MAY 20249Contract manufacturers are normally very good at identifying design issues or manufacturing constraints and suggesting improvements. Take their input into accountTHE IMPORTANCE OF A QUALITY AGREEMENT WHEN USING CONTRACT MANUFACTURERS1. Understand the capabilities of the Contract manufacturer: It is very important to understand if the contract manufacturer is able to meet your requirements and needs. A technical audit of their process, in the form of an ISO 9001 or another industry specific audit (VDA 6.3, AIAG, AS9100, etc....), should give you hints of any immediate roadblock or adjustments needed to work with a given contract manufacturer.2. Identify a clear core team on both sides: Having too many people involved is as bad as or even worse than having no one. To identify the different departments that need involvement and for each side of the business, a responsible person. This will be mostly driven by the type of contract in place. For example: for turn-key manufacturing, the focus will be on supply chain, scheduling, and logistics, while if you have a collaborative programme, this will also cover quality, manufacturing/process, and engineering. 3. Relay on their knowledge and proven processes: Given their vast experience with equipment and different customers and products, the contract manufacturer has a wealth of knowledge that should not be underestimated. If you don't have a specific and proven requirement for a given process or test, adopt their existing processes, rules, or guidelines as much as possible. This will enable faster reaction on their lines in case of issues and will be easily followed, as it is their regular operating business. Your benefit is the cost reduction as this is seen as a standard approach and the safety of working on a proven process. On the product side, contract manufacturers are normally very good at identifying design issues or manufacturing constraints and suggesting improvements. Take their input into account. 4. Define clearly which traceability information is available or needed: Although this would always be a must in highly regulated industries, this practice does bring quite a lot of benefits for all products. In case of any defect, issues, or even non-compliance, traceability data enables both parties to identify an accurate number of products at risk and, consequently, an adequate action plan. Also, identify on the document where the data is stored and for how long it is kept, as this can also have legal implications depending on the industry you are working in. 5. Warranty return and part analysis: This will also relate to the type of contract involved, but here is a good opportunity to observe how your product performs and issues that can be found. It is important to define regular warranty reviews, the testing process, and how liability is set between the parties.With these initial 5 points, you should be able to get some guidelines when establishing a relationship with a contract manufacturer and successfully launching and manufacturing your product.
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