Frequency of self control and costs - Justification for 4 Hours vs. Every Hour

[rui12524]

Frequency of self control and costs

It came to my mind one of these days the fact that the operators in the injection moulding plant I work have to register every hour the QC of attributes; the calculated costs for a year are above $50.000, so I am thinking about chancing the period to 4 hours. Justification (besides the economic one): the QC work is done not on the PC when they register, but in the machines, when the operators transfer the parts to the box.
Question: Is this acceptable in the eyes of a TS auditor (of course, the customer’s requisites have to be contemplated)?
Thanks for your thoughts.

 

[D.Scott]

RMC - That sounds perfectly reasonable to me. We are also IM and our checks are recorded once every shift. The checks are done by our QC inspector. The operator (at the machine) is also looking at the parts and if they show a problem, we would take appropriate action (and document that). The operators don't make any PC entries.

As you say, if customer requirements don't conflict, there is no reason why you can't require data entry at wider intervals. You are required to control the process - how and how often is up to you.

Having said that, if the part had a PPAP and if the interval is listed on the control plan, you will probably need the customer's agreement to change the interval.

Dave

 

[Bill Ryan - 2007]

Having said that, if the part had a PPAP and if the interval is listed on the control plan, you will probably need the customer's agreement to change the interval.

Do you also notify your customer when you increase frequency or sample size?

I, typically, don't notify my customers of changes as long as I have the documentation that "backs up" the change (a high Cpk, for instance). That, plus the fact that my customers (Tier 1 and B3) don't manage submissions in the most effective manner!!. My only exception is a designated SAFETY characteristic.

Hope I'm not off track with this response.

Bill