Quality Control Statement
At SMA, every part, big or small, simple or complex, is specially designed for you. A team of more than 100 dedicated SMA employees, including customer support representatives, internal job manager, sampling group, R&D division, material management office, tooling engineers, plant manager, machinist, manufacturing managers, Q/C specialist, finishing technician, packaging engineer, export specialist, and logistic agent, will take care of your product with the highest standards of integrity, excellence, and performance. “Continuous Improvement” is not just our slogan, but also our approach and commitment to better serve you, our valued customer, with the highest quality, but cost-effective products. At SMA, all of our group companies use CI methods such as Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing, Total Quality Management, or ISO 9000 series standards, which emphasizes involvement and teamwork, evaluating and systematizing processes, reducing quality variations, and defects. Furthermore, SMA group is intensively learning and following the SA8000 Standard, which is an auditable certification of social accountability based on international workplace norms of the International Labor Organization (ILO) conventions, Universal Declaration of Human Rights and UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Standard Manufacturer for America/Shuimin Associate Group Quality Manual
- The selection of SMA Associate Group member (enterprise, company, and manufacturer) is based on the manufacturer’s ability to provide quality, price, and delivery. SMA selects the company after evaluating its engineering and quality requirements.
- The self-audit and survey reveals the procedure of a formal quality survey and classifies the quality potential and rating of the candidate.
- The receiving inspection shows the quality inspection responsibility and procedural criteria.
- The sampling plan establishes guidelines for statistical techniques and inspection methods utilized for incoming material.
- Our QC team, on a continual basis, monitors the quality rating. Performance and classification are related as a percentage.
- Communication in formal response and corrective action must take place for material defects.
- The method of evaluation is the certification process and establishes certification procedure for future production shipments.
- The selected member will decide all purchased material after the candidate sufficiently meets the previous history quality and production requirements in similar supplied products and satisfies an on-site quality survey conducted by a SMA audit team.
Member Selection Guidelines
SMA’s manufacturer inspection policy uses AQL to establish the size and frequency, but SMA reserves the right to recover cost of defective material. SMA established procedures for conducting member manufacturer qualifications. Candidates fill out a two-page self-assessment questionnaire form (rmaaa7) and return it to SMA for evaluation. When deemed necessary, an audit team assembles and carries out an on-site quality survey to procedure (rmaaa8- normally applied to Class I supplier). When class II (off the shelf items) is to be produced, a survey is not required unless recommended by the Focus Factory team, whom is involved with the specific product.
Self Audit and Survey for Member Candidates
The self-audit determines the member’s capability of meeting basic American manufacturing quality requirements. The purpose of the self-audit is so that the candidate is better prepared for the subsequent formal audit carried out by SMA team and for SMA to become familiar with the member’s quality capabilities prior to the formal quality survey. (The self-audit is carried out on the two-page member self-evaluation rmaaa7 and the formal survey is carried out to the 20-page member manufacturer assessment procedure rmaaa8).
Receiving Inspection
SMA and/or its customer will perform the QC receiving inspection routinely. The inspection carried out by SMA and/or the end user is intended for verification of dimensions or call out by the drawings or design. SMA requires that the member manufacturer provide acceptable products and quality documentation showing that the required inspections have taken place and have passed. It is the responsibility of SMA to provide the member manufacturer with necessary up-to-date specifications. This includes all the requirements including latest revision. Member manufacturers should understand all the notations on the drawings and in the purchase order.
Zero Defects
It is the SMA’s policy to work towards a zero defect environment. We will coordinate with our member manufacturer to promote production of the highest quality products. SMA has a procedure that allows our member manufacturer to request a deviation for minor defects. This procedure requires the manufacturer to complete form Ipxx01 and submit it to the Focus Factory Engineer assigned. Deviations may be allowed for defects if they have no affect on the assembly or performance of the product, but must be approved by SMA prior to shipping. Any rework must be re-inspected prior to the product being shipped from the manufacturer. In addition, all rework methods need to be reported to SMA prior to execution to ensure that products are accepted afterwards. Sampling plans utilized by allied manufacturer will not be questioned unless SMA receives unacceptable products. SMA does recommend the use of C=0 as the method for rejecting suspect product.
Allied Enterprise Quality Rating
SMA rates allied manufacturers on a quarterly basis based on the defects received and the on-time deliveries. It will be the responsibility of the Focus Factory to track the on-time deliveries and the Quality Analyst to track the defect rate. A report will be sent to the member summarizing the number of late deliveries, defects, and current status. The following is the different statuses:
- Preferred member: A preferred member is one that had zero defects between reporting periods and executed all shipments on time. This member has also been active and innovative in continuously improving the product or devising cost savings for SMA.
- Approved member: An approved member is one who supplies parts or services, but falls within the allowed limit for defects.
- Conditionally approved member: A conditionally approved member is one that has causes a loss of production and requires special handling of material. This status is applied to members that have faulty product without receiving a deviation approval in advance.
- Disqualified member: This status, decided by the Focus Factory team, given to members that have continuously shipped defective products or samples. It becomes the responsibility of the purchasing manager to either work with the member to resolve the issues that led to their disqualification or to eliminate them as a member. The purchasing manager also is responsible for limiting or suspending the use of a member who consistently ranks poorly.
Corrective Action
SMA will request a formal corrective action from members that are rejected for conditions that jeopardize the integrity of our saleable product. When we receive defective product, we will immediately notify the member by fax, phone, or email. Each defect is listed on the corrective action request along with the issued tracking number. Upon receiving the request for corrective action, the member is responsible for evaluating the defect, defining the root of the problem, and implementing counteractions within 10 working days. Once products are corrected, they are sent back to SMA for evaluation and approval.
Member Certification
Members may be certified under the following conditions:
- The manufacturer must pass an on-site quality survey carried out by a team of auditors assigned by the Focus Factory Manager.
- Manufacture products must be within the allowed defect limits for a period of six months.
- Defect limits of up to one percent will be allowed if there is a plan to drive the effort to zero defects.
- The allowed one percent defect rate does not apply to class II the shelf items.
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