Does anyone know a standard Acceptable Quality Level for incoming device components? Our contract manufacturer assembles an electronic handpiece for us, but when we test them, we find that at least 10% of them fail. I’d like to negotiate an acceptable number of nonconforming components from my supplier, but wanted a benchmark to start from.

Matt-

Most of my prior experience has been in automotive and defense and they are very different cultures. In automotive, zero defects were a way of life and at that company (large multinational Tier II), suppliers were expected to maintain PPM's as follows:

'Green' supplier (dock to stock): 0-25 PPM
'Yellow' supplier (normal sampling inspection required): 26-500 PPM
'Red' supplier (tightened sampling inspection required): 501-2500 PPM
'Unacceptable' supplier (discontinue use): 2501+ PPM

A discontinued supplier could slither their way back into our good graces by giving us really, really good 8-D's and then going back to square one of the supplier approval process.

It was different with the military contractors. Both only had suppliers of metals to worry about (about 98% was steel and titanium bar stock, the remainer was oddball stuff like aluminum extrusions) so most of the inspection activity was in-process and final acceptance, not SQD. Defense procurement designated all features as either Critical, Major, Minor, or Unlisted and we had to inspect (in the presence of a DOD procurement specialist, called a 'DCAS') to the old MIL-STD105E (now ANSI/ASQ Z1.4-2003) with the following criteria:

Critical: 100% inspection
Major: 0.65 AQL, Level II
Minor: 4.0 AQL, Level II
Unlisted: Did not require final inspection

But every organization needs to make their own risk/cost analysis and come up with their own 'comfort zone' for supplier quality.

Did any of that blather help?

Regards -John

Thanks John, that gives me a bit of a starting point. This particular supplier is the only one that would touch this job, so we're a little more flexible with them than normal. But we still don't like losing any more money that necessary.

Hi! Dear,

Can anyone provide me a table of ANZI 1.4 ? What's the different between ANZI 1.4 & Mil Std 105e?:rolleyes:

Thank you
CK:agree1:

Hi! Dear,

Can anyone provide me a table of ANZI 1.4 ? What's the different between ANZI 1.4 & Mil Std 105e?:rolleyes:

Thank you
CK:agree1:

ANZI 1.4 is protected by copyright and is the civilian equivalent of Mil Std 105e. According to some of our covers, there are some minor differences. See this link (http://elsmar.com/Forums/showthread.php?t=19814&highlight=ansi+z1.4+mil-std+105e), especially post#7.

Welcome to the cove CK.