We are a service provider for the automotive industry. We have made a design improvement of an existing product. We are not the OEM. Does this mean we are now design responsible as it relates to TS16949? I will ask our registrar, but wanted to run it by the cove first.

We are a service provider for the automotive industry. We have made a design improvement of an existing product. We are not the OEM. Does this mean we are now design responsible as it relates to TS16949? I will ask our registrar, but wanted to run it by the cove first.


No, it does not. Design responsible means you own the design, and can change it as you wish. What you describe sounds like you had a good idea and the customer had you implement it. Assuming that is the case, that would leave design responsibility with them.

We are a service provider for the automotive industry.
You say you are a Service Provider. Exactly what is your product (service)?

We have made a design improvement of an existing product.

A design improvement of your product (a service)?

Need more specific information.

We remanufacture electronics for the automotive service parts industry. We have made a design improvement that has nothing to do with the OEM. Our customer will sign off the PPAP, but I am still unsure if this makes us design responsible.

The most reliable method I can think of to tell if someone is design responsible or not, is to go to the original agreement with the customer. If they are paying you for engineering (Design) services then you are design responsible.

Based on your posts, it doesn't sound like you are.

We remanufacture electronics for the automotive service parts industry. We have made a design improvement that has nothing to do with the OEM. Our customer will sign off the PPAP, but I am still unsure if this makes us design responsible.

No, it does not, because the customer still has to approve the change. You are making the change at their request/benefit.

For example, Wal-Mart cannot modify the Sony TV's they sell. The design rights belong to Sony.

Who is responsible for any updates to the print you are building to?

SUMMARY: Who is responsible ('owns') the print you are building to?

If you 'made a change', it had to go through a system. Probably a system on your end and a system on the customer's end. I have been in situations before where the customer 'owns' the print I was building to and I had a change suggestion. I had to submit an Engineering Change Request (ECR) through their system to get the print changed. I was not design responsible.

Is this similar to your situation?