The supplier’s customer, one of the big three, had lost confidence that two of their plants could consistently supply quality parts. Warranty data was showing plating and injection molding defects that weren’t being prevented and caught by the current quality system. If improvements weren’t made, expensive containment would be required and future business jeopardized. The customer and supplier decided to hire an independent, third party auditor to verify that the current quality system was being followed and that the current quality system was adequate to prevent and catch any defects that might be produced.

IET, Inc. was commissioned to perform the quality audits for the two supplier plants. The objective of the project was to document conformance to current quality standards, find holes in the current quality system that might lead to warranty returns, offer suggestions for improvement and compare practices between the plants. Scorecards were issued each day to track audit progress and provide feedback to the supplier and customer. The audits resulted in process and quality system improvements, recognizing best practices between the plants, and in restoring the automotive company’s confidence in the plant’s quality system.