How to Effectively Review For Heat-Treat Related Certifications
For heat treaters, certifications are vital as they reflect a conforming product or service. While the physical work is crucial, verifying the associated certifications ensures the work meets industry standards. This practice is essential for both internal and third-party audits to confirm compliance.
Identifying Requirements
Heat treaters must take responsibility for outsourcing by clearly flowing down specific requirements. For example, instead of simply instructing a pyrometry service provider to perform a temperature uniformity survey in accordance with AMS2750, it’s more effective to reference an internal procedure detailing specific variables. This ensures all parties understand the precise requirements.
Understanding and documenting these requirements internally is crucial. Typically, the flow down of requirements can be achieved by referencing an internal procedure or documenting specific requirements directly in the purchase order. While some purchasing systems include standard remarks, these need to be regularly updated to prevent obsolete requirements from being flowed down. Using an internal procedure reference in purchase orders helps mitigate this issue by ensuring the latest requirements are followed.
Heat treaters with a purchasing system that includes engineering, quality, and manufacturing approvals can further minimize potential issues. If such a system is not in place, it may be beneficial to explore and implement one to ensure comprehensive oversight.
Verifying Certification Requirements
The verification process is the final step before certifications are filed and potentially presented during audits. This process should be conducted by trained personnel familiar with the flowed down requirements. Relying on receiving clerks without appropriate training can lead to compliance issues. Ideally, the receiving clerk should handle the paperwork, while a quality or engineering team member verifies that the certification meets all specified requirements.
To facilitate this, some suppliers use checklists tailored to specific tests or products. The documentation of the review process can vary; some may use stamps with dates, while others utilize electronic signatures or PDF stamps. Regardless of the method, it’s important that the review is thoroughly documented and that the documents are easily retrievable for future audits.