IATF 16949 Reseller Requirements

[kenb]

We are pursuing IATF 16949 certification and an opportunity presents itself. We currently manufacture and sell raw materials that go into car batteries and do not sell directly to the auto manufacturers.

The opportunity is that we can purchase a raw material from a couple of different companies and our customer, the battery manufacturer, has internally approved them. We would not have any part in manufacturing, testing, certifying, or shipping the product. We can probably best be described as a distributor in this situation. As such, do we need to treat them as any other supplier or do the IATF requirements not apply since they do not provide anything directly to us?

Thanks!

 

[AMIT BALLAL]

If you are purchasing some of raw material from another supplier and supplying it to the customer, whether it is customer approved, still you are responsible for the quality of the material. You'll have to treat them as supplier since it goes through your QMS. Only clause of 8.4 that won't be applicable in case of customer approved sources would be 8.4.1.2 which is for supplier selection.
If you stop doing manufacturing completely then you won't be eligible for IATF16949 certification.

 

[kenb]

OK, so if we are buying from another distributor, then we would treat them as our supplier?

 

[AndyN]

Yes! Any time you make a purchase of something which you then supply to your customer, it's a "supplier".