Responsibilities

This section defines the general responsibilities for procurement relations between the supplier and ESI. The more specific responsibilities are defined throughout this entire standard. The applicable documents are listed in the Assessment Surveys.

Understanding Requirements

Product quality begins with a clear understanding of product specification and delivery requirements. ESI promotes open lines of communication with suppliers and makes a concerted effort to thoroughly convey requirements. We also wish to remain in close and frequent contact for technical assistance.

The supplier is encouraged to provide technical support by addressing questionable or unclear product specifications, purchase order content, and requirements particularly difficult or costly to meet. ESI favors produceability and cost analysis early on in the design and pre-production phases whereby tooling, materials, manufacturing, and quality are all engineered to the best quality and economic advantage.

Supplier Quality Requirements

In addition to the requirements of this standard, the supplier shall identify and comply with applicable Supplier Quality Requirements listed on each purchase order. Top
Conformance To Requirements

The supplier is ultimately responsible for the quality, timely delivery, and technical services of products furnished to ESI. The supplier's quality system, through prevention and control plans, shall assure timely delivery of product to required quality levels and at optimum cost.

The supplier shall perform and document all applicable inspections and tests required to substantiate product conformance to specifications and ensure that their sub-contractors do the same. The documented inspection and test results (real-time statistical process control (SPC) data is preferred) must be traceable to production runs. When requested by ESI, this information is to accompany each product shipment to ESI in support of Pre-certification review and the Certification Process.

Cost Recovery

Shipped material and product that do not conform to ESI specifications and standards will be rejected and may be stored, returned, sorted, reworked or repaired at supplier expense. All cost recoveries imposed on ESI by its subsequent customers due to any supplier product nonconforming conditions, will be passed on to the responsible supplier. ESI will notify suppliers of nonconforming material as soon as possible. ESI will work to minimize the cost to the supplier, but at the same time continue to meet the needs of its customers. Top
Corrective Action Response

ESI will notify the supplier of all Non-conforming shipments of material, disposition return or otherwise, followed by a request for Supplier Corrective Action Report. The supplier shall respond in writing to the Supplier Quality Engineer within ten (10) working days with the cause of deficiency, the remedial and long-term corrective action, the date of effectively, and the impact of deficiency on production schedules, existing inventories, and in-transit materials.

A quality conference may be requested with the supplier when a continuing deficiency is judged to exist. The discussion will review the seriousness of the situation and the impact on performance rating, and will establish commitments to recommended actions and associated schedules for improvement. ESI Supplier Quality Engineer and Purchasing representatives will follow up to verify corrective action effectiveness.

Request For Deviation

ESI does not advocate the production of non-conforming material and although errors are never inevitable, we understand they sometimes happen. We can be receptive to requests for deviation providing the request is combined with immediate corrective action.

The supplier shall inform the Supplier Quality Engineer of non-conforming product prior to shipment as soon as problems are detected to permit fitness-for-use review by ESI Engineering representatives well in advance. Requests for deviation may not be considered for "critical" quality characteristics and each request must be made using the Part Deviation Request Form. Top

Communications With Suppliers

The ESI buyer is the only one who can make or alter a purchase order or contract between the supplier and Electro Scientific Industries. All communication on technical matters between the supplier and ESI should be directed through the Supplier Quality Engineer. However, changes must be in writing and properly approved.

ESI Supplier Quality Engineering Function

The ESI Supplier Quality Engineer shall measure and evaluate supplier compliance to this standard and ongoing performance levels from the following:

Supplier qualification assessments and defects.
Response time to requests and effectiveness of corrective action.
Response and progress with certification process.
First article inspection and approval.
When necessary, product verification inspection and quality audits at source facilities. Top

Supplier Qualification Process Flow

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