ISO 14001 Customer Requirement

[db]

A client of mine was told by their registrar that if they did not become registered to ISO 14001, they would receive a nonconformance on their next QS 9000 surveillance audit. The understanding is that failure to gain ISO 14001 is a violation of the requirement to meet Customer Specific Requirements. Any thoughts?

[Dean P.]

Unless this requirement was written directly into a service contract, I can't see how this would be captured under QS9000. Looking through the standard, no where does it mention ISO-14001 as a customer requirement, or an example of a customer requirement.

To be technical, aren't these special requirements to be applied to the quality of the product? If not, can we get a non-conformance for not giving the annual 5% cost-down back to the customer? What if our attendance is required at a meeting, and we don't make it? Is this going against their requirements as well?

[db]

Dean, I agree completely. You are thinking along the same line as I was (that should scare you big-time!). This opens the door to other things.

A different question I have is how will the registrar know if my customer asked (demanded?) I give back 5%? How can the registrar know I was asked (demanded?) to become ISO 14001? Can registrars write nonconformances based on a general letter from a particular company?


Hmmmmmmmmm

[Dean P.]

I would say that it would all go back to the specific contract. True customer specific requirements, such as EDI, labeling requirements, PPAP, Cpk's, etc., are always layed out in the contract. As I said, if they put ISO-14001 registration as a requirement in the contract, and we signed off on it, then go ahead and audit it.

Our customers send us general letters on a regular basis asking (demanding) certain things, but they aren't always part of the quality system. Your client should ask the registrar "how is achieving ISO-14001 going to affect the quality of my product?".

Of course, maybe that's how the Big 3 will start to implement their 'whims', put them under Customer Specific Requirements and force the auditors to issue a non-conformance. I can just hear the auditor now..."Well it seems that Ford recently issued a letter requesting that you provide defect-free product, at zero cost to them, for delivery yesterday. And based on what I can see, you didn't meet this Customer Specific Requirement, therefore, I have to write you up!".

[Roger Eastin]

Is this auditor referring to Ford's (et al.) requirement to be ISO14001 registered if you are going to supply Ford? Wow, that's a stretch!! I could see if this is sanctioned interpretation in QS, but, and I still think this is the case, the ISO14001 requirement was issued separately from QS. (I don't do much with QS anymore.)

[Randy]

If a customer demands something that creates a capitol type of cost then they should agree to share some of the burden. Some things go beyond the "cost of doing business" and giving another organization a warm fuzzy is one of them.

[db]

Randy, I agree wholeheartedly, however we are talking about the auto industry. Their attitude is the supplier should be so impressed with having them as customers they should pay them to take the product!

QS requires contingency plans to ensure the supply of product in case of emergency. I have often said that to be fair, the customer should have a contingency plan in place to ensure the supply of revenue to the supplier should the customer experience an emergency. Like that’s ever going to happen!