How to keep Customer Engineering Specifications & CSRs Up to Date

[Taliesyn]

How do you guys ensure that these documents are up to date? We are pointed to a particular "portal" on the internet which is - in some cases - up to 4 years out of date! The particular OEM is dragging their heels in supplying me with a list of the current issues so that I can identify if there have been any changes .......... and our TS audit is rapidly approaching.

If we are not applying the CSRs correctly (as defined on drawings, etc.) we are going to get hammered by our CB but the OEM is just not playing ball. Does anyone have any ideas, please?

 

[Stijloor]

A Quick Bump!

Can someone help?

Thank you very much!!

 

[Chennaiite]

How do you guys ensure that these documents are up to date? We are pointed to a particular "portal" on the internet which is - in some cases - up to 4 years out of date! The particular OEM is dragging their heels in supplying me with a list of the current issues so that I can identify if there have been any changes .......... and our TS audit is rapidly approaching.

I don't think you have to worry about TS audit for this particular case, provided you have a tracking system in place and all the evidence in the world to show your endeavor in keeping up with the updates of OEM. Does your contract talk anything about updation of CSR?

If we are not applying the CSRs correctly (as defined on drawings, etc.) we are going to get hammered by our CB but the OEM is just not playing ball. Does anyone have any ideas, please?

Are you referring to Customer standards or requirements referred in the Drawing? Please give some examples of kind of CSR you are referring to.

 

[LUV-d-4UM]

This is the lik to the most updated customer specific requirements.
http://www.customerspecifics.com/

You can also find the latest CSR www.iaob.org

Good luck

 

[LUV-d-4UM]

You need to worry about the latest CSR. Chrysler has sent out the last PPAP 4th Ed dated Aug 2013. Our auditors will give us a nonconformance if we do not have the latest revision of the CSRs.

 

[Chennaiite]

OP, I think, is not talking about any of those that have their CSR published in the IAOB Website. I understand this is about an OEM whose portal for CSR has not been updated for the last 4 years and who doesn't also respond positively to Supplier's request for updates. That is the kind of importance the OEM provides in honoring mutually beneficial supplier relationship
What improvements an Auditor brings through non-conformance, unless otherwise like I stated earlier there is no system in place for tracking updates.

 

[Marc]

<snip> If we are not applying the CSRs correctly (as defined on drawings, etc.) we are going to get hammered by our CB but the OEM is just not playing ball. Does anyone have any ideas, please?

I have been in similar situations quite a few times - More so with respect to things like changes to a print by redlining and the print is never actually updated by the OEM, or if it was the revised print didn't make it to the supplier.

The best way to deal with it is to keep a history file which is evidence of the attempts you have made: Emails, record of phone calls including the number called and whether someone answered or you got voice mail, etc. The point is the auditor can not write you up if you can show good faith effort including the lack of response by the customer.

As to the portal, be ready to show the auditor if necessary.

No company should get a nonconformance from an auditor for something which is truly beyond their control.