Quality

Quality is a record, not a claim

Certification establishes the system. The lot record proves it was followed on the day your parts were made — and that record travels with every carton.

ISO 9001IATF 16949 disciplinePPAP 1–43-year record retention

Quality policy

Conformance is designed in, not inspected in

A final inspection can only find defects that already exist. The processes that prevent them are die maintenance, furnace control, bath chemistry and sorter verification — so that is where we put the controls.

Every control generates a record. Heat treatment charts, coating thickness readings, hardness traverses, sorter reconciliation and dimensional results are linked to the lot code, so a question about a shipment can be answered from documents rather than memory.

Prevention

Fixed die dressing intervals, calibrated furnaces, daily bath analysis

Detection

First article, hourly patrol, 100% optical sorting, final sampling

Traceability

Lot code to wire heat number, one chain across six processes

Improvement

Nonconformance, root cause, corrective action, effectiveness check

Documentation

What ships with a lot

PPAP package
Levels 1–4: dimensional results, material and performance tests, process flow, PFMEA, control plan, MSA.
First article inspection
Ballooned drawing with measured values, at every new die or process change.
Material certificate
EN 10204 3.1 with melt number, chemical composition and mechanical properties.
Substance declarations
RoHS, REACH SVHC, conflict minerals, and customer-specific restricted substance lists.
Process records
Heat treatment charts, coating batch records, hydrogen relief records, sorting reconciliation.
Inspection report
Dimensional and visual results by lot, linked to the carton lot code.

Certifications

Systems and standards

Certification scope is site- and scope-specific. Confirm the current certificate for your programme during RFQ.

ISO 9001:2015

Quality management system

IATF 16949:2016

Automotive quality management

ISO 14001:2015

Environmental management

ISO 45001:2018

Occupational health & safety

IECQ QC 080000

Hazardous substance process

RoHS / REACH

Substance compliance

Laboratory

Testing capability

In-house testing means a drift can be investigated the same day. External testing is used only for specialised methods such as outgassing or full CMM reports.

Test	Method / standard	Capability	Frequency
Dimensional inspection	Drawing, ISO 2859-1 sampling	0.001 mm resolution, vision + contact	First article + patrol + final
Thread gauging	ISO 1502, GO / NO-GO	M0.5 – M6 external, internal on request	Every lot
Micro-hardness	ISO 6507, HV 0.05 – HV 1	Case and core, depth traverse	Per heat treatment load
Case depth	ISO 2639 / metallography	0.05 – 0.25 mm	Per heat treatment load
Tensile / proof load	ISO 898-1	Up to 5 kN	Per lot, sampled
Torque-to-preload	ISO 16047	0.001 – 20 N·m	Per lot for critical joints
Break-loose torque	Customer specification	First / fifth / tenth cycle	Per precoating batch
Salt spray	ASTM B117	Up to 1,000 h	Per finish and lot
Coating thickness	ISO 3497, XRF	Head, shank and thread root	Per coating batch
Adhesion (PVD)	Rockwell C indentation	HF 1 – 6 classification	Per PVD batch
Material identification	XRF alloy analysis	Full alloy screen	Incoming + final
Hydrogen relief	Bake record	200 °C, within 4 h of plating	Every 10.9+ plated lot
Outgassing	ASTM E595	Via partner laboratory	On request
Permeability	Relative permeability	< 1.02 achievable	On request, medical / robotics

Sampling follows ISO 2859-1 with AQL levels agreed per drawing. Critical characteristics may be inspected 100%.

Nonconformance

When something goes wrong

How a supplier handles a failure tells you more than how it handles a good day.

Quarantine

The affected lot is stopped and segregated before any further processing or shipment.

Containment

Any material from the same lot already shipped is identified and the customer notified.

Root cause

Investigation covers material, process, gauge and handling — not just the operator.

Corrective action

The fix is implemented, then verified on the next run before the lot is released.

Questions

Quality FAQ

Questions from supplier quality engineers and programme managers.

Which certifications apply to your plant?

Our quality system is built to ISO 9001 and IATF 16949 discipline, with environmental and safety management aligned to ISO 14001 and ISO 45001. Because certification is site- and scope-specific, please confirm the current certificate scope with our quality team during RFQ.

Can you supply a full PPAP?

Yes, levels 1–4. PPAP is prepared per part number and includes dimensional results, material and performance test reports, process flow, PFMEA, control plan and gauge MSA where required.

How long do you retain inspection records?

A minimum of three years for standard products, and for the duration of the programme for automotive and medical parts. Records are linked to the lot code printed on the carton.

What happens if a lot fails inspection?

The lot is quarantined, a nonconformance report is raised, and containment is applied to any shipped material from the same lot. Root cause is investigated with a corrective action, and the effectiveness is verified on the next production run.

Do you allow customer or third-party audits?

Yes. We welcome customer audits and support third-party inspection before shipment. Please schedule at least two weeks in advance so that the relevant production run is available.

Request the quality package

Tell us the part number and the programme. We will send the certificate scope, the control plan outline and a sample inspection report.

Request a Quote Inside the lab