Folk's, can you help please.


What is a 'Pass Through Characterstic'?

Thanks

Geoff

It doesn't ring a bell with me off hand. Where (what context) do you see this phrase?

I think its referring to finished components which are bought in from a supplier and 'passed through' to Ford. The supplier may be one which Ford do not wish to deal with direct.

Not sure though.

Geoff

That makes sense. A characteristic which is defined, but you sub-contract and drop ship.

Where did you see the phrase?

The term "Pass through characteristic" is addressed in the Q1 assessment checklist.
My ASSUMPTION is that it means those characteristics that "pass through" the process that have not been inspected, i.e. characteristics that are not SC's or HIC's.

Marc,

I don't think its referring to something we sub-contract i.e. surface finishing, heat treatment, etc.

I'm thinking it's something we purchase and ship to Ford on their behalf, i.e speciality fasteners.

Any thoughts?

Geoff:confused:

Sam,

Interesting assumption, is the key word "CHARACTERISTIC" ?

Geoff

Oops - I posted with out reading... Sorry.

I have to talk with a client's Q1 Coordinator today or tomorrow and I'll ask about the phrase.

I called today and he's on 'vacation' until next week. I'll reply here as soon as I get in touch with him.

Just talked with an STA today and was told that a Pass Through Characteristic is any characteristic that passes through to the dealer/customer without being inspected. This applies to internal supplier processes, subcontractor pocesses and drop shipments or any variation thereof.

Key word could be Characteristic: Any characteristic that passes through to a customer without being inspected.

Did we ever get any further on this one?

The original text from Ford is:

Supplier verifies pass-through charactistics and ensures that zero defects are at Vehicle Operations and final customer.

The subject heading is FMEA's/Control Plans

I spoke with my client's SQA - one Dana Snelgrove - and he was typical Ford. Bottom line is I couldn't get the question in and I doubt, now that I think about it, that he would know. He's Quality Manager of Transportation Services - so there are a number of Q1 aspects which don't fit into the transportation end of things.

I will be at a meeting at Ford in Detroit this Friday and I'll see if I can get any more information then.

If you have a pdf file of the assessment it's in, post it in a reply and I'll have a looksie. I have the QOS Assessment, but not the Q1 Assessment. I'd like to see it.

But I think what is probably being said is if you drop-ship (as I mentioned earlier), you have to determine how any 'specified' characteristics are checked in your control plan and FMEA. I remember from QS you had to have everything from receiving to shipping in your control plan and FMEA. This is an instance where you have to address the issue of another company actually producing something which they 'drop-ship' directly to the customer. It may be an operation after your processes which you sub out and your supplier ships directly to your customer. Or, it might be a distributor type arrangement. Or, it may be where another company manufactures something under your company's name. The bottom line is it doesn't pass through your facility for you to be able to check the characteristic - it is shipped from another company to your customer.

Marc,

Did you get any info from your meeting at Ford?

Geoff

No. I didn't. I described the meeting in another thread. Bottom line is it was not productive. Because my description of the meeting (admittedly pointed and very critical of Ford - but true) reached top brass at Ford (through top brass at Omnex it appears - who contacted me via e-mail on Sunday) within 4 days (Saturday to Tuesday), serious (yes, serious) problems have arisen. It appears these forums are much more widely read than I would have believed and that neither Ford nor Omnex have a very 'thick skin'. Until I see where Ford is going with this I'll leave it at that.

Sorry I didn't get the definition.

Originally posted by Sam
Just talked with an STA today and was told that a Pass Through Characteristic is any characteristic that passes through to the dealer/customer without being inspected. This applies to internal supplier processes, subcontractor pocesses and drop shipments or any variation thereof.

Key word could be Characteristic: Any characteristic that passes through to a customer without being inspected.

Basically, Sam is correct here. Here is an "official" definition from a Ford-Sharonville (Ohio) Quality guy:

"The official definition is 'Those product characteristics that are supplied to Powertrain plants by outside suppliers, but are transparent to our processing and controls at manufacturing. They may however, affect the Vehicle Operations plant's or buying public.'"

Ford also requires us (the Tier One) to identify any such characteristics that we might receive through component suppliers to us. Of course, there are also Excel spreadsheets that must be filled out to document all this.