Daimler Supplier Quality Manual SQM, Mar 2017
Daimler Supplier Quality Manual SQM, Mar 2017
Daimler Supplier Quality Manual SQM, Mar 2017
DTNA is committed to the guiding idea of "Commitment to Excellence," and achieving top
performance through outstanding teamwork with our suppliers.
Passion, Respect, Integrity, and Discipline: these four values form the core of the daily
work at DTNA and are the basis of our successful, long-term working relationship with
our suppliers.
Appendix A: Acronyms
Appendix B: Cross-reference to DTNA internal documents
1.2 Scope
The Supplier Quality Manual applies to all suppliers of parts and materials, tooling, and services
to all Daimler Trucks North America LLC plants, subsidiaries, and divisions. This manual, in
conjunction with “Doing Business with Daimler Trucks North America LLC,” provides the primary
quality requirements.
2.2 Certification
The parts and services of our suppliers have a direct impact on the quality of our final products.
Therefore, DTNA expects its suppliers to maintain a quality management system based on the
current version of ISO 9001 or ISO/TS 16949. In certain circumstances, suppliers may be
allowed to achieve certification within one year. Additionally, it is recommended that DTNA
suppliers be ISO 14001 certified or work towards this certification, as this will become a
requirement in the future.
Should the re-issuing of a certificate be delayed, the supplier must notify Supplier Quality before
the current certificate expires and provide the new re-certification date. The supplier shall then
send a copy of the certificate upon successful re-certification. If the valid certificate or binding
schedules for obtaining the corresponding certificate have not been presented, DTNA is entitled
to consider discontinuing business and/or resourcing the product or service. Certification status
is a key component in the criteria for Masters of Quality and can significantly impact the
supplier’s standing.
Exemption
Certain suppliers may be exempt from the certification requirement depending upon the nature
and/or quantity of products and services provided to DTNA. Exempt status is determined solely
by DTNA Supplier Quality.
Examples of suppliers who may be considered exempt from registration requirements are:
Low volume suppliers of custom components
Suppliers shall ensure their sub-suppliers use the PPAP process and have the responsibility for
managing PPAP for their sub-suppliers, including engineering deviation requests. Tier-2 PPAP
submissions to DTNA are not required, but shall be made available upon request.
All other expectations and requirements described in “Doing Business with Daimler Trucks North
America LLC” shall be followed by the supplier.
The On-Site Assessment (OSA) is used in specific cases to evaluate NEW and CURRENT suppliers
within the scope of a new contract award for product projects and series production. The main
element is the on-site evaluation of the supplier by a cross-functional team of representatives
from Purchasing, Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing, Materials, and Supplier Evaluation. Results
of an On-Site Assessment are communicated to the supplier at the end of the assessment, noting
highlights and potentials for improvement.
Suppliers have the responsibility to analyze their product/process design, and they are urged
that their sub-suppliers do so as well. For suppliers having design responsibility, system and
design FMEA analyses must be performed and any safety-related characteristics must be clearly
identified on drawings and technical documents.
DTNA suppliers are expected to maintain tooling in good working condition and to
contact the TOG regarding any DTNA-owned tools requiring replacement or
refurbishment. For details, see “Doing Business with Daimler Trucks North America LLC.”
Parts shipped to DTNA plants prior to production release must be, as a minimum, inspected
against the DTNA drawing and shipped per the Exception Conditions. Any deviation(s) from the
drawings/specifications needs to be approved by DTNA Engineering. Contact Supplier Quality if
support is needed.
Supplier Quality issues PPAP requests via the PPAP Management System to confirm compliance
of PPAP requirements. If a request is pending, PPAP approval is required prior to supplying parts
in order to avoid rejection at DTNA Truck Manufacturing Plants, unless parts are shipped per the
Exception Conditions. PPAP should be submitted for the requested elements and in accordance
with the instructions provided. Should submission not be required, the supplier is still required to
complete a full Level 3 PPAP of all applicable elements and retain records on file. DTNA may
audit supplier’s PPAP records at any time. Suppliers are expected to forward those PPAP
documents within one business day.
DTNA will accept Daimler Global Supplier Management equivalents of PPAP: Pruefbericht, PPF or
PSO, but the correct documentation must be submitted in the manner requested. A limited
scope PPAP for low volume production parts may be arranged directly with DTNA’s Supplier
Quality Department, but must be agreed upon prior to PPAP completion/submittal.
Notes:
1. Preseries parts are considered to be representative of production parts.
2. When PPAP approval has not been obtained for the requested (parent) part number, the
supplier must follow the Exception Conditions for any associated child/children.
3. PPAPs for supplier-initiated changes DO NOT satisfy the requirement for any requested
PPAPs.
4. Any PPAP information that is requested for submission that a supplier deems as
confidential must be presented via Webex or on-site at DTNA Corporate.
5. When submitting a dimensional report (element 9), supplier must include a bubbled
DTNA drawing with numbering that corresponds to the items listed on the dimensional
report.
6. When the supplier is unable to meet requirement of the drawing and/or specification,
they must include a deviation, approved by DTNA Engineering, as part of the PPAP
submission.
PPAPs and PPCNs for parts that are solely used at Thomas Built Buses, Freightliner Custom
Chassis Corporation (FCCC) or Gastonia, (i.e. no usage at DTNA truck manufacturing plants),
should be submitted directly to PPAP Coordinators for those specific locations (not DTNA
Corporate).
