Quality Clause Policy
PUR-POL-001 REV 3.0 RELEASED NOVEMBER 5, 2020
1. POLICY
1.1 It is Amron International, Inc.'s (Amron's) policy to purchase from those suppliers who consistently meet Amron's requirements for quality, delivery, and reliability. Corrective action for product and systems issues may be requested of the supplier. The supplier's failure to respond in a timely or effective manner may result in their removal from Amron's Approved Supplier List.
2. MANDATORY CLAUSES
2.1 Quality Clause QC-1 shall apply to all purchase orders. Quality Clause QC-2 shall apply to all purchase orders citing government contracts
3. SPECIFIC QUALITY CLAUSES
3.1 Quality Clause QC-3 through QC-19 shall apply only when specifically referenced on the purchase order.
4. QC-1: GENERAL QUALITY ASSURANCE REQUIREMENT APPLICABLE TO ALL PURCHASE ORDERS
4.1 Amron reserves the right to inspect items on this order at the supplier's facility. Amron's quality representative may elect to perform either a 100% inspection or, perform a random sampling of the product(s) being shipped. The supplier shall provide reasonable accommodation for assistance, and the safety of Amron's representative during the performance of their duty. Amron's representative shall request and coordinate the activity by contacting the supplier's representative no less than 72 hours prior to the desired event, if such actions are required.
4.2 The supplier shall not implement any change that alters the specifications of a product by verbal instruction or red-lined drawings unless the change has been authorized in writing by Amron's purchasing department.
4.3 The supplier shall obtain written authorization for any discrepancies from Amron's part number, specifications and/or drawings prior to shipping the product. Failure to adhere to this quality clause shall result in rejection of the shipment by Amron, and shall be reflected in the supplier's quality rating.
4.4 Corrective action and/or a root cause investigation shall be performed by the supplier when discrepant material has been received by Amron. A written correction action report that is conclusive in preventing further occurrences of the same discrepancy shall be provided to Amron within 10 business days or sooner.
5. QC-2: GENERAL QUALITY ASSURANCE REQUIREMENT APPLICABLE TO ALL PURCHASE ORDERS CITING GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS
5.1 Government source inspection requirement: Provides the government or its entity the right to inspect any or all material included on this PO at the supplier’s facility.
5.2 Surveillance by the government: Executed during the performance of this PO, authorizes the government or its entity the right to evaluate the supplier’s quality program or inspection system in addition to any associated manufacturing processes, excluding proprietary activity. A copy of this PO shall be provided to the government’s representative upon request.
5.3 Prime contractor source surveillance: Includes the review, verification and/or process analysis by an authorized prime contractor’s representative. The supplier shall be notified in advance by Amron’s purchasing department of these planned actions.
6. QC-3: CALIBRATION SYSTEM
6.1 A calibration system shall be provided and maintained by the supplier. The calibration system shall comply with ANSI/NCSL-Z540-1-1994, ISO/IEC 17025:2005, ISO-9001: 2000 or MIL-STD-45662A requirements as applicable. The supplier’s calibration system shall ensure the control and accuracy of the measuring and test equipment is in compliance with the prescribed technical requirements.
7. QC-4: FIRST ARTICLE INSPECTION (FAI)
7.1 The Seller shall perform a First Article Inspection (FAI) of one item from the first production lot, or as required by Amron. The FAI shall consist of recorded actual drawing, specification values, and/or requirements (dimensional, test data, processes, drawing notes, etc.) and may be documented on the drawing or on a separate report form. The first article item shall be clearly identified by a tag attached to the item or a label applied to the bag, and a copy of the FAI shall accompany the First Article part. Amron reserves the right to verify any or all of the characteristics documented on the FAI report at the seller's facility.
