Technical audit of the supplier

Globalization presents customers with new challenges in organizing new supply chains. Monitoring suppliers and large industrial enterprises has become a labor-intensive and complex process due to the wide dispersion of production units around the world. Facilities are becoming more complex and supplying equipment and materials from only one region or one country is becoming not only ineffective, but also an impossible task.

For a modern enterprise, regardless of the industry and tasks performed, it is impossible to overestimate the importance of reliable suppliers who can ensure the production of components (product units, equipment and other types of material and technical resources) of the required quality, exactly on time and in the necessary quantity. This indicator of efficiency and reliability of component supplies undoubtedly affects the quality of the final product, transparency of communications and understanding of common goals and objectives.

Technical audit of supplier production from RBI Concept

represents an independent assessment procedure that can be conducted when it is necessary to verify supplier reliability across a number of indicators: quality management system audit, production process technology audit, documentation audit, supply chain audit and product (component) audit. In other words, this type of inspection increases the strength and resilience of the supply chain. It is a necessary and indispensable tool when searching for new and evaluating existing suppliers, as well as when checking one's own enterprises. During its implementation, problems existing at the customer or supplier are identified and recommendations for their correction are provided before these problems begin to affect the client's or end user's work process. The audit also helps avoid the risk of product recalls, supply and production disruptions, or unpleasant legal issues.

The main goal of technical audit

consists in determining the potential supplier's ability to produce quality products on time and ensure uninterrupted delivery.

The RiskConcept team performs supplier technical audit processes in two main directions:

1. Process-oriented inspection

– designed to assess the quality of work execution processes or methods of performing operations. The main goal of this type of inspection is to verify the process's ability to ensure the required quality of work results. Such an audit is conducted when the client performs construction and installation work, when the customer is interested in supplying material and technical resources of proper quality. Therefore, the inspection procedure should include not only quality control of finished products, but also examination of all production processes. Only by ensuring that the product is manufactured according to regulations can the client be completely confident in the supplier's reliability. The main tasks when performing this type of audit are:

• verification of compliance with established requirements for the production process: during the audit, compliance with all necessary conditions for process implementation is checked (availability of equipment, personnel, resources, etc.);
• assessment of process productivity and quality parameters: at this stage, it is necessary to evaluate how real productivity and quality parameters of processes correspond to parameters established in technical documentation (for example, process maps or regulations);
• identification of problematic stages (operations) of process execution: during the audit, process areas or execution conditions that lead to defects or decreased productivity are identified;
• assessment of process compliance with established schemes, documented procedures, regulatory or other governing documents: during the inspection, process execution rules presented in documents are reviewed and how they correspond to actual work;
• verification of effectiveness and appropriateness of accompanying process documentation: it often happens that processes change over time, their parameters and conditions for performing individual operations change, while accompanying documentation remains the same; the audit allows identification of documents requiring changes or cancellation.

2. Product-oriented audit

This audit is designed to assess the quality of the product itself or work result. Its main goal is to confirm product characteristics and their compliance with established customer requirements or technical regulations. This type of assessment is primary when conducting supplier inspections and is applicable not only to importers of material and technical resources, but also to organizations providing work and services, mainly construction and installation organizations. During the audit, the main tasks are:

• performing quality control of products or work: several samples are selected at an intermediate stage of manufacturing or some intermediate work results and their control is performed; such inspection can be conducted together with internal sampling control;
• verification of stability of product manufacturing processes or work execution: this is carried out through examination of this process's work results over a certain period of time, for example, through product acceptance records, work delivery-acceptance acts, as well as comments in these acts;
• assessment of effectiveness and appropriateness of accompanying documentation: allows identification of documents requiring changes or cancellation.

• audit objectives;
• audit scope, precise indication of inspected structural and functional divisions, processes and work, as well as audit timing;
• indication of assessment customer;
• indication of audit team leader and members;
• date and place of inspection;
• inspection criteria;
• audit results;
• register of corrective and preventive actions;
• supplier risk assessment results;
• audit conclusions;
• expected timeframes for corrective measures implementation, if required.

Working with RBI Concept specialists who have high qualifications and experience in certification bodies, who are ready to conduct "second party audit" for you and your partners, thereby confirming the quality of work and services you perform. When working with us, you get more than report conclusions — you get a reliable business partner who will help you ensure more transparent quality control processes, saving your time and money.