Quality Re-certification of a Material

[pratik_mahendra]

Hello All,

I have a scenario and I needed advice from the forum to help me out with probable solutions.

We have a material (HAWA) which has a validity period and at the end of validity period it has to go for re-certification to make sure it is still usable. This material is specialty product some sometime at the end of re-certification it is also considered as defective and is scraped.

A re-certification in this situation is carried out by external vendor.

We desire to use this HAWA material to be sent out to the vendor for re-certification process and eventually get it back into our system and also make sure that its moving avg price is effected or someway capture cost incurred to send this HAWA material out and having the material re-certified. I hope to capture entire cost to the material itself rather capturing it on another service material.

Let me know if you need any clarification on this scenario. I also need help to understand how to execute the process?

Thank you and Happy New Year to all. 🙂

[former_member42743]

Some clarification is required here.

First, you might want to consider the PLM - Quality Management (QM) tag for this question.

Next - are you referring to requalifying the use of the MATERIAL or the requalification of a specific BATCH of the material?

These are two different processes.

If you have 3 batches of the material in house, do they have their own requalifiation dates? Or do they all get requalified at the same time.

Craig

[pratik_mahendra]

Hello Craig,

Thank you for your suggestion about QM tag. I apologies for missing out few points.

This is re-qualification of a specific material not batch. To add to the complication, currently re-qualification dates are not maintained in the system. So basically tracking dates will be handled manually. Alternatively, even if we introduce serial numbering and equipment to maintain these dates. The volume of such transactions are so low that its easier tracking these material handled outside system.

I am looking at simplest solution to track outgoing and incoming of these material and combining additional cost with the material itself. This will help us in more accurate profitability analysis eventually.

[former_member42743 · Accepted solution]

My suggestion then would be to add a 001 material class to these types of materials. In that class add a date value characteristic that would hold the re-qualification date. Something like

General Characeteristic Name: MATERIAL_REQUAL_DATE

Description: Next Qualification Due Date.

Train your folks to use CL03n to review the materials coming up each month for qualification. They can work to requalify the material before the due date. If they exceed the due date they go in and set the status of the material so it can't be used. Once requalified, the date value can be updated in the material master.

This is a pretty manual process. If you don't want to change the materials status, you can probably set up some user exit checks at key pints of your process to verify the material is still qualified. (i.e. Order release, Goods issue, etc..)

I can't help with costing as it is not my area. But I woudl think something could be added to the costing a material to include this additonal cost to requalify the material. Might even be able to somehow use variant config to calculate costs. I'm not sure.

Craig

[pratik_mahendra · Accepted solution]

Hello Craig, Thank you for the response.

My issue is to manage sending out specific material for re-qualification, tracking it and getting it back into the system while I am able to update moving average price.

Using variant is a great way to track validity period which i did not really think about I was considering using serial number and equipment to manage it all this while.

I would like to use re-qualification process at warehouse level instead of order level. This will proactively ensure all near expiry material is re-qualified.

[former_member42743 · Accepted solution]

Ok, now you have me confused. You say you want to do this at warehosue level. Are you sure you aren't talking about batches? Casue if you are talking about material expiring at a material level, then all quantities of that material everywhere woudl be considered expired. There would be no difference at a warehouse level.

Craig

[pratik_mahendra · Accepted solution]

Sorry about that, I meant, we want warehouse to manage this activity of tracking material validity and proactively send it for qualification, even if there is no order for it.

[former_member42743 · Accepted solution]

so what if the same material is in two warehouses? Are you planning on both sending out the same material for requalification? Why? If you do, than these are really being handled as batches, not a single bulk material.

[pratik_mahendra · Accepted solution]

These are material with small quantity and will be handled independently by warehouses. Besides, re qualification may be done by locally located offices of manufacturer.

[former_member42743 · Accepted solution]

Ok. then you can't do this on a material level. Since if you block the material via work at one warehouse, the material is unusable at the other warehouse. ti seems you could have two or more warehosue certifying the material. Which means you have to be doing this on a batch level.