8. QC-5: CONTROL OF TOOLING OR EQUIPMENT OWNED BY AMRON
8.1 The supplier shall be responsible for controlling, calibrating and maintaining any tooling, fixtures or equipment provided by Amron during the term of contract and until the return of said equipment to Amron. Upon notice, said equipment shall be subject to inspection by Amron until it is returned at the close of the PO/contract
9. QC-6: TRACEABILITY (LOT, BATCH, SERIAL NUMBER OR DATE CODE)
9.1 Products, units, parts, components or material(s) provided or furnished by the supplier shall be identified by a lot, batch or serial number or date code that is traceable to the product's actual manufacturing process. The lot, batch, or serial number or date code must provide Amron with the ability to perform a lot, batch, serialized or applicable date code purge or recall of products upon the discovery or notification of discrepant product or materials. The lot, batch, serial number or date code application method shall be recommended by Amron and mutually agreed upon by Amron and the supplier.
10. QC-7: CHEMICAL AND PHYSICAL ANALYSIS TEST REPORTS
10.1 Chem-Phys” reports are required by this PO and shall be provided by the supplier when requested. These shall contain verifiable, validated, legible and reproducible material/raw-material(s) test reports which have been performed. A copy of the Chem-Phys report shall be provided with each shipment of the requested items until the PO has been closed or the completed quantity of the specified item has been received by Amron.
11. QC-8: EVIDENCE OF SUPPLIER INSPECTION OR TESTING PERFORMANCE
11.1 The supplier shall provide objective evidence (test reports and/or material certifications) of their or their sub-tier supplier’s inspection activity in support of items manufactured or procured under this quality clause. A copy of the report(s) shall be provided with each shipment of the requested items until the PO has been closed or the completed quantity of the specified item has been received if the PO remains open.
12. QC-9: MATERIAL AND PROCESS CERTIFICATIONS
12.1 The supplier shall provide Amron with copies of the process certificates for products or materials identified under this quality clause. The certificates shall include the processing facility’s name and address in addition to providing the printed name, signature and title of the supplier’s authorized representative for the organization performing the processes. The certificate shall include the title of the test performed, such as milling, heat treating, plating, chemical processing or surface/preparation, as applicable.
13. QC-10: CERTIFICATE OF CONFORMANCE (COC)
13.1 The supplier shall provide a CoC for materials, goods, services or products identified on the PO. The supplier’s CoC shall warrant that items are new and meet or exceed Amron’s specifications. The CoC shall contain the supplier’s name, address and date, and shall be signed by an authorized representative on behalf of the supplier’s organization.
14. QC-11: IDENTIFICATION OF LIMITED SHELF/CALENDAR LIFE MATERIALS (LSL)
14.1 The supplier shall identify each item, container or package of LSL materials or products with the storage temperature(s) as applicable, manufacturing date and/or expiration date, and any special handling instructions.
15. QC-12: CONTAMINATION CONTROL
15.1 The supplier shall ensure that products manufactured, packaged and shipped to Amron are cleaned, handled, preserved and delivered in accordance with Amron’s specifications to prevent contamination. Products on the PO are subject to rejection at Amron’s facility if they are found to be out of compliance with this requirement as a result of contamination such as oil, grease, dirt, water damage, rust/corrosion or any other form of foreign object debris (FOD).
15.2 Products that have been cleaned through a specialized cleaning process such as sterilization or radiation shall be identified as such on the items shipping containers exterior surfaces using one of the following: “Handle with Care”, “Open on a Flow Bench Only” or “Open in a Clean Room Environment Only”, as applicable.
16. QC-13: TOLERANCES
16.1 The supplier shall adhere to the tolerances specified on the PO. The supplier shall be obligated to correct materials sent out-of-tolerance as specified on the PO.
17. QC-14: PACKAGING AND SHIPMENT OF STATIC-SENSITIVE DEVICES
17.1 The supplier shall handle, package and ship static-sensitive devices in accordance with MIL-STD-1686A: Electrostatic Discharge Control Program for the Protection of Electrical and Electronic Parts, Assemblies and Equipment. The supplier’s shipping methods shall conform to the following Amron requirements as applicable:
17.1.1 Printed circuit board assemblies shall be packaged in anti-static bags with conductive clips on the contact fingers during shipment.
17.1.2 The supplier shall only use anti-static cushioning and wrapping materials within the container.
17.1.3 The supplier shall ship individual devices in anti-static containers.
17.1.4 The supplier shall place a warning notice label on the exterior of the shipping container. The warning shall conform to the following at a minimum: “Caution, Contents are subject to damage by electrostatic discharge (ESD), Open at an approved static-free workstation only.”
