Hi,

Does any one have experience of the IMDS web site application? I have been tasked by my company to submit all MDS's but unfortunately there is little or no money for training.

I have a training manual but the due to the technical jargon it keeps falling in the waste basket.

We are a small plating (chrome) company supplying 1st Tier to GM Europe. We mould and plate a component which is then shipped to GM.

Any help at all would be appreciated on how to compile a MDS. Thanks in advance.

Hi,

Does any one have experience of the IMDS web site application? I have been tasked by my company to submit all MDS's but unfortunately there is little or no money for training.

I have a training manual but the due to the technical jargon it keeps falling in the waste basket.

We are a small plating (chrome) company supplying 1st Tier to GM Europe. We mould and plate a component which is then shipped to GM.

Any help at all would be appreciated on how to compile a MDS. Thanks in advance.
You can use the Forum Seach (http://elsmar.com/Forums/showthread.php) function to find IMDS threads such as this one.
International Material Data Systems (IMDS) and ELV-1 - Looking for Info (http://elsmar.com/Forums/showthread.php?t=8516)

Thanks, Tarheels - That's a definitive discussion thread on IMDS.

I have a training manual but the due to the technical jargon it keeps falling in the waste basket.Are you having trouble finding the data you have to input, or understanding where to get the data?

I need to understand the whole concept of component, sub-component and material.

Also, we buy in raw materials so do I need to request the material information from our suppliers or do they input the data into IMDS?

I will keep researching the web and the threads on the cove but any useful tips or suggestions would be welcome.

I cannot help but sympathise. This is the most unfriendly useless application existing.
Sorry:frust: :frust: :frust: :frust:

As far as I understand it - It's been a couple of years since I did a spreadsheet for IMDS - I took material safety data sheets from suppliers and got the data from there. I think the responsibility for your product is on you even if your raw material supplier also submits IMDS entries for their product(s). Some of the ones I filled out were for coil steel, but included paint and a few things like that. It wasn't bad once I did a few of them. But - As I said, I was imputting data into a spreadsheet. It did have macros and everything had to add up (%'s, weights, etc.) or it wouldn't let you print or complete the sheet for submission.

As far as I understand it - It's been a couple of years since I did a spreadsheet for IMDS - I took material safety data sheets from suppliers and got the data from there. I think the responsibility for your product is on you even if your raw material supplier also submits IMDS entries for their product(s). Some of the ones I filled out were for coil steel, but included paint and a few things like that. It wasn't bad once I did a few of them. But - As I said, I was imputting data into a spreadsheet. It did have macros and everything had to add up (%'s, weights, etc.) or it wouldn't let you print or complete the sheet for submission.

My understanding is similar though I used the steel certs from my supplier.

Mark

I may have use supplier material certifications as well. It's been a while so I don't remember off hand what all I used but I remember there was stuff I got off of MSDS sheets.

Peter:

If you would like to contact me outside of the forum, I can do my best to assist you in this. I am currently responsible for all our IMDS submissions, and have also provided training to others within the organization.

I can be emailed privately at the following address:

ronsrompen at rogers dot com

Thank you all for your help so far.

I will definately be in touch ronsrompen.

Howdy folks!

It's been a while since my last post but I am facing a similar situation at work: submission to IMDS of some of our steel grades, as part of a PPAP submission. I have to agree with Howard on this one: what an unfriendly web-based application! Who designed this????:(. Furthermore, I would maybe question its "added-value" to an already "resource-hungry" PPAP-submission process. The intent may be (?) sincere (standardization, for me anyway, is a good thing in general) but implementation is very unfriendly!

Of course, I have no time for in-depth training and. if you don't mind Ron, I will try to contact you privately by email (from work) so as to "enlighten" me on how to proceed.

Thanks in advance!

Chris

Managed to submit my first 2 MDS's.

Thanks to everyone who offered help and assistance.

Much appreciated.

Hi Peter

Did you manage to get your 2 submissions accepted?

Unfortunatley IMDs is very much learn as you go along.

The thing that I have learnt is that preparation is the key. You need to work out what makes up each part and get the information before you start entering. Also you need to be aware that each customer has slightly different requirements on how to build the 'trees' in IMDS.

