DV/PV Test Part Storage

[Cliff]

Hello,

I am a technician in an automotive R&D lab dealing with DV/PV parts. I have been asked to find out the storage requirements for our samples after testing is completed. I have found several bits of information here, but I am still somewhat lost. Is there a document or standard that defines how parts going through initial testing should be handled? I would really appreciate any information.

 

[optomist1]

Hi Cliff, not knowing your contractual relationship, I suggest you to reach out to your customer SQ if you have one or through your customer Purch/Eng folks...can you share more info?

 

[Cliff]

We are a small lab for a tier 1 supplier to several car makers. I appreciate the feedback on who to talk to. I have been told recently by one of these people that its something like 15 years for test parts according to IATF 16949. I know already that the next question will be where does it say this. I suppose I can follow up again. Time to look for a section regarding validation sample retention. I am open to any more suggestions. Thanks again.

 

[Johnnymo62]

The labs I use do not retain our samples. They return them to us to retain as our customer specifies.

 

[Cliff]

The labs I use do not retain our samples. They return them to us to retain as our customer specifies.

I should have worded it better. We are part of the supplier, not an external lab that they are using. The main offices are over seas and we are a small tech center used for some local testing when required by the customer. The folks at the larger facilities for different programs seem to have wildly varying ideas for storage duration. I know customers differ, but I was curious if there was a standard to start from or something that would generally satisfy most requirements.

 

[Miner]

Is there any reason that you cannot return the product along with the test reports to the requestor and let them worry about retention?

 

[Jim Wynne]

If you're doing testing for PPAP purposes, the rules for data retention should apply. The general requirement is to keep data for at least one calendar year after the end of production for the part(s) in question. The same could apply to the samples. In the end it's a matter of risk to your company. In some instances, photos of the tested parts might suffice.

 

[Cliff]

The requestors are all in the building where we perform the testing. After completion we move things to storage which is also located here. I have asked the different PMs and application engineers their storage requirements and they don't have a clear answer. So, the lab management has asked me to look into it because this is not a large facility and storage is limited. It seems that most people get clarification from their customers so I may just have to push the responsibility back to the engineering team who deal with them directly.

 

[Cliff]

If you're doing testing for PPAP purposes, the rules for data retention should apply. The general requirement is to keep data for at least one calendar year after the end of production for the part(s) in question. The same could apply to the samples. In the end it's a matter of risk to your company. In some instances, photos of the tested parts might suffice.

Thank you for your feedback. The pictures may actually be a better choice in some instances involving reactive chemicals. Could you point me in the right direction to review the guideline for PPAP data retention. They will ask for supporting documents. Would it be a standard, customer specification, both?

 

[Jim Wynne]

Thank you for your feedback. The pictures may actually be a better choice in some instances involving reactive chemicals. Could you point me in the right direction to review the guideline for PPAP data retention. They will ask for supporting documents. Would it be a standard, customer specification, both?

I don't have a PPAP manual anymore, but the data retention requirements should be in it.