Supplier Quality Statement

Click below to sign and acknowledge TPI’s Quality Statement Supplier Quality Requirements. If you would like to review prior to signing, please read below.

(Revision 5 Released on July 1,2024)

 

1. Scope of Responsibility & Authority 

This Supplier Quality Requirements  (“Requirements”) document defines the quality requirements for vendors, suppliers, and sub-contractors (each referred to herein as “Supplier”) working with TPI Composites, Inc., its divisions, subsidiaries, and/or affiliates (“TPI” or the “Company”). Supplier is responsible for the “Scope of Work” described in a Master Agreement, Supply Agreement, Statement of Work and/or Purchase Order, and any decisions necessary to complete its scope. Supplier shall meet all specifications, prints, and technical requirements communicated by TPI, the requirements included in the TPI Documents listed below in Section 2 (“TPI Requirements”), and the standards of care, skill, safety, and diligence as generally applied or utilized by experienced and prudent industry professionals (collectively, “Requirements”). Additionally, the Supplier is required to ensure any sub-tier supplier or subcontractor meets all Requirements, and the Supplier is ultimately responsible for all work performed by any sub-tier supplier or subcontractor.

1.1 Revisions

The Requirements document is maintained by TPI. Minor changes and updates to procedures, not affecting the quality requirements, will not necessitate a revision. The most up-to-date version of this document can always be found at https://tpicomposites.com/suppliers/supplier-quality-statement/.

2. Documents  

2.1 TPI Documents  

  • Master Agreement 
  • Supply Agreement (including TPI Purchasing Terms and Conditions or Master Terms and Conditions) 
  • Statement of Work, Specifications, Prints and/ or Drawings, Technical Requirements  
  • Mutual Non-Disclosure Agreement 
  • Supplier Code of Conduct 
  • TPI’s Customer Requirements (if applicable) 
  • Technical Specifications (if applicable) 
  • Regulatory Requirements (if applicable)  

3. Quality Requirements  

Supplier shall maintain a Quality Management System, Quality Assurance Plan, or Product Quality Plan compliant with applicable industry standards such as ISO 9001, AS9100, and IATF16949, and shall also meet all TPI Requirements.

It is strongly recommended that any supplier supporting TPI’s Automotive Division already have or actively pursue IATF-16949 certification. If the Supplier does not maintain such a system or plan, Supplier must document actual quality practices and procedures and provide these to TPI in writing. A copy of any and all applicable certifications must be supplied to TPI.

Supplier shall also comply with the Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP)/APQP4Wind and Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) for any new or revised products, revised processes, new manufacturing locations, etc., and will submit required documentation to TPI through the designated portal. APQP AIAG is required for qualifying new materials and/or major process changes supporting TPI’s Automotive Division. APQP4Wind is required for qualifying new materials and/or major process changes supporting TPI’s Wind Division.

TPI reserves the right to review or assess the relevant system, plan, practices, and/or procedures, including subcontracted products and service development processes, and manufacturing and process control plans applied to products or services. Any aspect of the system or plan, or anticipated modifications that could affect planned outcomes, must be promptly communicated to TPI. TPI also reserves the right to conduct process reviews and quality audits at the Supplier (and its sub-tier supplier or subcontractor) facilities. In the event of a planned visit, TPI will provide advance notice, when practical.  Supplier must provide production records (or service records) and evidence of conformance and compliance upon request.

Suppliers must also comply with all applicable laws and regulatory requirements.

3.1 Supplier Process Assessments and Work Product Review 

TPI reserves the right to conduct periodic assessments of work products, deliverables, reports, and records, and to also verify compliance of any materials, products, services, or processes. Any deficiencies or non-conformances noted during the assessments shall be documented, and Supplier must promptly correct, provide satisfactory evidence of closure, and comply with the requirements set forth below in Section 3.2.  Supplier must have both established engineering controls and upstream controls to ensure specification conformance.

3.2 Corrective Action / Preventative Action / Continuous Improvement  

A closed loop corrective and preventative action system shall be used to identify root cause of, and corrective actions needed to correct any non-conformances or systemic quality issues. Corrective Action information will be collected within TPI’s Supplier Quality Portal (SQP).

Verification and validation must be conducted to confirm compliance to improvement plans and effectiveness of the incorporated corrective and preventative actions. TPI reserves the right to review, audit, or assess evidence of correction and effectiveness. Similarly, after a review, audit or assessment, any non-conformances or corrective actions documented in the report will be part of a supplier corrective action plan. The corrective actions documented require action from the Supplier and approval from TPI. Continuous improvement and operational excellence processes are viewed as vital for process or productivity improvement and to ensure Requirements are achieved. Supplier performance shall be measured and monitored by TPI (see Scorecard Metrics listed below).

In the event a Supplier does not correct non-conformances or quality issues in a timely and comprehensive manner, the Supplier shall receive written notice from TPI and TPI may seek any available remedy including those set forth in the applicable agreement, TPI’s terms and conditions, or purchase order. At TPI’s discretion, TPI may approve commercial or financial remedies if non-conformances are not rectified, or corrective actions are not put in place. After repeated issues and multiple documented notices, poor performing suppliers may be disqualified in TPI’s purchasing system.

3.3 Data and Record Retention   

Supplier shall ensure that records, specifications, manufacturing methods, test plans, Certificates of Compliance/Conformance/Analysis/Test are maintained and available for review upon request. Record retention is required for a minimum period of 10 years, unless otherwise communicated in writing. Record retention can be digital or hard copy (digital is preferred).