Where it is possible get your suppliers to provide IMDs to you. If they are not on the IMDs and will not register get them to provide the information to you in writing. You are basically asking them for an ingredients list with quanties of each basic substance. If they can provide you with the CAS number all the better. If I enter an item that we buy in I always put in the remarks section that this entry is based on information provided by 'supplier name' and 'our company name' does not accept any liablity for inaccuracies in the information provided.

Good Luck

Nette

Well, I guess I didn't confuse Peter TOO much :-)

Chris, I've already received your email and responded...sorry for the delay, but I am busy as **** getting ready for the transition to the new job and new responsibilities......however I will try to make the delay 48 hours maximum.

Anyone else have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask...I may not have the answer, but what the heck...I'll just make one up (lol).

The first 2 submissions were accepted OK.

Unfortunately the customer had given me the wrong part number on one part. They accepted both which does not allow me to modify the MDS with the incorrect part number. (The drawing had an hand written ammendment which I ignored! - unbelievable!)

The only way I can figue out how to change the part number is to create a copy of the MDS and re-submit it.

Never mind.

Peter

Well done on getting your submissions accepted.

In order to change your IMDs you do the following:

1 Click on search in the left hand menu.
2 Make sure you are on the component section and type in the IMDs number.
3 Click on search.
4 When your entry comes up click on the copy version.
5 Another box will come up saying new version or copy. Click on new version.
6 This will open the IMDs. Change the part number and click save.
7 Go to receipient section and click on modify (I think its called that).
8 Change the part number and then continue throught the normal process to sent it.

This will keep the same IMDs number.

If you do parts that are very similar what you can do is find the existing IMDs as in points 1 - 4 and when you are asked new version or copy click on copy. This will create a seperate IMDs and does not alter your original, you will get a new IMDs number. You just change the details as required, ie part number, description, wieght, etc. It is a quicker way if you do a lot of parts that are very similar.

Hope that makes sense.

Nette

GM North America has made it a must to have IMDS approved before PPAP can be fully approved. We submitted the IMDS to the website, the submission was accepted.

However, the customer did not see the submission(?) so our PPAP could at best be saleable. On the other hand, in GM GQTS we have no way to know if the submission is received and approved or not, so we could not really follow up until customer told us it has not been approved.

Would somebody who has the knowledge and experience explain to me how it works, please?

Thank you.

When you submit IMDs it has a status in the last column of the line that shows whether or not the part has been read, accepted or rejected.

Once your customer has accessed the IMDs you will receive a message informing you of what has been decided. It will tell you that the IMDs has been read and you will receive another message when they have either accepted it or rejected it.

You basically have to keep logging onto the IMDs to see it they have looked at it.

With regard to your PPAP. On you PSW sheet you should have a section where you input the IMDs number, the date submitted and the IMDs code.

We have had a situation with one of our customers where we submitted PPAP to an England site but the IMDs was submitted to one of their sites in France. We had to get our SQA Engineer at the England site to chase the French site for approval of the IMDs.

If you do a search on the IMDs by typing in the IMDs number and instead of pressing view you press preview this produces a document that you can print off and put in you PPAP file to show you have done the IMDS.

Hope this helps.

Nette

When you submit IMDs it has a status in the last column of the line that shows whether or not the part has been read, accepted or rejected.

Once your customer has accessed the IMDs you will receive a message informing you of what has been decided. It will tell you that the IMDs has been read and you will receive another message when they have either accepted it or rejected it.

You basically have to keep logging onto the IMDs to see it they have looked at it.

With regard to your PPAP. On you PSW sheet you should have a section where you input the IMDs number, the date submitted and the IMDs code.


Nette


Thank you, Nette

In IMDS printout it does show the submission is accepted. However we have never received any message about rejecttion or approval. ( We have started submiting IMDS since 2004, before customers required it).

IMDS has been around in Europe for some years now. I guess that is why your PSW has specific IMDS input. However, we do not have it here until the latest AIAG PSW becomes effective on June 1, 2006.

We had sent IMDS printout to our SQE, but he needs to see it is approved before he could approve the package, not corner cutting, for it is done in the computer system.

So here we are, :frust:

Of course we are working with the SQE to solve the problem. I just want to know when we submit to IMDS website, does it automatically send to our customer ? or we need to inform the customer? everytime we log on IMDS , it stays "Accpeted", never "Rejected" or "Approved"

Thank you