Customer Furnished Drawings Retained? Control of Documents of External Origin

[pwabbit]

We are currently unsure how to treat customer drawings. We control them to the extent that we prevent the wrong drawing from being used. Do we have to retain (under AS9100b) the customer furnished drawings for the same period that we retain the quality documents and records (7 years)? Note: Copies of the drawings are available from the customer.

 

[Coury Ferguson]

Re: Are customer furnished drawings to be retained?

We are currently unsure how to treat customer drawings. We control them to the extent that we prevent the wrong drawing from being used. Do we have to retain (under AS9100b) the customer furnished drawings for the same period that we retain the quality documents and records (7 years)? Note: Copies of the drawings are available from the customer.

I guess my first question is: What do your procedures say about Customer Property (Drawings) and control/retention of records and data?

If your procedures state that you will retain customer drawings for a specified time period, than you must retain them. In my opinion, once the contract/purchase document has been completed, I would retain the information for at least 5 Years after completion of the Contract, and then return them to the customer, unless otherwise specified. The retention period would be required not only for legal aspects, but warranty purposes also.

 

[pwabbit]

Re: Are customer furnished drawings to be retained?

Our procedure does not address the retention or disposal of the customer furnished drawings, only the use of them.

All of our customers consider their drawings as disposable property.

 

[Jeff Frost]

Re: Are customer furnished drawings to be retained?

The short answer is yes you must control your customers drawing as required by 4.2.3 because a “document” as defined by ISO 9000:2000 is inclusive of drawings by definition. The drawings (as defined) must “be controlled according to the requirements given in 4.2.4”.

Also your customer’s PO usually will state retention requirements for documents and records. If the PO is silent on the requirement then your documented procedure which address the requirements of 4.2.4 should then define a retention time.

Jeff

 

[Wes Bucey]

There are "considerations" whether the customer drawing is disposable or whether it falls under your normal quality retention period.

Some, not all, of these considerations are:

1. was the drawing used to make or assemble the product or merely a reference for where your product would go in a final assembly?
2. did you have to make additional shop drawings to create the product based on customer's drawing?
3. did the customer's drawing merely duplicate your own drawing for a standard off-the-shelf product?
4. are there regulatory issues involved?
5. since the customer (by your information) declares the drawing as disposable, what quality documents are you retaining after the order is closed? why? (if you have a reason to keep a file of quality documents relating to the product, you probably should keep the drawing IF you used it to build the product)
6. is there a possibility the customer may come back in the future and complain the product doesn't meet spec?
7. is there a possibility the customer may come back in the future for a reorder (same version level?)

In regard to number 3, I have seen numerous companies actually send a bolt manufacturer a drawing of a standard off-the-shelf bolt instead of merely saving time and money by referring to the catalog number.

If the order returns with a new version of the drawing, it is nice to compare against the original and refer to manufacturing notes rather than "reinvent the wheel" from scratch - some version changes are miniscule and do not affect the manufacturing process (often only size, finish, because more drastic change usually triggers a completely new part number.)