4. Acceptance  

4.1 Material or Product Verification & Acceptance  

Supplier shall verify that the goods and/ or services provided are complete and compliant with the Requirements, Drawings/Specifications, Bill of Materials, Supply Agreement, Purchase Order, the Statement of Work documents, etc. This can be demonstrated through a means satisfactory to TPI, which may be checklists, material certifications, test and inspection reports, Certificates of Compliance/Conformance/Analysis/Test or equivalent to signify that the item(s) are complete and meet requirements specified for the products or services. Shelf Life requirements are to be adhered to as communicated by the local purchasing function.

As part of acceptance, the product, completed service, or material will be inspected, tested, and verified to confirm that it meets the Requirements. Supplier must verify operation, perform safety and performance tests in accordance with the applicable specifications, and confirm product acceptance requirements. Final acceptance by TPI is based upon the successful completion of inspection and testing.

Products supplied by the Supplier shall not be comprised of any counterfeit materials.

4.2 Deviations or Waivers  

Any non-compliance to the Requirements or product non-conformance shall be brought to the attention of TPI. Initial written notification must be provided to TPI within 48 hours. Any request by Supplier for a waiver must be in writing.

4.3 Product Frozen Process Change Request  

Once the product, service or material verification and qualification is complete, the process will be frozen. Any proposed change to established process parameters (“frozen processes”) must be approved in writing by TPI prior to the change. A change to frozen process could result in a request to submit a revised PPAP submission to TPI. 

Any type of change or modification related to the provided product(s) below, and  that could have a potential impact on form, fit, system function, safety, quality, reliability, durability, appearance, delivery, or serviceability.

Part modifications (including form, fit, and function changes of catalogue items):

  • Change of material, including but limited to material inputs, appearance, etc.
  • Change of sub-suppliers
  • Process changes (including modification of machines or manufacturing equipment)
  • Change of manufacturing site

4.4 Traceability & Identification 

Identification and traceability requirements will be as directed by TPI to the Supplier and shall be documented in the specification or on the drawing. Supplier shall ensure identification and traceability are implemented and records are provided to TPI at the time of delivery, maintained and available for review upon request. Identification may include part and lot or batch number labeling. Traceability may include batch number, lot number or serial number for genealogy and history.

5. Key Performance Indicators (Scorecards) 

TPI utilizes a Supplier Scorecard to track  performance over time and identify areas for improvement for our top global suppliers (determined by forecasted spend for the calendar year). The  Supplier Scorecard consists of two scorecards that are presented to suppliers on a quarterly basis. Scorecards will be provided to the supplier within the subsequent quarter.

The TPI Performance and Collaboration Scorecard is based on the following metrics and measures the supplier’s performance relative to the targets outlined below:

Category  Weight  Metric  Global Measure  Target / Highest Score Criteria 
Performance  32%  Delivery and Support  Frequency of on-time delivery per committed delivery time No late/early deliveries and no supplier responsible expedites 
Absolute variance of delivery quantities against purchase order quantity Order vs Received Quantity 
Supplier performance % acknowledgment rate using ISupplier PO in ISupplier as a percentage 
Compliance  37%  Contract  Contract Status: MTC/Quality Statement/Supply Agreement  Signed agreements by supplier 
Compliance with contracts  No deviation from contract 
ESG Score  ESG Questionnaire Score  Measures the supplier’s commitment to ESG objectives 
Quality  APQP / APQP4Wind Supplier Maturity  APQP / APQP4Wind trained personnel on staff 
Collaboration  31%  ESG Commitment  ESG Supplier Goals Commitment  Signed Agreement 
Partnership  Vendor Managed Inventory and Lead Time with consideration to VMI, domestic stocks, and safety stocks  VMI or co-location with TPI, improved score on inventory agreements 
Payment Terms in consideration of TPI global supplier standard of NET90+ at delivery time  Agreement to EOM 90 standard terms 
Customer Satisfaction in consideration of cost reduction initiatives, ease of doing business, overall performance, customer support, supplier responsiveness, and supplier flexibility  Exceeds expectations for all criteria 

 

The TPI Quality Scorecard is based on the following metrics and measures the supplier’s performance relative to the targets outlined below:

Category  Weight  Metric  Global Measure  Target / Highest Score Criteria 
Quality  35%​  Average SCAR Open Days​  Amount of time a SCAR is open.  Target <45 days​ 
20%​  Number of SCARs  Number of SCAR issues per quarter on global basis. Target 0 SCARs
25%​  Value Impact of SCARs​  Financial impact of defect(s) noted in SCARs.​  Target $0 USD financial impact to TPI 
20%​  Audit Performance​  Completion of  ISO9001/ AS9100 /AS9120 /IATF16949 certification or IMS audit​ completion. ISO9001/ AS9100 /AS9120 /IATF16949 certified, or IMS audit satisfactorily completed 100%

 

Supplier Quality Action Plans are required for Quality Scorecard scores that fall below the minimum threshold defined below. Within 2 weeks of scorecard publishing, the Supplier will be contacted and required to create a project plan that will identify timing, open actions, and owners of actions to be taken to correct the conditions creating the low scores. The  Supplier may be released from the Quality Action Plan when they meet the exit criteria agreed to during the meeting.

Quality Scorecards are evaluated within the following ranges to determine the appropriate corrective action:

  • A score of 75% or higher does not require a Quality Action plan.
  • Scores between 74% to 60% may necessitate the supplier being placed on a quarterly Quality Action Plan.
  • A score of 59% or lower will require the supplier to be placed on a monthly Quality Action Plan which may include weekly meetings at the discretion of the TPI SQE assigned.

These Supplier Quality Requirements will serve as governing terms and conditions for Purchase Orders issued by TPI to the Supplier. By signing this document, Supplier agrees to the terms set forth herein for all the Supplier’s affiliated and related entities for any products and/or services supplied to TPI and its affiliated and related entities.