18. QC−15 PACKAGING AND SHIPMENT
18.1 Packaging and shipment of materials, goods or products by the Seller shall be performed in accordance with the following method unless a preferred method is otherwise specified by an authorized Amron employee. The supplier’s product packaging, preservation, and shipping methods shall conform to good commercial practices to assure safe delivery to Amron’s facility or predetermined destination. Damaged goods are subject to return by Amron if or when it has been determined that compliance to this quality clause was not followed.
19. QC-16 OXYGEN CLEAN AND PACKAGING
19.1 Items that have a clean for oxygen use “O2 cleaned” requirement shall be visually inspected to verify that the cleanliness has not been violated i.e., packaged in a (6 mil thick, poly bag minimum) that has been properly heat sealed along both ends with no punctures, tears, or foreign contaminates in the packaging material.
19.2 Note: the Amron preferred bagging method is for the details to be double bagged in (2): 6 mil thick, poly bags and for fitting ends to be capped or plugged as applicable.
19.3 Details that exhibit sharp corners and edges shall be protected with a sufficient amount of O2 compatible protective material (placed inside the sealed bag) to prevent tears or holes in the bagging material.
19.4 Details having internal (male) threaded ports and or (female) threaded ports or inlets shall be capped and or plugged accordingly to minimize the contamination risks and possible damage during shipping.
19.5 Details packaged using either method (single or double bagged) shall be verified to ensure they are free from rips, tears, or punctures that void the cleanliness of the item and conform to section #19.1, #19.2 and or #19.3 accordingly.
19.6 O2 cleaned items that have been packaged using the double bagged method i.e., (2ea): 6 mil thick, poly bags shall be verified to ensure that the ends of the two individual bags (inner and outer) have not been heat sealed together as one and, that if holes, punctures, or tears are present in the outer bag, the inner bag has not been violated.
19.7 Verify that the individual packages are identified with an acceptable O2 cleaned “Warning” label and a certificate of conformance has been provided which specifies the level of cleanliness in accordance with the purchase order requirement.
19.8 At a minimum, the certificate of conformance shall reference the Amron purchase order no., quantity of parts provided, cleaning specification (name or number) and as applicable, the parts serial or lot/batch no.
20. QC-17 CONTROL OF AMRON SUPPLIED MATERIALS
20.1 Supplier shall provide inventory management for the preservation and storage of Amron supplied materials. Supplier shall mark Amron property with a unique identification number that can be traced to a record that provides details of ownership.
21. QC-18 CONTROL OF AMRON SUPPLIED CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION
21.1 Supplier shall not release any photographs, drawings, data, or articles relative to the manufacture, sale, or installation of any item furnished or service performed hereunder without first receiving written consent from Amron. All information concerning the work or business of Amron which is furnished to the seller, developed, or secured during any performance hereunder or which otherwise comes into the seller’s possession shall be considered by the seller to be confidential and shall be protected by the seller to the same extent that the seller protects its own confidential information, in any event not less than a reasonable standard, and shall be used by the seller only to provide the items or perform the services covered by this PO/contract.
22. QC-19 CONSIGNED MATERIAL HANDLING
22.1 For consigned items supplied to the Subcontractor, either directly or indirectly by Amron International, Amron owns the consigned items and is supplying them to the Subcontractor with the intent of the Subcontractor servicing, modifying, or incorporating them into other items fabricated by the Subcontractor and purchased per Amron's purchase order.
22.2 Amron does not grant the Subcontractor the right to display or sell the consigned items. The consigned items may be stored only at the Subcontractor's facility unless otherwise agreed to in writing.
22.3 The consigned items, serviced, modified or incorporated into other fabricated items per Amron's purchase order, shall be returned to Amron in conforming condition in the agreed-upon timeframe per Amron's purchase order. In the event the consigned items are not returned or are returned in a non-conforming condition without possibility of rework or repair to a conforming condition, the Subcontractor will be monetarily responsible for the value listed in the ACC-FRM-141 Consignment Return Form unless otherwise agreed upon in writing by both parties.
PUR-POL-001 REV 3.0 RELEASED NOVEMBER 5, 2020