Quality Management

Our commitment begins by partnering with our customers to align our supply chain to their requirements as it relates to Part/Process Qualifications, Sampling Plans, Regulatory Compliance, and more.

Through a digital workflow, any Gexpro Services employee can log a customer complaint with basic demographic information.  The workflow automatically routes to the assigned Customer Quality Engineer, who then leads the investigation and root cause analysis (RCA) and corrective and preventive action (CAPA) processes, following an 8-D problem solving model.  This process extends to requests for RCA and CAPA from the supplier, when applicable.

Gexpro Services can support requests for International Regulatory Compliance topics including, RoHS, WEEE, ATEX, PED, REACH, DFARS, GOST-R, CE, UL, ITAR, CUI, and more.  We can support Copy Exactly! and other process change control programs.  We simply need to know at the time of quote what directive is required.

8-D PROBLEM SOLVING

• • • • • Containment
        • Root Cause Analysis
        • Corrective Action
        • Preventive Action
        • Verification & Validation

REGULATORY COMPLIANCE

• • • • • RoHS, WEEE, REACH
        • ATEX, PED
        • DFARS
        • UL, CE, ITAR, CUI
        • GOST-R

CUSTOMER / INTERNAL AUDIT

• • • • • Global OEM Requirements
        • Self-Assessment
        • Process Validation
        • Document Maintenance
        • Continual Improvement

Before setting suppliers up in our ERP systems, Gexpro Services ensures that their systems are stable enough to meet our requirements.  So, we have them complete standard application forms that include profile, insurance, wire banking, indemnification, non-disclosure, tax, security, and quality self-assessment forms.  In the cases where the supplier is in a high-risk region of the world, we also require an on-site audit by a Supplier Quality Engineer (SQE) prior to approving them for use.

To have the best information on supplier performance, Gexpro Services tracks product quality and on-time delivery metrics on our suppliers monthly.  These inputs result in a graded performance score for each supplier that enables an informed buying decision.  The objective is to direct the spend to the better performing suppliers in each commodity or product group.

Once the supplier is approved for use, many of our customers require some level of part qualification or pre-production approval.  This has different names across industries – PPAP, SPAP, ISIR, FAI, FAIR, FPQ, etc.  The Gexpro Services cloud-based APQP module allows documents the steps to secure samples and documentation, in accordance with the risk level of the part, for use if the customer does not already have a process of their own that needs to be followed.  Integration with the ERP System enables automated Supplier notification of non-conformances, corrective actions, reconciliation, as well as performance monitoring.  Gexpro Services subscribes to the Total Materia database for comprehensive comparison of global material properties and related standards.

Once the parts are qualified and serial production shipments begin, Gexpro Services initiates a schedule of supplier surveillance that is driven by the geographical risk profile, performance, and strategic fit of the supplier, as well as the criticality of the individual parts.

SUPPLIER ASSESSMENT

• • • • • • Financial Stability
          • Quality Systems
          • EHS Processes
          • Operations
          • Security Practices
          • Social Accountability

PART QUALIFICATION

• • • • • • MPP/PQP/CAV
          • Raw Material Test Report
          • 3rd Party Lab Test Report
          • Certificate of Conformance
          • Gexpro Inspection

SUPPLIER SURVEILLANCE

• • • • • • MPP/PQP Surveillance
          • Mechanical Testing
          • Non-Destructive Testing
          • Heat Treatment
          • Surface Treatment
          • Welding

As part of the Gexpro Services commitment to quality, all products are subject to inbound inspection where dimensional characteristics, test reports, and certifications are evaluated for conformance to the customer’s requirements.  Commercial product is handled in accordance with a C=0 sampling plan at an AQL of 10.0%, and Aerospace product is handled in accordance with a C=0 sampling plan at an AQL of 4.0%, unless otherwise specified.  In accordance with the C=0 sampling plan, if any defects are found in the sample taken, the entire batch is rejected and follows the Non-Conforming Material (NCMR) process.  Otherwise, the product is accepted and prepared for stocking or delivery.

The Gexpro Services cloud-based Inspection & SPC module allows for individual part inspection templates to be created and stored digitally.  When continuous data is captured via calipers or micrometers, with the use of an index button or foot pedal, the measured value is automatically entered into the template without the operator having to perform manual inputs.  This minimizes keyboard entry errors, as the accuracy is increased when the digital caliper interface is used to auto-populate pre-defined inspection plans. The QC software application can also alert the inspector to non-conformances, deliver graphical output, and provide digital storage of inspection data.  Our mobile inspection carts allow the inspector to go directly to the parts when they are too large to deliver to the QC inspection area.  Integration with the ERP System enables automated Supplier notification of non-conformances, reconciliation, as well as performance monitoring.  At the time of product receipt, items are assigned and labeled with their own unique Gexpro Services’ lot number to ensure clear traceability.

Gexpro Services subscribes to several databases to ensure we have access to the latest specifications, including IHS (engineering specifications, standards, technical publications) Haystack Gold (NSN database), IHS BOM Intelligence (part obsolescence, product change notifications, end of life alerts), and Assist Doc (DLA document services).  Another use of technology in QC Inspection is our document retention and retrieval system, Metaviewer.  Any requested documentation received, including test reports, certificates of conformance, packing lists, POs, etc. is scanned into Metaviewer, assigned tags for indexing, and available for retrieval in pdf format.

Gexpro Services has invested in Laboratory Test Equipment in Dallas, Texas, to enable our team to validate the test certificates we receive from suppliers and to help screen for the possibility of counterfeit material.  We have the capability of performing tensile, proof load, chemical spectrometry, hardness, coating thickness, and variable thread pitch tests – in addition to a full range of dimensional inspections at any branch location.

To ensure the customer expectations are met, Gexpro Services locations in Europe, Asia, and North America are registered with either Det Norske Veritas (DNV) or SGS to ISO9001, unless the location serves the Aerospace & Defense segment, in which case we require them to register to the AS9100 Aerospace Quality standard.  The registration scope covers “Hardware & fasteners; machined, fabricated, electric components & systems; valves & instrumentation; and other direct production materials” spanning Customer Quality, Supplier Quality, Quality Control, Process Improvement, and Regulatory Compliance.

All Gexpro Services branches and forward stocking locations are committed to the same quality processes and are internally audited against the applicable ISO9001 and/or AS9100 quality standards.  We have digitized many of our quality processes into paperless workflows to respect environmental sustainability to enable the efficient processing of customer complaints, in-bound discrepancies, non-conforming material, and corrective actions.  These and other forms, work instructions, procedures, and tools are required as part of the QMS, maintained on Gexpro Services intranet Quality Assurance Sharepoint Community.  Gexpro Services also maintains a measurement system for internal Cost of Quality that focuses on Claim write-offs, Negative Transactions, Premium Transportation, Customer Returns, and Inventory Obsolescence.

We share a commitment to serve our customers globally with the highest delivered quality & service in supply chain solutions. We dedicate ourselves to continual improvement of the quality management system, with a focus on customer loyalty.