| ISO 9001 Quality Management System |
Valid ISO 9001 certificate, certification scope, issuing certification body, expiry date, recent surveillance-audit records, internal-audit schedule, and corrective-action records.
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The certificate must be valid, cover the relevant casting and machining activities, and be issued by an accredited certification body. The scope should match the products and processes being purchased.
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Check the certificate number and validity directly through the certification body or an accredited certificate database. Compare the stated scope with the supplier’s actual production activities.
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A certificate outside the production scope or an expired certificate may indicate that the quality system does not control the purchased process.
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| IATF 16949 Automotive Readiness |
IATF 16949 certificate, certificate scope, customer-specific-requirement list, layered process-audit records, warranty or complaint analysis, and automotive quality objectives.
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IATF 16949 should be required when the parts are supplied into an automotive supply chain or when the customer contract requires it. The certificate scope must include the relevant manufacturing site and activities.
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Verify certificate status through the relevant certification-body records and review evidence that automotive core tools are actively used in production.
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Lack of automotive-system controls can increase the risk of incomplete traceability, weak change management, and ineffective problem prevention.
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| Casting Process Capability |
Process-flow diagram, approved work instructions, equipment list, furnace or melting records, temperature logs, mold or die-maintenance records, and process-capability studies.
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The supplier should define controlled parameters for melting, pouring, solidification, heat treatment, cleaning, and any machining operations. Critical characteristics must have documented control limits.
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Compare shop-floor conditions with the process flow and work instructions. Review recent capability studies for critical dimensions and material properties.
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Uncontrolled casting parameters can cause porosity, shrinkage, inclusions, dimensional variation, cracks, and inconsistent mechanical performance.
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| Material and Heat-Lot Traceability |
Raw-material certificates, furnace or heat numbers, supplier receiving records, batch labels, production travelers, inspection reports, and shipment traceability records.
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Each finished batch should be traceable to the relevant raw-material heat or batch, production date, equipment, operator or production shift, inspection results, and shipment documentation.
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Select a recently shipped lot and trace it backward from the packing label to the production record and original material certificate.
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Weak traceability makes containment, root-cause investigation, recall control, and customer notification more difficult.
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| PPAP Submission Control |
Part submission warrant, design records, engineering-change documents, process-flow diagram, PFMEA, control plan, measurement results, material-performance results, MSA studies, capability studies, and sample approval records.
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The PPAP package should match the customer’s required submission level and include current revision-controlled documents. Any deviation or open issue should have documented customer approval.
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Cross-check the part number, drawing revision, control-plan revision, inspection report, and submitted samples. Confirm that the records describe the actual production process.
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Incomplete or outdated PPAP records may hide design-revision errors, unvalidated processes, or differences between sample and mass-production conditions.
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| PFMEA and Control Plan Alignment |
Current process FMEA, control plan, process-flow diagram, reaction plans, special-characteristic list, and revision history.
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The process flow, PFMEA, and control plan should describe the same operations, failure modes, preventive controls, detection controls, sampling frequency, and reaction requirements.
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Select critical process steps and compare the three documents line by line. Confirm that shop-floor inspection activities follow the approved control plan.
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Misaligned documents can result in risks identified during planning not being controlled during actual production.
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| Statistical Process Control |
Control charts, measurement data, sampling plans, capability calculations, out-of-control reports, reaction records, and operator training records.
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Critical characteristics should be monitored using defined sampling methods and appropriate statistical techniques. Out-of-control signals must trigger documented containment and corrective action.
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Review recent, consecutive production data rather than isolated inspection reports. Confirm that capability calculations use traceable and representative data.
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Inspection without process monitoring may detect defects after production but fail to prevent recurring variation.
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| Measurement System Analysis |
Gauge calibration certificates, calibration register, gauge R&R studies, bias or linearity studies where applicable, and equipment-maintenance records.
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Measuring equipment must be calibrated or verified at defined intervals. Measurement-system performance should be suitable for the tolerance and characteristic being evaluated.
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Match gauge identification on inspection reports with the calibration register and review the latest relevant measurement-system study.
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An unsuitable or inaccurate measurement system can create false acceptance, false rejection, and unreliable capability results.
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| Dimensional and Metallurgical Inspection |
First-article reports, dimensional inspection records, material certificates, hardness results, tensile or elongation results where specified, chemical-analysis records, and non-destructive-testing reports.
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Inspection methods, sampling frequency, acceptance limits, and laboratory competence must be defined in the approved control plan or customer specification.
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Verify that test methods and equipment match the drawing, specification, and purchase requirements. Check that laboratory or testing personnel are qualified.
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Inadequate testing may allow hidden internal defects, incorrect alloy composition, or unacceptable mechanical properties to reach the customer.
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| Nonconforming Product Control |
Nonconformance reports, quarantine records, rework instructions, scrap records, concession approvals, containment actions, and corrective-action reports.
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Nonconforming parts must be identified, segregated, dispositioned by authorized personnel, and prevented from accidental shipment. Customer concessions must be documented.
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Inspect the physical quarantine area and compare current labels with nonconformance records. Review several closed cases for containment and effectiveness evidence.
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Poor segregation and disposition control can lead to mixed lots, unauthorized rework, repeated defects, and unintended shipment of rejected parts.
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| Corrective and Preventive Action |
Root-cause-analysis reports, 8D records, containment evidence, corrective-action plans, effectiveness checks, and recurrence-monitoring data.
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Corrective actions should address verified root causes, not only symptoms. Effectiveness must be confirmed using subsequent production or quality data.
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Sample customer complaints and internal defects. Check whether the actions changed the process and whether later data demonstrates sustained improvement.
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Superficial corrective actions can allow recurring casting defects, repeated delivery issues, and unresolved customer complaints.
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| Engineering Change Management |
Change-request forms, revision history, customer approvals, updated drawings, updated PPAP documents, tooling-change records, and implementation dates.
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Changes to material, tooling, process parameters, subcontractors, inspection methods, or manufacturing location must be reviewed for customer impact before implementation.
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Select recent changes and verify approval, risk evaluation, document revision, sample validation, and production cut-in control.
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Uncontrolled changes can create differences between approved samples and shipped production parts.
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| Subcontractor and Special-Process Control |
Approved-subcontractor list, supplier evaluations, heat-treatment records, coating or plating certificates, outsourced inspection results, and incoming-verification records.
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Outsourced processes must be approved, monitored, and traceable. Requirements for special processes should be clearly communicated and verified.
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Review subcontractor qualifications, recent certificates, process records, and the supplier’s incoming or final-verification controls.
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Uncontrolled outsourced operations may cause inconsistent heat treatment, coating performance, dimensional results, or material properties.
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| Capacity and Delivery Reliability |
Capacity calculation, machine and tooling list, production schedule, on-time-delivery records, downtime reports, maintenance plan, and backup-resource plan.
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Capacity calculations should reflect actual cycle times, planned maintenance, changeover time, yield, staffing, and confirmed customer demand.
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Compare stated capacity with recent production records, bottleneck equipment, utilization data, and delivery performance.
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Overstated capacity can cause late deliveries, rushed inspections, unauthorized overtime, and unstable process conditions.
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| Final Audit Decision |
Completed audit checklist, evidence index, open-risk register, agreed corrective-action plan, sample-approval result, and conditional-approval record if applicable.
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Approval should depend on objective evidence, closure of critical findings, acceptable sample results, and confirmed production controls rather than certification alone.
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Classify findings as critical, major, or minor. Require documented action owners and due dates for every unresolved issue before production release.
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Selecting a supplier solely on price or certificates can leave major process, traceability, and delivery risks unidentified.
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