Hi everybody, here again asking to experts.

I´m working on the Quality manual
and including a map of all the processes and its interaction.
but a doubt came up.

We sell several products: Equipment (design and manuf.)
also sell just the design (drawings , specifications,etc)

Equipment

We design, and manufacture equipment, in this case purchasing
plays an important role (contacting providers, buying materials, asking quotations,etc), I supose should be included in the Realization Process block)

But in the case when we only sell a design, Purchasing doesn´t
participate to achieve the final product.
for me should be a Support process not realization.

My question is; In the main Process Map
Purchasing where is to be represented, In Realization
or in the Supporting Processes? considering the different
products we sell


Thanks

Purchasing is clearly a process in your system. Just because you don't buy things every time you provide something to a customer doesn't make it less important when you do. It is a "product realization" process.

Many companies design some products, but also do contract manufacturing to customer designs. Design is still an important process in their systems, but is not used in all cases.

Yup, I agree with Howste.

There's no words in ISO 9001 that say things like 'you can ignore requirements if you don't do (whatever it is) very often'.

i agree with the peeps above. you can inlcude purchasing on the "product realization"

to be precise (in my case), purchasing is a "support" of the design. it is link to the design process like inspection. although, here, design is the main and purchasing, production (making), inspection etc are support of the design. if your concentration only on the Design & Develoepment.

but for the overall mapping, purchasing should be included. it is a vital link ofr the product realization.

:bigwave:

Definitely purchasing needs to be addressed. I understand whele designing preparing drawings you purchase certain equipments like the CADD package, industrial drafters and so on.

This products are certainly not produced by you and needs to be purchased. One more aspect to the issue is that you may sometimes require to outsource the designing & drawing activities; if so then also you are purchasing the service.

The bottomline is if your QMS mentions about purchase in any form related to the product realization process , the purchase process can not be fully or partially ignored.

Regards,

Arin