Save Obsolete Documents in Plant Closing?

R

RosieA

#1
My plant, one of 12 in the organization, is closing this Fall, and our manufacturing processes are being transferred to other plants.

While I have made my current revisions of documents available to the receiving locations, (who will incorporate them into their own Doc Control systems) I'm not sure if I have to save the obsolete versions of these documents.

The actual obsolete documents serve as the revision history in our system, so we have saved them for that reason.

If they're going to be incorporated into a new system with new numbers, is there any need/requirement for me to save the old revs?
 
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S

samsung

#2
My plant, one of 12 in the organization, is closing this Fall, and our manufacturing processes are being transferred to other plants.

While I have made my current revisions of documents available to the receiving locations, (who will incorporate them into their own Doc Control systems) I'm not sure if I have to save the obsolete versions of these documents.

The actual obsolete documents serve as the revision history in our system, so we have saved them for that reason.

If they're going to be incorporated into a new system with new numbers, is there any need/requirement for me to save the old revs?
It depends much on your own Document control procedure. If it warrants that you keep the obsolete documents, then you should keep them. But what purpose they (the obsolete ones) will now onwards serve when the facility is going to be closed down and would be transferred to elsewhere ?

At best, you can prepare a list of all the documents with old nomenclature with corresponding new Doc. naming details. All other things remain same, so I don't think you need to keep all obsolete copies for no real purpose.
 
M

MIREGMGR

#3
I don't know what you make and can speak only to medical devices, but if you make devices for which recordkeeping is specifically obligatory for the use-life of the product (such as implantables), then you are obligated to retain their DMRs, DHFs and DHRs.

This implies retention for the same time period of Quality System elements for which the dated revision history must be known to correctly interpret design and manufacturing change processes, etc.
 

SteelMaiden

Super Moderator
Super Moderator
#4
I would think that (if you are in a non-regulated) once production moves to another location, even if they use your current documents for a starting point, the new location could issue any given work instruction as a new document (as it would be a new product/process for them, right?) or add anything that needed to be to one of their current work instructions as a revision. Whoa, that was a mouthful, I hope it makes sense.

Of course, if you are in a regulated industry, there is going to be a lot more thought needed. You say that you keep old versions, is that as electronic files, or hard copies? If it is e-copies, you could send an electronic copy of all your documents (or applicable documents) to the new plant. Or, maybe you could scan the documents into pdf format?

Good luck on this, and I hope that you personally are not affected adversely by this closing. :agree:
 
R

RosieA

#5
Unregulated industry, so no issues with that...thank goodness!

Thanks for help. I'm one of the lucky ones and have taken on a new position in the comapny as NA Supplier Quality Engineering Manager. (While stilll being my plant's QA Mgr....that's fun!)
 
D

David Hartman

#6
As you are staying with the company, is there any value in maintaining the obsolete documents to ensure that past sins are not recreated by the new facility?
 
R

RosieA

#7
Yes, I'm staying with the company, but my new position is a corporate one, and not related to the product lines that had been here, so I will not be in a position to catch anything.

There's a strong NIH culture in our plants, so, honestly, it's unlikely that anyone will ask for these files!
 
M

machrk

#9
:)I would strongly urge you to make sure those key documents and records are saved and transferred to another site's document controller for archiving to ensure retrieval

my org had a plant closure about 15 years ago and then subsequently there were problems with their product which emerged several years after closure - ultimately it seemed that the problem arose from a number of causes acting together - including in part due to our supplier - the figure involved was in the $ millions

it was quite a journey - we did manage to locate some key records - operating procedures - equipment operations and production test results

it became a very protracted legal affair with so many parties and different sets of lawyers

so best to have it tidied up when you close the plant

also in Australia we have legislation in some states where it is a criminal offence not to retain records that might be reasonably expected to be produced should there ever be legal action

@machrk aka KerrieAnne
 
S

samsung

#10
:)I would strongly urge you to make sure those key documents and records are saved and transferred to another site's document controller for archiving to ensure retrieval
This is what the OP has quoted in the first post:
RosieA; said:
:) While I have made my current revisions of documents available to the receiving locations, (who will incorporate them into their own Doc Control systems) I'm not sure if I have to save the obsolete versions of these documents.

and also...
If they're going to be incorporated into a new system with new numbers, is there any need/requirement for me to save the old revs?
 
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