IATF 16949 - Product audit - Must each product be audited?

[Qualityx]

Do i understand it right? It must be audited each product? If we produce e.g. wire harnesses, so each wire harness is produced with same/very similar process, we must conduct product audit for each kind?

Thank you for reply,

 

[Howard Atkins]

The standard states
9.2.2.4 Product audit
The organization shall audit products using customer-specific required approaches at
appropriate stages of production and delivery to verify conformity to specified requirements.
Where not defined by the customer, the organization shall define the approach to be used.
There is nothing about frequency or number
The standard also states
9.2.2.1 Internal audit programme
The organization shall have a documented internal audit process. The process shall include the
development and implementation of an internal audit programme that covers the entire quality
management system including quality management system audits, manufacturing process
audits, and product audits.
So they must be in the program
Some customers do require all products audited annually
But remember
Where not defined by the customer, the organization shall define the approach to be used.
You define the method

 

[Kitty Lam]

Hi Howard Atkins!
Regarding to the IATF requirements in clause 9.2.2.4 Product audit as follow:
My company working 3 shifts/day --> Shall we take the product audit of all working shifts or only one shift working ?

 

[Howard Atkins]

If GM is your customer then yes
From their CSR
9.2.2.4 Product audit
The organization shall perform quality focused checks on each shift.

Look at your other customers if they say something similar then yes
if not as

Where not defined by the customer, the organization shall define the approach to be used.
There is nothing about frequency or number

 

[AndyN]

Shall we take the product audit of all working shifts or only one shift working ?

Furthermore, regardless of customer requirements, why wouldn't management want to know what all 3 shifts were producing? Don't forget that a product audit - done at carefully considered points in the process - can tell your management a LOT about what's going on. Of course, if you simply go into doing product audits because you have to, without considering the results, you won't feel any benefit. Use data, analyze it and decide where product audits can help build a picture of variations and performance across the whole enterprise. After all, it shouldn't matter what shift produced the stuff. It should ALL be the same.

 

[SamuelB]

Unless your client explicitly wants you to audit each and every product then you don't need to.

We only audit 5% of our products at random unless a particular customer wants all of his part numbers to be audited.

 

[UncleFester]

You should consider the requirements in 9.2 Internal audit, where 9.2.2 states

a) plan, establish, implement and maintain an audit programme(s) including the frequency, methods, responsibilities, planning requirements and reporting, which shall take into consideration the importance of the processes concerned, changes affecting the organization, and the results of
previous audits;

and FAQ 20, which gives the guidance that the audit frequency must be determined based on risk and product complexity.

As already stated, you should also consider the method used, and some customers have their own specific requirements (GM - 'quality-focused checks on each shift', VW - product audits to VDA 6.5, product audit every 12 months for serial parts', FCA - audit schedule to cover all the codes/product families within a period of a calendar year' etc.