Can anyone explain the meaning of "special status customer notifications" from 7.4.3.2 Supplier monitoring?

Can anyone explain the meaning of "special status customer notifications" from 7.4.3.2 Supplier monitoring?

It refers to such things as controlled shipping status, like GM's GP5 requirements, wherein suppliers must invoke special containment controls after a problem has been identified.

http://www.iaob.org/pdfs/IAOB_Clarification%20of_the_Impact_%20of_Customer_%20Special_%20Status_%20Conditions_%20Released_October_27_%202004.pdf

This link should outline some instances of "special status". Hopefully some of the members with more familiarity with 16949 can chime in, but I thought I'd post this for a start.

;)

Thanks Jim and Benjamin. Please correct me if I'm wrong but this would means that I will need to require my suppliers to notify me anytime they recieved a "special status notification" from any of their customers.
Scott

It is more likely that if your customer issued you the special status, you have to check with suppliers if they have been delivering poor quaity products that may have results in the finished products which have been delivered to your customers. These products have been found to be of poor quality and the customer later issued your HOLD, REVOKED or other status including special status notification.

Since section 7.4.3 deals with product that you purchase, 7.4.3.2 is in regard to how you monitor the performance of your suppliers with respect to the products and services that they provide to you. It does not require that you monitor the performance and products that they provide to their other customers. Aside from overburdening you and your supplier, it would be (at best) nosy to request information regarding the business dealings they have with their other customers. ;)

When you specifically focus on the special status customer notifications, that would be any special status that you place your supplier under because of problems with quality or delivery of their product to you. The requirement is that you monitor these occurences.