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.
1. Scope of Responsibility & Authority
This document defines the Quality work scope to be performed by vendors, suppliers and sub-contractors (each referred to herein as “Supplier”) for TPI Composites, Inc. (“TPI”). Supplier is responsible for the Scope of Work described in a Supply Agreement, Statement of Work and/or Purchase Order, and any decisions necessary to complete its scope. Supplier shall meet specifications, prints and technical requirements that are communicated by TPI and the requirements included in the TPI Documents listed below in Section 2 (“TPI Requirements”), and the standards of care, skill, safety and diligence as are generally applied or utilized by experienced and prudent industry professionals (collectively, “Requirements”). Additionally, Supplier is required to ensure any sub-tier supplier or subcontractor meets all Requirements, and Supplier is responsible for all work performed by any sub-tier supplier or subcontractor.
1.1 Revisions
The Supplier Quality Requirements document is maintained by TPI. Minor changes and updates to procedures, not effecting quality plan, will necessitate a revision.
2. Documents
2.1 TPI Documents
- Statement of Work, Specifications, Prints and/ or Drawings, Technical Requirements
- Supply Agreement (including TPI Purchasing Terms and Conditions or Master Terms and Conditions)
- Properly executed mutual Non-Disclosure Agreement
- 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, AS 9100, and IATF16949, and shall meet TPI Requirements. If Supplier does not maintain such a system or plan, Supplier must document actual quality practices and procedures and provide these to TPI in writing.
Supplier shall comply with Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP)/APQP4Wind and Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) for any new or revised products and will submit required documentation to TPI through the designated portal.
TPI reserves the right to review or assess the relevant system, plan, practices and/or procedures, including subcontracted products and services development processes, and manufacturing and process control plans applied to products or services. Any aspect of the system or plan or modifications to the same, that could affect planned outcomes, must be promptly communicated to TPI. TPI reserves the right to conduct process reviews and quality audits at the Supplier’s (and its sub-tier supplier’s or subcontractor’s) 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.
Supplier must 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, records and 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 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 non-conformances or systemic quality issues. Examples include 8 Disciplines of Problem Solving (8D). 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.
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 and Certificates of Conformance are maintained and available for review upon request. Record retention is required for a minimum period of 10 years, unless stated otherwise in the applicable agreement. Record retention can be digital or hard copy.
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, Specifications, Bill of Materials, Supply Agreement, Purchase Order and the Statement of Work documents. This can be demonstrated through a means satisfactory to TPI, which may be checklists, material certifications, test and inspection reports, Certificate of Compliance, Certificate of Conformance, Certificate of Test or equivalent to signify that the item(s) are complete and meet requirements specified for the products or services.
As part of acceptance, the product, completed service or material will be inspected, tested and verified to confirm that they meet the Requirements. Supplier must verify operation; perform safety and performance tests in accordance with the applicable specifications, and product acceptance requirements. Final acceptance by TPI is based upon successful completion of inspection and testing.
Products supplied by the Supplier shall not be, and are not 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 for 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 is frozen or locked. The raw material, equipment, vessel, machine, location or manufacturing site cannot be changed without TPI approval. Any proposed change to established process parameters (“frozen processes”) must be approved in writing by TPI and the Commodity Lead will assess potential re-qualification prior to the change implementation.
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.