Supplier Audits and Assessments
Manufacturing and special process audits
A process audit follows the product through the factory and asks, at every step, whether the process is controlled well enough to produce conforming parts every time.
01What the service involves
Process audits evaluate the manufacturing process for a specific product: inputs, process steps, controls, people, equipment, measurement and outputs. QUALITAS TR conducts process audits structured on VDA 6.3 principles or your own process audit checklist.
Special processes receive specific attention because their results cannot be fully verified afterwards: welding, heat treatment, casting, plating and surface treatment, painting, adhesive bonding, soldering and injection moulding. We review process parameters, qualification, monitoring, records and the control of outsourced special processes.
02Why buyers need it
System audits rarely detect process weaknesses such as a furnace with no temperature uniformity survey, a moulding process without parameter windows, or a plating line with uncontrolled bath chemistry. Process audits do.
For automotive and other demanding sectors, process audits are a standard step in supplier approval and in escalation.
03Typical applications
- Foundry and die casting processes
- CNC machining lines
- Welding and fabrication shops
- Heat treatment and surface treatment
- Plastic injection moulding
- Assembly and testing lines
04Methodology
Process flow
Process flow chart, control plan and PFMEA reviewed before the audit.
Process walk
Each step observed with the actual product running.
Evidence
Parameters, records, gauges, operator instructions and reaction plans checked.
Special processes
Qualification, monitoring and outsourced control verified.
Evaluation
Scored results, findings and an action plan with timing.
05Applicable standards and references
VDA 6.3 provides a process audit method widely used in automotive supply chains. Control plans, PFMEA, SPC and MSA from the AIAG core tools are reviewed as evidence of process control. Welding processes are assessed against ISO 3834 requirements.
06Deliverables
- Process audit report with scoring
- Findings with objective evidence
- Special process assessment sheet
- Action plan template
- Follow-up verification report
07Customer benefits
- Process risks found before parts fail
- Special processes brought under control
- Focused improvement actions
- Comparable scores across suppliers
- Support for PPAP and approval
08How QUALITAS TR supports you
Our engineers have direct experience of foundry, machining, welding and moulding processes, which allows us to judge process control technically rather than only by the presence of documents.