Supplier Quality Management
Process-oriented End-to-end Quality Management
Apply quality management throughout the entire process to guarantee as much as possible
o The quality management system (QMS) has been designed to be capable of meeting the requirements;
o The process has been set up and managed to produce and deliver products that are fully compliant;
o The finished products are qualified.
Standards & criteria development
o Specific standards must be defined on the safety, functionality and performance requirements of the products, based on the industry quality standards and the clients’ requirements;
o The related acceptance standards and criteria should be formulated for quality controls (QC Inspections) of the finished products;
- Shentou could support the clients to develop the acceptance criteria when needed.
System & process assessment
o Audit the factory’s QMS to evaluate its overall compliance with corporate policies, contractual obligations and regulatory requirement, in order to identify any weakness or nonconformities in the system;
o The product realization process, from development to production, should also be audited to evaluate its compliance with the standards and requirements;
o For any nonconformities that are discovered during the assessment process:
- The factory should take corrective actions immediately
- The results should be verified and confirmed.
Production process monitoring
o The entire production process should be closely monitored on-site to ensure:
- Incoming quality controls on raw materials or externally purchased components are strictly implemented;
- All quality requirements, including drawings, control plans and work instructions, are fully followed through in production;
- Robust inspections are effectively undertaken pre-production, during-production and post-production.
Finished product testing & inspections
o The finished products must be completely inspected and tested (to the extent possible) before shipment, based on the pre-determined acceptance standards and criteria, to ensure they are in full compliance with the requirements and perform as designed.
Documentation & traceability
o All process and product quality control activities must be well-documented;
o All products should come with full traceability to ensure complete accountability after delivery.
Supplier Audit
Integrated 3-level Supplier Audits
Quality Management System (QMS) Audit
o 2nd-party audits of the suppliers on behalf of international buyers based on IATF 16949 for the automotive industry and/or other industries’ specific quality standards and compliance requirements.
o Focuses on the development, documentation and implementation of the organization-wide QMS to determine its compliance with corporate policies, contractual obligations and regulatory requirements.
o Covers the supplier’s entire system according to the full terms of the quality standards.
o Includes full documentation and on-site audits.
QMS Audit (Continued)
o For the nonconformities (NCs) discovered during the audit, Shentou would monitor the supplier’s implementation of the corrective actions, verify the corrective evidences submitted by the factory and close the NCs after verifications.
o Shentou would follow up with the supplier for continuous improvement when requested.
o Shentou suggests factories be at least ISO9001 certified.
Process/Control Plan Audit
o Focuses on specific processes designed for the production of products the international buyer is purchasing.
o Typically based on a factory’s Control Plan, hence it is also called Control Plan Audit.
Product Audit
o Focuses on specific products the international buyer is purchasing.
Recommended Supplier Audit Types & Frequency
Remarks:
- QMS & General Process Audit – Applicable to factories that have not been audited by the client
- Process / Control Plan Audit – Focusing on production process for products the client is purchasing
- Product Audit – Covering all part numbers of products the client is purchasing within a cycle
Quality Control (QC) Inspections
QC Inspections before, during & after
Pre-production Inspection
o QC inspection before the start of the production process
During-production Inspection
o QC inspection while the production is underway, typically early in the process
Pre-shipment Inspection (PSI)
o Undertaken before the goods are shipped to the client.
o Support in developing inspection checklist/acceptance criteria for each product number or product group with the client.
o Process when deviations are discovered during PSI:
- A brief message will be relayed to the client as soon as possible so the client could immediately decide on the follow-up action with the factory directly.
- Where appropriate and feasible, after the factory completes the necessary corrective actions, Shentou could assist the client to remotely verify the results, or the client could arrange a re-inspection on-site.
QMS Consulting
Quality Management System (QMS) Consulting
o QMS setup & optimization
o Continuous QMS Improvement
Sourcing
Supporting international clients with their China purchasing operations
o Supplier selection & qualification
o Commercial negotiations
o Product development & sample processing
o Order fulfillment process
o Technical & quality support
o Logistics coordination
o Financial support
Acting as client’s China Office for international clients that do not have offices in China
o To be based in Shentou’s office in Shenzhen China.
o Dedicated staff working for the client.
o Directly managed by the client to locally coordinate the China purchasing operations.
o Administratively supervised by Shentou.
o Supported by the entire Shentou teams:
- Technical & quality management support
- Operation support
- Financing support
- etc.