The following process will remain in effect until PPAP requirements (#1/#2 above) are satisfied.
Processing Fee
DTNA will charge the supplier a minimum processing fee of $150 for each quality reject incident,
which will be debited from the supplier in addition to the cost of the rejected/defective material.
Please refer to the QRN which accompanies each reject incident for supporting details.
Rejects with values less than $100 US can be scrapped and debited to the supplier
at the time the reject is issued unless prior arrangements are made with DTNA plants
Rejects with values greater than or equal to $100 US will be scrapped and debited to
the supplier if a response is not received within 2 business days
It is the supplier’s responsibility to provide DTNA Supplier Quality with valid contact
information at all times so Quality Reject Notifications may be properly distributed.
DTNA Deviations
Deviations are used as a temporary modification to DTNA requirements. DTNA Engineering must
approve all changes from the drawings or specifications. If DTNA Engineering has confirmed a
drawing change to a supplier via email or other means, it is highly recommended that the supplier
request an EWR number from DTNA Engineering in order to avoid potential rejects at the plants.
Corrective Action
If DTNA detects that a supplier’s parts frequently do not meet specifications, a Corrective Action
Request (CAR) may be submitted to the supplier. A CAR, issued via FRACAS (Failure Reporting
And Corrective Action System), is used to inform a supplier of a problem, to request corrective
action, and to monitor the effectiveness of the actions taken. When systemic defects are signaled
to the supplier by DTNA, the supplier shall promptly provide containment, fault analysis, and a
corrective action plan.
Any nonconformance related to a safety issue requires the highest level of attention and
prompt containment.
Suppliers must complete all sections of a Corrective Action Request and attach supporting
documentation as evidence of effective corrective action. Suppliers are expected to use a
The CAR must be returned to Supplier Quality within the defined timeframe. A non-response to a
CAR request will escalate the issue to the DTNA Purchasing Department and may result in
Supplier Action Team (SAT) involvement (See 3.8).
The quantity of CARs, effectiveness of root cause analysis, and response time can negatively
impact the EBSC and supplier evaluation ratings.
Warranty Process
The DTNA warranty process is designed to improve the overall brand quality and increase both
customer and dealer satisfaction. When a part requires replacement in the field, a warranty claim
is made. If the nonconformance is generated by a supplier, a claim will be submitted to the
supplier via the Online Warranty Link (OWL) system.
The Online Warranty Link (OWL) is the system used to manage the claims entering the recovery
system from a dealer or customer. If the vehicle has warranty coverage for the performed repair,
the responsibility for the claim is either assigned to DTNA, or assigned to the supplier. The
supplier shall respond to the DTNA Warranty Recovery Department within the stated timeframes.
1. If the supplier accepts responsibility for a claim, the supplier needs to simply show
acceptance/payment in the OWL system.
2. If the supplier responds, but challenges or denies either a portion or all of a claim,
the denial must be justified by the supplier.
3. If a claim response is not received from the supplier within the specified timeframe,
the Warranty Recovery Group will take action to resolve the claim. The supplier will
be charged for all claims they do not respond to.
Recall Process
Information concerning potential safety-related product defects, noncompliance recalls, or
campaigns in which case the supplier is responsible, must be forwarded immediately to DTNA
Engineering and to Compliance and Regulatory Affairs (CRA) Departments with all supporting
documentation and data. CRA will determine the need for an investigation. (See also “Doing
Business with Daimler Trucks North America LLC,” Section 6)
If you have any questions regarding Daimler Truck North America’s OSA or EBSC programs,
contact the Supplier Integration Group within DTNA Purchasing.
The EBSC Quality rating constitutes qualitative and quantitative measures from various
departments. Third party certification for quality system, campaigns and recalls, corrective
action responses and PPAP timeliness are all part of the qualitative measure from Supplier
Quality. PPM from plant rejects contribute to the quantitative score from Supplier Quality. Details
regarding complete KPIs and all value drivers for the entire score are available in the EBSC.
Supplier Audit
DTNA may conduct process and product audits at the supplier’s site(s). The supplier shall allow
DTNA to determine whether their quality assurance activities meet the requirements of DTNA. We
also expect suppliers to proactively perform their own process audits.
Process steps:
Supplier Monitor Follow-Up
Supplier Supplier Close or
Review Supplier Meetings &
Performance Communication Meeting Escalation
Performance Actions
A SAT package will be sent out to the supplier with quality and delivery discrepancies. It is
expected that the supplier provide a pre-read at least one week prior to the visit and arrive at
DTNA with qualified representative(s), prepared to present the issues, containment, root cause
and corrective actions, as well as address any questions/requests. In the SAT meeting with the
supplier, DTNA may accept, reject, or request additional information regarding the corrective
action. Once it has been accepted, the incident will be logged and tracked. In the case of a
reject, further follow-up meetings and containment actions are necessary.
Supplier Disapproval
Supplier Quality and Business Units of DTNA maintain criteria to determine the disapproval of
suppliers. The following are criteria that Supplier Quality may use at its discretion:
Supplier fails to maintain ISO 9001 or ISO/TS 16949 registration.
Supplier continually fails to respond to DTNA Corrective Action Requests and SAT
(Supplier Action Team) recommendations
Supplier has a high reject rate and/or poor delivery performance for the last four
consecutive quarters, and there are no signs of improvement.
The above criteria may be used in conjunction with criteria of other corporate and business
departments to consider the need to disapprove the supplier for any new business, and to
resource with another supplier.