Certificate of Compliance vs. Conformance - What is the difference?

[Wes Bucey]

Also note that as has been pointed out in this thread, there are industries where certain terminology is narrowly defined and generally understood within the industry.

Absolutely! This can't be reinforced often enough. When in such an industry, your paperwork must conform and you must comply! In law, we call such usages and terminology "term of art" when it has a special meaning over and above a common dictionary definition.

I used to work for a company that was obliged to supply notarized certificates of analysis to some customers. A new employee asked what it meant for the cert to be notarized. My boss, having overheard the question, replied, "It means one person lied and another one swore to it."

That's a funny line! Probably even funnier because it has a ring of truth to it.

 

[Jim Wynne]

That's also a good point. Would you agree it is easier to cater to an individual customer's idiosyncrasy on this immaterial point (which I see as in the same vein as a customer asking us to put duplicate labels on opposite sides of a product case for efficiency in stacking inventory.)

You betcha. Give 'em what they ask for unless it's painful, and in those cases, talk it over. It's a fairly simple matter to keep track of customers' special requirements--they all have them, after all. Something that a lot of people don't think about are the customer's purchasing people, especially expediters. In a job shop situation one deals with a lot of different customers, and you're happier to hear from some of them than from others. The big difference for the OEM is that if they continually get static and whining from a supplier, it will affect a purchasing decision sooner or later. If you can manage to give them what they want quickly and without a lot of grief, they'll remember.
It may make your job more difficult for an hour or so, but it could mean that you'll have a job somewhere down the line.

 

[pat weigel]

Just have never used one before and our company Jack Hicks Steel Fabrication & Erection, Inc., here in Plant City, Florida has a new customer asking us to utilize this form when projects are completed have never seen one before, our General Manager is asking me see if I can find someone who's used this particular form and where we go to get a copy of this form. It's alittle over my head but it sounds like I'm going in the right direction by finding you guys.

 

[antoine.dias]

Welcome to the Cove.

I have found this description in the post attachment list.

This explains what has to be in it. ( depends on the customer request )

Best regards and lots of success,

Antoine

 

[Bob the QE]

We make a distinction in the chemical business between a Certificate of Analysis and the others. A CofA implies that our lab has tested the material (usually something we made) with the results as reported. If data is on one of the CofCs, it implies we copied over the data from somebody else's CofA - these are only for repackaging operations, since we rarely send out manufacturing samples for outside analysis.

It appears that you may be of some assistance to me in clarifying the difference in our QMS for the meaning of C of C's and C of A's. I am new to this particular industry (machining) and we do have requirements for both types of documents. I have defined C of C's as " A document showing traceability of product's and material's that does not indicate testing results on a given lot of materials or shipment of part's......and I am not sure how to define C of A's as it applies to material or products of steel content. Any ideas?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Jim Wynne]

It appears that you may be of some assistance to me in clarifying the difference in our QMS for the meaning of C of C's and C of A's. I am new to this particular industry (machining) and we do have requirements for both types of documents. I have defined C of C's as " A document showing traceability of product's and material's that does not indicate testing results on a given lot of materials or shipment of part's......and I am not sure how to define C of A's as it applies to material or products of steel content. Any ideas?

Thanks in advance.

Why do you need these documents? If they're required by customers, you should find out what form and content is required. If there are no customer requirements, you should determine whether or not you actually need them.

 

[kasiopeja01]

This forum has been here for a long time but just for the interest. Those two documents are not the same at all. In many cases I need both from the manufacturer. Declaration of comformity is created by manufacturer and also known as Homologatiotion or Type approval. Certificate of comlience is CE certificate obtained by third-party.