Well we have done it. We have successfully completed our TS registration audit.

This has been a long 4 days. Our auditor was tough, but extremely fair.

For those that want data, we had 7 minor NCs and 3 OFIs.
:magic:

Details to follow soon.

Thanks for all your help! :thanx:

Congratulations !

Roy :applause:

IEGEEK,
CONGRATS ON COMPLETING A TOUGH JOB TO ATTAIN REGISTRATION TO TS16949 :applause:

Well done IEGeek. That is a great accomplishment. Be proud, go home and enjoy the weekend.

I will be interested in any follow-up.

Dave

I also extend my congratulations :applause:

It's time for :beerdive: or maybe some of Wes' "orange screwdrivers" ;)

Thank you all for the congrats.

I am curious about one thing. We actually received 7 minor NCs. Does our auditor really have to return to our site to close those out?

What are your expert experiences with closing out minor NCs?

Not always. Sometimes the N/C can be closed out by just sending the paperwork to the auditor. If it seems to correct the N/C to his/her satisfaction, sometimes they will follow up on the next surveillance. Problem is, the decision to follow up rests with the auditor so if he/she says they need to come back you are probably stuck.

It is good to remember that your N/C C/A should include, not only the paperwork but also a demonstration of how it was implemented, including training if applicable. To finally resolve it you need to then go back and audit it to make sure it is working the way you planned. If you follow this pattern, your auditor will soon learn you don't just paper-mill the C/As and will cut a lot of slack on follow-ups.

Another measure is how the N/C impacts the customer. If it was issued for something internal that has very little chance of impacting the customer, it probably won't require follow-up till the next surveillance.

Dave

Good for you! We have ours soon. One question:
1. Ours is a corporate registration (3 sites). Does the Stage 1 audit need to be done at all sites? Stage 1 and Stage 2 is a new requirement as of 12/04 for companies that want TS certification. Our registrar first said "no", but now thinks "yes, we are required to visit each site for a stage 1". Just wondering.

Thanks for the replies. All of our C/A were for internal items that have very little risk of endangering our customer, I think our auditor just wants to come back to sunny CA. I am kidding. He is a very thorough auditor and I am pleased with his performance.

As for the Stage 1 audit at multiple sites, my interpretation (and I use that term loosely) is that a Stage 1, must be completed at all sites, however I remember reading something that said that if it was not feasible to visit all sites, then the auditee must provide all personnel and paperwork at the site to be visited. I am sure they were talking about international sites, but why not take advantage????

Just some thoughts.....

We have just finished our Stage Readiness audit. Our corp. has 3 sites, we had to visit all 3.
Hope this helps.
Good Luck
Jaci

Help,
I am trying to set up a list to audit with,to ensure that I capture everything.Of course you don't know what your missing. Do anyone have an idea where I will be able to get assistance.
Thanks
Jaci

congratulations !!!!

enjoy your rewards.

Jaci

i am really confusing about sth.
the rules clearly said in section2: stage 1 - readiness review (one or two days on site).. so for a coporate registration, what if there are 10 or more sites? take the instance of there are 5 sites of coporate regis. how do u divied 1 or 2 days to all 5 sites?

Our 3 sites also got recommended a few weeks back. It was especially a tough audit at one site since the IAOB witnessed the process. Our auditor became quite rigid (and extra thorough). He wrote 15 minor nonconformances, but since they were all easy to fix and did not indicate any systemic breakdown, we were recommended. The IAOB person said that at present their is no maximum number of minors at which point a company fails. Some of the specific findings (N/C's) are as follows:

1. Not performing FMEAs to the latest (3rd Ed) of AIAG FMEA manual (7.3)
2. Manufacturing design Outputs do not include data for reliability and maintainability (7.3)
3. No evidence that we are monitoring premium freight of our suppliers (7.4)
4. Limited evidence that we promote monitoring of our suppliers' manufacturing processes (7.4)
5. Automated in-line process controls are not always listed on control plans (7.5)

We're BUSY :bonk: doing our corrective actions which are due within 30 days of the audit. Good luck to you all.

Registrar mostly do follow up audits when there is major finding in registration audit.With minor findings they close by reviewing data/documents.