Quality Records - How long do you keep inspection records and why?

[Randy Stewart]

Here's a portion of the email I received, I can't find anything to support their stand.

Let me mention something else, last week I started considering the possibility of making this fixture again, but since it was put over the table the possibility of "wasting money" our plant controller got involved and based on the fact of not having a overwhelming evidence this fixture was shipped to us, she is stating the next:

"IRS tax regulations require all invoicing and payables / shipping information to be retained for seven years. If they don't have the information and cannot prove they returned them, we are within our rights to charge them the full cost of the fixtures"

 

[Bob_M]

Seven years for invoices is what we follow (per an old CPA chart we follow).

Basically is sounds like the customer screwed up so lets scream and holler at the supplier. (Similar thread posted recently). THEY lost their fixture and records and want to blame you for not having good enough records.

Can you tell them to go screw themselves in a polite way? They lost something, and you should have proof they HAD it... Some customers are unbelievable.

 

[Wes Bucey]

Document Management and Control are a specialty of mine.

I always consider 3 factors when we make plans for retention and subsequent disposal of documents and records:
1) Is there a regulation from a government authority? (FAA requires minimum of 2 year retention of Quality Records for Parts Approval Holders [a term of art for organizations empowered to manufacture parts for aircraft])
2) Does customer request a specific term as part of contract?
3) What serves our purpose in terms of keeping a record of our improvement [or lack of improvement]?

We then determine a standard retention period. If a customer requests holding a record longer than our standard retention period [ala the 11 years mentioned earlier in this string], we file a note in the file which directs us to inform the customer at the end of our normal retention period that "We will no longer retain these documents

• . If you require these documents or records, we will ship them to you. Otherwise, we will destroy them if we do not receive shipping instructions from you by [date]."

• 
  
  An additional tip:
  "Documents" are changeable, "records" are immutable. Often, we compile reports which summarize records and retain the reports while we dispose of records at the end of the retention period. Documents may become obsolete long before the retention period passes.
  
  For example, we may not keep the inspection records after the retention period, but we may keep a report of the Cpk in manufacturing a specific component as a benchmark for manufacturing similar items.
  
  If we switch from standard transmission dock jeeps to automatic transmission ones for the entire fleet, we no longer keep work instructions for maintenance and repair of clutches, regardless of the standard retention period.
  
  Final tip:
  Retaining records and documents is important. A system for accessing them when necessary is almost more important.

 

[Bob_M]

Final tip:
Retaining records and documents is important. A system for accessing them when necessary is almost more important.

Very good tips! Especially the note to customers about destroying old files.

If I personally had a good system for filing "records" I probably wouldn't have started the thread. I hate to file. *shrug*

 

[SteelMaiden]

I guess that this would all depend upon your industry, your customers and your corporate requirements, but,....

Our day to day testing results (printouts, hand filled in, etc.) we mostly keep for a min of one year. All this information is entered or transferred to the production history, so it is available anyway. We keep the original test info just to make sure that if something is whack later we can verify data entry. No biggie, we have the computer files. Our corporate office says that we need to keep "lot" information for as long as we are in business. (and if our division went under, they would maintain it) Of course we are talking about product that could very well still be in use 50 years from now or longer. So, paper files 1 year or less in some cases. But all those results will be available long after I am gone and my kids have retired.

 

[Randy Stewart]

No requirement for shippers to be kept can be found. I have found sites that suggest that they be kept for 5 years, but no requirement. https://www.fvbkcpa.com/articles/Business_Articles/Business_Record_Retention.htm
https://www.yeoandyeo.com/services/tax/schedule.pdf

 

[gheghe]

Inspection Records

Bob,

For Commercial devices , you can keep that for 3 yrs, for military 5 yrs. You could check mil-std-883, there are list of records and their retention times.

For other records, you can established retention period depending on the need of the company, make sure you just document it.

Gheghe

 

[CarolX]

Bob,

For Commercial devices , you can keep that for 3 yrs, for military 5 yrs. You could check mil-std-883, there are list of records and their retention times.

Gheghe

Hi Gheghe, and Welcome to the Cove

Got a couple of questions to toss out here. Where did you get the 3 years for commercial? All of our work here is commercial, and we only maintain our files for 1 year.
Military applications can vary. 5 years in the US is not standard, because it depends on the product. I have worked for several defense contractors and I have had requirements from 1 to 7 years. It depends on the commodity.
MIL-STD-883 only applies to microcircuts. It does not apply to metal cabinets.

CarolX

 

[gheghe]

Thanks,
Yeah right, we are requried by our customer. Some of them requires only one calendar year but the management decided have it all (for commercial products) 3 years.

Ghe

 

[CarolX]

that is what it's all about

Thanks,
Yeah right, we are requried by our customer. Some of them requires only one calendar year but the management decided have it all (for commercial products) 3 years.

Ghe

Exactly what a good management system is all about. Identifying customer needs and finding the best way to satisfy those.

I worked for a FAA-PMA defense contractor, and the regulations and contract requirements required 3 year retention. We opted for 7 year retention, and on more than one occasion, it paid off.

CarolX