1. Quality Specifications

Once the product development team freezes the design and the product specifications, the Quality team creates the Quality Specification and Test Plan. This is the most important quality document for any professional-grade product. This document contains the product safety review, the list of documents to create / obtain throughout the project and the various quality
initiatives to be taken (FMEA, etc.), the certifications the product must comply with, the tests to be performed during the different phases of the project, test instructions, which laboratories will be used for testing and the numbers of samples required for each step.

2. Manufacturing Process Audit

The manufacturing process audit (MPA) is first conducted on a pre-production sample made ​​with production tooling. This audit is conducted along with the supplier to ensure that the manufacturing process only delivers compliant products (identification and rejection of any non-conforming products).

3. Testing & Compliance

The Test and Compliance phase begins with the first article inspection. This involves testing a product’s ability to meet the “Safety, Functioning, Performance and Resistance” targets, writing the test reports, running the certification with competent laboratories and making field tests. When everything is OK and all the samples pass each test, we place the 1st order.

During this phase, we also prepare the documents for continuous quality assurance that are: the VCR (Vendor Control Report before shipment), the SQC (Supplier Quality Contract) and the IQC (Incoming Quality Control upon receipt of goods).

4. Continuous Quality Assurance

The SQC is a contract where the supplier agrees to maintain the same level of resistance, performance and safety for these products.  The initial order is inspected and if any products are rejected or accepted under derogation(s), a corrective action plan must be provided and then the next batch of products go through the same testing in the test plan.  In addition, an audit of the project is carried out 6 months and 12 months after product qualification. We analyze the after sales returns rate, we review all customer or accident claims, we check customers feedback and ensure that all derogations and corrective actions have been closed.