Are Special Characteristics mandatory (required)?

[qasclk]

Hi guys

Been following the insighful posts for sometime, thank you all the kind sharing and advices

Need to ask this question: Are Special characteristics mandatory?

We are in the inductance commodities industry where we design our own parts and customers place orders through our catalogues,

This is from our Quality Manual:

Special (customer specified) and critical
(XXXXXXXX determined) characteristics will be identified by appropriate
symbology and documented as follows:
• On the approved Control Plan.
• If applicable, documented per customer requirements.
• In appropriate process control documents.

We have not received any specific customers requirements on our products, and we have not identified any "key characteristics" in our products, since everything is important with the relevant process controls and monitoring, etc

We had automotive customers (tier 1 and Tier 2) audit us, and they had no issues with no demarcations of special or key characteristics.

However, during a recent recertification audit, the auditor insisted that special characteristics are mandatory and threatened to withhold the certs

This, after we are TS certified with the same registrar for 6 years with no issues with SCs previously


Hence, would really like to hear on whether is it a requirement to state SCs explicitly? Or would a review that non was identified sufficient?

Thanks in advance

[arios]

I have been away from the automotive sector for quite a while.

Please consider looking for the AIAG's s sanctioned interpretations:

http://www.aiag.org/staticcontent/quality/index.cfm

I hope it helps

[somashekar]

In Reply to Parent Post by qasclk

However, during a recent recertification audit, the auditor insisted that special characteristics are mandatory and threatened to withhold the certs

Can you detail this aspect with your example so that we can understand your situation and the auditor comments better ....
If you are supplying any part out of your catalogue for any specific customer, then perhaps the auditor is interested in the special characteristics that differenciates it from your standard part. However small the characteristic is, it is significant to the customer and as long as you respect such requests for special supply outside of your catalogue, the auditor will be interested to know and understand how you determine and map and ensure that customer requirements are met.

[Chennaiite]

In Reply to Parent Post by qasclk

Need to ask this question: Are Special characteristics mandatory?

We are in the inductance commodities industry where we design our own parts and customers place orders through our catalogues,

I am representing a Carmaker.
We have quite a few suppliers who are responsible for the Product design. We normally look forward to Supplier internal standard to identify special charateristics. The availability of this Standard might have fulfilled the expectation of the auditor concerned, provided the intention was genuine.

[qusys]

Hi,
it seems very strange to me you do not have identified any special charactistics.
If your Customer did not trasmit them to you, you have to indentify them internally. This is a requirement of ISO TS. You said is everything is important in your line, but if everything is important how do you control all? Too much difficult and huge investment in resources...
You should identify special characteristic internally , working at FMEA and Control plan.

In Reply to Parent Post by qasclk

Hi guys

Been following the insighful posts for sometime, thank you all the kind sharing and advices

Need to ask this question: Are Special characteristics mandatory? <snip>

[Peters]

In Reply to Parent Post by qusys

Hi,
it seems very strange to me you do not have identified any special charactistics.
If your Customer did not trasmit them to you, you have to indentify them internally. This is a requirement of ISO TS. You said is everything is important in your line, but if everything is important how do you control all? Too much difficult and huge investment in resources...
You should identify special characteristic internally , working at FMEA and Control plan.

Well... What about the situation:
CC - result of identification (using FMEA) - 0 (zero)
SC - result of identification (using FMEA) - 0 (zero)
??

[Howard Atkins]

In Reply to Parent Post by qusys

Hi,
it seems very strange to me you do not have identified any special charactistics.
If your Customer did not trasmit them to you, you have to indentify them internally. This is a requirement of ISO TS. You said is everything is important in your line, but if everything is important how do you control all? Too much difficult and huge investment in resources...
You should identify special characteristic internally , working at FMEA and Control plan.

The requirement in the standard is

7.3.2.3 Special characteristics
The organization shall identify special characteristics

If you do not find then then you have not found them.
If it is mandatory how many are mandatory 1? 10?
Remember you can always appeal to the CB

[Marc]

In Reply to Parent Post by qusys

<snip> ...it seems very strange to me you do not have identified any special charactistics. <snip>

When I was active I used to see this now and again. An auditor would come in and it could take an hour or more explaining why no critical characteristics were identified by a company or their customer.

Sometimes there simply aren't any. Other times there are very many. It depends upon the product and processes. But if I remember correctly QS and TS required at least one, so one would be made one up to satisfy the requirements. Silly, but an easy requirement to 'fill' just to satisfy the requirement. Make up something easy to track and be done with it.