management System
(QMS), I’m providing a basic control scheme below for those
organizations that may still need a little help:
1. Identify your suppliers – As simple as this may sound, many
organizations have never made a point to establish a comprehensive list
of their existing (or potential) suppliers, and those that have often
haven’t distributed this list to all affected parties within the
organization. As most purchasing systems are computerized to some
point, this first step should be quite easily to perform. You must
define who you’re using.
2. Identify what’s being provided – Once your suppliers have been
identified, it’s then necessary to define their scope (what are they
providing?). Some organizations use simple supplier classifications
such as “distributor”, “processor”, “manufacturer”, etc., while other
organizations go to great detail using product-specific descriptions
such as “bolts”, “flanges”, “plate/pipe/sheet”, etc. The particular
classification used should be defined by organization, and should be
appropriate to the organization’s specific needs. You must define what
you’re purchasing.
3. Determine the appropriate controls – Controls should be based on
both the item(s) being provided and the historical performance of the
supplier that’s providing them. Critical items that directly affect the
end-product (your product) should be candidates for increased control,
as should suppliers that have performed poorly in the past (in some
cases, this may include a “ban” or other restrictions placed on some or
all items from a particular supplier). In contrast, controls for
purchases that are not critical, or for suppliers that have a long
history of excellence, may be relaxed to some degree. In all cases
however, you must make sure to specify what your purchasing
requirements are (grade, class, composition, QMS, etc.), and perform
some degree of receiving inspection prior to placing any purchased
product into inventory. You must what controls are necessary.
4. Monitor and correct as necessary - Adequate records should
maintained to demonstrate the effectiveness of the above controls, and
for use in periodically evaluating supplier performance as part of an
on-going supplier management program. If nonconforming product or
services are identified, they must be addressed directly with the
supplier, or the supplier will never be aware there has been a problem.
Should problems consistently occur, go back to #3 above, and re-adjust
your controls accordingly. You must actively manage your suppliers.
Additional considerations can be used, such as if the supplier has a
documented quality program, and if the supplier has ISO registration or
similar pedigrees. Such certifications are appropriate to consider,
however they are based on periodic assessments of a supplier’s quality
program, and do not reflect the real-time quality performance of the
supplier’s organization.
Mark Randig is the President and Founder of MAS Solutions LLC., a Houston Texas based consulting firm that specializes in helping companies achieve breakthrough performance by focusing on Quality Enhancement and Productivity Improvement. To get your FREE copy of Mark’s newsletter "The Quality Specialist", go to http://www.masquality.com.
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