Dieselgate has led to many recall actions worldwide. Not only Volkswagen was hurt by things that were incorrect in their products, but other car manufacturers also suffered alongside: Mercedes with its Arcos lorry, Toyota with the Akata airbag, Mitsubishi with its lorries and plenty of others.
How about the responsibility in these matters? Ultimate responsibility in the automotive industry is a matter of details. Quality management and quality control systems have been thoroughly developed in this sector, but glitches can still occur despite the regulations and procedures.
IPC has developed a set of standards and guidelines for the technical interconnect industry to prevent errors and imperfections, as long as the goods are produced to these IPC standards and guidelines. Close cooperation between IPC and the industry has led to the guidelines, and employees are trained through IPC certification courses to work in accordance with the IPC guidelines.
Be that as it may, there is always a possibility that components in a vehicle do not comply with the guidelines and specifications that the manufacturer formulated in advance. Who is responsible for what costs in case of a recall action? Is it the manufacturer of the component in question, the company assembling the component or the company doing the final quality
check?
In the supply chain from supplier of a component to the finished product of the buyer a lot of activities and checks take place. Pinpointing the error is often difficult and tricky. On the basis of IPC guidelines, PIEK’s auditors can give much needed advice. All PIEK auditors are MIT certified for all IPC courses. They are able to conduct research on the basis of their knowledge of IPC regulations and their knowledge of the sector concerned. The research undertaken leads to a report describing what has gone wrong. Subsequently, the PIEK auditor gives a set of recommendations to prevent the error in the future.
The big advantage of using PIEK’s expertise is that the auditors are independent and know the sector inside out. All parties in the supply chain can benefit equally.
Ultimate responsibility in the automotive industry is always a very costly affair. Costs can be saved up front by making unambiguous agreements between suppliers, manufacturers and assembly plants, in accordance with IPC standards and guidelines. PIEK can assist in this process.
If you want to know more about this service, please call Ms. Wendy Wings of PIEK’s customer care department. She is available on telephone number + 31 45 570 33 33.
