SUSPECT, FRAUDULENT AND COUNTERFEIT PARTS: Documentation Review

The documentation trail is critical in the prevention and discovery of suspect, fraudulent and counterfeit parts. You can protect the integrity of your quality system and reduce the likelihood of these parts entering your production chain by checking the following documents:

• Certificates, packing slips tracing the movement of the material back through supply chain to origin
• Certification that the material has not been salvaged, reclaimed, otherwise used, or previously rejected for any reason
• Certificates of Conformance or other documentation: their authenticity and applicability to the delivered material, including:
  • Lot and/or date codes on the packaging match the lot and/or date codes on the parts
  • Logos, trademarks and other identifying marks match manufacturers’ marks as applicable
  • Changes to or irregularities in the documentation trail, especially authorised signatories
  • Part number marked on the material matches the part number on the PO and Certificates.
  • Materials are consistent with the description on the supplied documents
  • Serial number discrepancies or duplication of UII (Unique Item Identifier)

Applicable standards

AS6081: Distributors procuring and selling electronic components

This standard is for distributors of electrical, electronic and electromechanical parts that are:

• purchased and sold from the open market/unauthorized sources, including purchased excess/surplus and purchased returns.

This standard is NOT for:

• aerospace integrators, OEMs or for Authorized (Franchised) Distributors and Aftermarket Manufacturers when supplying parts obtained directly from the Original Component Manufacturer’s (OCM) or the OCM Authorized (Franchised) Distributor for whom they are authorized.

AS6174: Organisations procuring non-electric parts and assemblies (broker distributor and independent distributors)

AS5553A: Manufacturers procuring and integrating electronic components.

Where does this apply within the organisation? Make a good start with Customer Requirements (Contract Review) which should include a review of customer-mandated parts before these requirements are translated into Design and Development (where applicable) and then Purchasing. A rigorous analysis of these requirements at these levels will be well worth while.

See www.qualidoc.co.uk for our Quality System Internal Audit checklist to make sure you are covered for the quality management processes implied by these standards.