Outsourced Processes - Delivery of our Products

[palmtree]

Hi,

Our recent audit has identifed we do not have controls on the delivery of our products. The parts we make are sent all over the world by whatever means best suits us and the customer. We keep a record of any missed deliveries or problems, and this is reviewed at the end of each year. These controls are in the manual but I suspect the auditor did not realize this.

Is there anything else we should do and add to the manual?

Thanks

 

[Jen Kirley]

Re: Outsourced processes - delivery

Hello,

What standard are you operating to?

Have you taken any actions based on your review(s) of the delivery performance data, including switching to a new shipping company, then check back to see if the action was effective? If you have done this, you can use this information to show your auditor you have a process. He/she might choose to close the CAR, based on new information, but perhaps not because the auditee probably should have known the process exists yet apparently was not able to describe it.

 

[qusys]

Re: Outsourced processes - delivery

To control this outsourced process, you could consider a supplier evaluation of your forwarder, or agreed KPI to monitor this process.
Besides you could also consider to make a score-card for this supplier, also based upon the level of satisfaction to fix problems provoked by it.Generally speaking you should be satisfatied with the contract established to have this kind of service.

 

[Jim Wynne]

Re: Outsourced processes - delivery

Hi,

Our recent audit has identifed we do not have controls on the delivery of our products. The parts we make are sent all over the world by whatever means best suits us and the customer. We keep a record of any missed deliveries or problems, and this is reviewed at the end of each year. These controls are in the manual but I suspect the auditor did not realize this.

Is there anything else we should do and add to the manual?

Thanks

You should post the exact wording of the auditor's finding, including references to the standard, if there were any. It's hard to tell what's going on from this vantage point without knowing exactly what the auditor said.

 

[palmtree]

Re: Outsourced processes - delivery

Hi,

We are working to ISO9001:2008

The auditor did not make it a non compliance and the observation was verbal. From what people (thanks for the feedback) have said we do cover the requirements with the performance of the carrier being tracked and reviewed. It is just that I got the impression that something else further was required.

If it is a problem I suspect it will come up at the next audit.

Sometimes I wish I was back when someone gave me a lump of metal and a drawing and I got on with it. Now I realize the drawing will be out of date, the wrong material supplied and the order cancelled!


Thanks

 

[Jen Kirley]

Re: Outsourced processes - delivery

Hi,

We are working to ISO9001:2008

The auditor did not make it a non compliance and the observation was verbal. From what people (thanks for the feedback) have said we do cover the requirements with the performance of the carrier being tracked and reviewed. It is just that I got the impression that something else further was required.

It could have been like a warning shot, but I would expect something written by the auditor if the auditor expected to be taken seriously.

In any case, shippers are just one form of supplier control that we would do well to recognize as such. Since customer satisfaction does generally include receiving our product on time and in good condition, delivery is important enough to be listed among requirements in the standards I operate to.

 

[Jim Wynne]

Re: Outsourced processes - delivery

Hi,

We are working to ISO9001:2008

The auditor did not make it a non compliance and the observation was verbal. From what people (thanks for the feedback) have said we do cover the requirements with the performance of the carrier being tracked and reviewed. It is just that I got the impression that something else further was required.

If it is a problem I suspect it will come up at the next audit.

Sometimes I wish I was back when someone gave me a lump of metal and a drawing and I got on with it. Now I realize the drawing will be out of date, the wrong material supplied and the order cancelled!


Thanks

Don't wait for it to be an issue at the next audit. Ask the auditor!

 

[rclanzillotto]

Re: Outsourced processes - delivery

Perhaps there was not not adequate evidence or confirmation of delivery. This would be appropriate prior to invoicing. Only a guess based on information provided

 

[arin_23]

Dear palmtree,

Jim has correctly suggested you to have a discussion with the auditor in this regard.

Just a note: that whenever you are concerned with storage , packaging and delivery of your products intended to the customer exercise special care on clauses 7.5.4 and 7.5.5 which deals with safety of customer property in your store and while in transit. If there is any standard or customer supplied packaging and storing standards it needs to be strictly maintained.

If this second process is outsourced to any logistics service provider then you can think of designing a few process metrics like cycle time of delivery, quality of consignments delivered, Customer satisfaction index on timely delivery , instances of wrong delivery ,etc. and can build upon a strong database.

Regards

Arin

 

[palmtree]

Arin,

As Jim has suggested I will contact the auditor to clarify the situation. We do not hold any customer supplied packing so that is one thing we do not have to worry about.

Thanks