ISO certs from suppliers - Expiration Tracking Method

[Anthony1000]

Hi,

We have over 200 suppliers with a folder for each supplier. Each folder contains qualification documents and ISO certs. Does anyone know of a system that can flag us a month before the supplier's cert expires so we can call and request a current one from the supplier? The goal is for us to ensure that all of our supplier folders for ISO certified suppliers have current certs in them.

Thanks

 

[mattador78]

Hi,

We have over 200 suppliers with a folder for each supplier. Each folder contains qualification documents and ISO certs. Does anyone know of a system that can flag us a month before the supplier's cert expires so we can call and request a current one from the supplier? The goal is for us to ensure that all of our supplier folders for ISO certified suppliers have current certs in them.

Thanks

Our ERP produces a monthly report for me showing any suppliers whos approval runs out within 60 days, I tie their approval into their supplied certification expiry on our system that way i'm informed 60 days before their cert runs out and i can then request their new certification be sent on our next purchase orders from them.

 

[Anthony1000]

Thank you. Which ERP system do you use? We use SAP but I doubt it has that functionality.

 

[mattador78]

Thank you. Which ERP system do you use? We use SAP but I doubt it has that functionality.

Ours is one called DNA, i would assume your's can run reports on what you require though?

 

[FRA 2 FDA]

Would something as simple as a spreadsheet (supplier register) that lists all your suppliers and the expiration dates of any certs work? Check it regularly and sort it by date?

 

[mattador78]

Would something as simple as a spreadsheet (supplier register) that lists all your suppliers and the expiration dates of any certs work? Check it regularly and sort it by date?

That s what my report does it just send me a spreadsheet with updates and the system controls it, instead of having to constantly review dates it just sends me the relevant suppliers and i review it as a whole every six months to ensure all new approved suppliers are up to date.

 

[Scanton]

I have a spreadsheet in Excel and use conditional formatting to change the colour of the expiry dates from black to orange @ 60 days or less to expiry, and red @ 30 days or less to expiry. As I record delivery performance and other KPI's in the same spreadsheet on a monthly basis, it alerts me to the upcoming expiry dates in plenty of time.

I have just over 100 suppliers by the way, so this is comfortably manageable.

 

[Sidney Vianna]

As an aside, people should be asking their certified suppliers to provide them with a copy of the surveillance audit reports. In the case the CB auditors are uncovering and reporting relevant issues during the audits, you, as a customer might benefit from looking at the supplier’s “bill of health”.

 

[Scanton]

As an aside, people should be asking their certified suppliers to provide them with a copy of the surveillance audit reports. In the case the CB auditors are uncovering and reporting relevant issues during the audits, you, as a customer might benefit from looking at the supplier’s “bill of health”.

Isn't there confidential information contained within those reports?
The auditor submitting the report has to maintain the strictest confidentiality, but I can just freely give that information over to a customer upon request? What if I don't want a customer knowing who my other customers, suppliers, subcontractors are? Could there not GPDR ramifications associated with that too?

By the way I am not being facetious, I am genuinely asking?

 

[Sidney Vianna]

Isn't there confidential information contained within those reports?
The auditor submitting the report has to maintain the strictest confidentiality, but I can just freely give that information over to a customer upon request? What if I don't want a customer knowing who my other customers, suppliers, subcontractors are? Could there not GPDR ramifications associated with that too?

By the way I am not being facetious, I am genuinely asking?

The audit report belongs to the registrant, who can redact the type of sensitive information before forwarding it on to customers. As far as I know, the overwhelming majority of management system reports issued by CB auditors are meaningless, with very few nonconformities, extremely rare OFI's and observations. For the small percentage of value added reports with meaningful information, I believe, that customers should have access to the information. A certificate is an attribute and, as most of us know, louzy systems attain and maintain certification; even substandard systems do. A certificate, just like a driver's license, does not tell anyone if the system is robust or not.

If I were working in a position of supplier quality management, I would demand to receive copies of the supplier's surveillance audit reports and scrutinize the information contained therein.