| 1 | Automotive quality management | Confirm the certificate is current, covers the quoted manufacturing site and relevant product scope, and can be verified with the issuing certification body. | IATF 16949 certificate where applicable; otherwise assess the supplier’s quality system against the customer’s requirements. ISO 9001 is a general quality-management standard, not a substitute for customer-specific automotive requirements. | Certificates apply to defined scopes and sites; a certificate alone does not demonstrate that a particular bushing program is controlled effectively. |
| 2 | Design and process validation | Ask how product and process risks are reviewed, how changes are controlled, and what validation evidence is available for the proposed design. | Program-specific APQP records, design or process FMEA where applicable, control plans, and agreed validation reports. | Rubber-to-metal bushings depend on material, geometry, bonding, and process controls; validation should match the intended application and customer specification. |
| 3 | Production part approval | Agree on the required approval level, submission timing, sample quantities, and acceptance criteria before production release. | Customer-required PPAP submission or an agreed equivalent; dimensional results, material records, and process evidence as specified by the customer. | Clear approval requirements help prevent shipment of parts that have not been accepted for the intended vehicle program. |
| 4 | Material and chemical compliance | Request traceable declarations for elastomers, metals, coatings, and other substances, and confirm the applicable market and customer requirements. | IMDS material data where required by the customer; relevant REACH and RoHS documentation where applicable; supplier declarations and supporting test records. | Requirements differ by market, component, and application. Buyers should check the latest applicable rules and customer-specific restricted-substance lists. |
| 5 | Product testing and performance | Review test methods, sample conditioning, acceptance limits, and results for the properties specified in the drawing or purchase requirements. | Agreed reports for dimensions, hardness, bonding, stiffness, durability, or environmental performance when required by the application specification. | There is no universal pass/fail range for every bushing; limits and test conditions need to be defined for the particular design and duty cycle. |
| 6 | Measurement and process control | Check that critical characteristics are measured with suitable equipment and that measurement methods are documented and maintained. | Inspection plans, calibration records, measurement-system studies where required, SPC records for designated characteristics, and nonconformance procedures. | Reliable measurements and controlled processes support consistent production and make changes or deviations easier to detect. |
| 7 | Traceability and change control | Determine how the supplier identifies batches and links finished parts to materials, production records, and inspection results; define notification and approval rules for changes. | Lot or batch identification, production and material records, documented change-control procedure, and agreed customer notification requirements. | Traceability can help contain quality issues. Unapproved changes to material, tooling, process, or production location can affect fit and performance. |
| 8 | Capacity and supply continuity | Assess available capacity for the forecast, peak demand, tooling constraints, maintenance planning, and recovery arrangements for disruptions. | Capacity study tied to the quoted process and shifts; production plan; contingency and business-continuity information. | Capacity should be confirmed for the actual part family and production site, not inferred from a supplier’s general company size. |
| 9 | Packaging and international logistics | Agree on packaging that protects parts from contamination, deformation, corrosion where relevant, and damage during the planned transport and storage route. | Approved packaging specification, shipment labeling and documentation requirements, agreed Incoterms® rule and named place, and a validated shipping plan. | Packaging, transit time, customs responsibilities, and delivery terms affect landed cost and the condition of goods on arrival. |
| 10 | Commercial terms and corrective action | Clarify quotation assumptions, tooling ownership, warranty scope, lead times, payment terms, escalation contacts, and response expectations for quality issues. | Written quotation and supply agreement; defined warranty and service terms; documented complaint and corrective-action process, such as 8D when required. | Written, program-specific terms reduce ambiguity and establish how defects, delays, engineering changes, and costs will be handled. |