Supplier Terms & Conditions
Rev B, 5/17/21
As a condition for being initially selected as a supplier to Astra Products Inc and as a condition for continuing to be an approved supplier to Astra Products Inc, Astra requires your organization’s compliance to the following:
- Supplier Quality Management System Development: Unless otherwise approved by Astra, supplier shall develop and maintain a quality management system that is, at the least, third-party certified to ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System requirements; and in cases where purchases support automotive projects (as indicated by Astra), will work towards the eventual goal of obtaining third-party certification to IATF 16949:2016 Quality Management System requirements. Astra is committed to supporting you in achieving this goal and has developed a roadmap to help our suppliers achieve this goal.
- Product document version management: All Astra purchase orders will be accompanied by, where applicable, product drawings, work instructions and other process documents (ex. Control plans, Safety specifications, etc.), hereinafter collectively called “product documents”. These product documents will include, where applicable, revision levels of our customer drawings. You will be required to ensure that all this revision level is identified on all documents and records used by your organization to process the order.
- Special characteristics control: When required, Astra will identify certain product characteristics as critical on one or more product document. Such characteristics are considered Key Product Characteristics (KPC) and indicate an elevated level of importance for Astra and Astra’s customer. When KPCs are identified, you will be required to identify them in all applicable documents and records used by your organization to process the order. Where required by Astra, you will use the same symbol that Astra requires you to use for identifying KPCs in your process documents. Additionally, you will also use proper Statistical Process Control (SPC) techniques to monitor and control these KPCs. At a minimum, the following SPC requirements apply to KPCs:
a. X-Bar and R Charts to control variable data
b. np Charts to control attribute data
c. A minimum Process Capability Index Cpk of 1.67 for all KPCs for new product launches - Special process requirements: When the supplier or the supplier’s Sub-Tier performs any special processing to Astra’s product or provides a special process service, this information must be provided to Astra for approval before the special process work is conducted.
- Customer-designated external providers: Supplier will use customer-designated or approved external providers wherever applicable. At times, Astra’s customers designate specific requirements for special process sources, Astra will communicate this to the supplier and the supplier is then responsible to flow down these requirements to their suppliers.
- Personnel competence: Personnel performing work affecting quality while product/service is within Supplier’s control shall be competent and qualified based on established criteria regarding education, experience, skills, & training. The Supplier is responsible for determining acceptable standards and for monitoring that they are being met. Your organization is also responsible for ensuring that personnel performing work affecting quality within your organization’s control are aware of:
a. their contribution to product or service conformity;
b. their contribution to product safety;
c. the importance of ethical behavior - Supplier verification of product/service during product realization process: The supplier will use established methods at applicable stages of supplier’s product realization process to confirm product/service meets Astra’s requirements prior to being shipped to Astra.
- Supplier verification of product/service prior to final release: The supplier will ensure that all products/services realized for Astra be subject to a final verification by the supplier at the supplier’s premises to ensure compliance to Astra’s requirements. Evidence of this verification must be maintained as a quality record by the supplier with traceability to the person authorizing such release.
- Nonconforming product detected at supplier’s premises: When non-conforming product is manufactured, your organization will notify Astra of the nature of nonconformity. All nonconforming products shall be properly identified so as to prevent its unintended use until disposition is finalized. All nonconforming products that are disposed of as scrap shall be suitably identified and controlled so as to make it unusable. Astra will advise your organization of the disposition of the nonconforming product. Nonconforming product can be disposed of as any of the following:
a. Accept as-is for intended or alternate application with deviations approved by Astra
b. Rework, re-inspect
c. Scrap - Non-conforming product detected at Astra’s premises: Upon receipt of products/services from the supplier at Astra’s premises, Astra will subject the product/service to an incoming verification to ensure that the purchased product/service meets Astra’s purchase requirements. Astra reserves the right to subject products/services deemed to be non-conforming Astra’s purchase requirements to any of the following dispositions:
a. Accept as-is
b. Require rework and re-inspection by supplier
c. Reject as scrap - Supplier Corrective Action Requests: Astra reserves the right to issue a Supplier Corrective Action Request (SCAR) to the supplier to address any non-conforming situation caused by the Supplier. S-CARs must be addressed by the supplier in the prescribed format within prescribed duration.
- Use of approved methods, processed and equipment: The supplier shall use approved methods, processes and equipment to meet Astra’s requirements for the purchased product/service. These approved methods, process and equipment are methods, processes and equipment that were used by the suppliers to submit initial production parts/services to Astra which are the basis for Astra’s approval of the supplier’s ability to deliver such product/service to Astra during regular production runs.
- Supplier-Astra interactions & approvals: Supplier will notify Astra prior to executing any of the following changes to your product and/or process:
- Control and monitoring of supplier performance: Astra performs continual monitoring of performance of critical suppliers considering factors including but not limited to:a. Quality
b. On-time-delivery
c. Incidents of premium freight
d. Disruptions at Astra’s customer receiving plant caused by Astra’s supplier.Annually, Astra performs a supplier risk assessment considering the above factors. Suppliers presenting an acceptable risk to Astra as a result of the annual supplier risk assessment will be unconditionally re-approved for the following year. Suppliers who do not meet the established acceptable performance levels will be subject to actions deemed necessary to prevent unacceptable risks on Astra’s product safety, personnel safety, product performance, process effectiveness or process efficiency, these actions can include increased incoming inspection, new business hold or removal of supplier from critical approved supplier list. - Supplier’s supplier flow-down: Where applicable, Suppliers are required to flow down requirements of this terms and conditions document and any other requirements from Astra to the supplier’s suppliers and require their compliance to such requirements. Further, suppliers are required to develop, implement, and maintain systems to ensure that their suppliers are compliant with these requirements, where applicable.
- Records retention and documentation: All records related to Astra’s contract will be retained by your organization for a minimum of 20 years, unless otherwise specified by Astra explicitly in a specific purchase order. Records shall be made available to the purchaser within 48 hours (business days only included) of request. Records are to be documented in a manner or medium that if altered, would be obvious that changes were made. Permanent ink shall be used. No erasures or “white-out” is allowed.
- Right of access: Astra, Astra’s customer, and any applicable regulatory body will have right of access to applicable areas of your organization, at any level of the supply chain, involved in the order and to all applicable records. With 15 days prior notification, these authorities will reserve the right to perform audits and/or inspections at your organization and your subcontractor’s facilities. These audits and/or inspections performed will determine the conformance of the product to the purchase order requirements.
- Statutory and regulatory compliance:
- Statutory and regulatory compliance – General: Where specified in Astra’s purchase order, supplier will ensure compliance with any specified statutory and regulatory requirements pertaining to the product/service.
- Statutory and regulatory compliance – Flow-down to sub-tier suppliers: Where applicable, Suppliers are required to flow down statutory and regulatory requirements specified by Astra to the supplier’s suppliers and require their compliance to such requirements. Further, Suppliers are required to develop, implement and maintain systems to ensure that their suppliers are compliant with these requirements, where applicable.
- Conflict between Purchase Order and Supplier Terms & Conditions: To the extent if there is a conflict between requirements contained in this document and requirements set forth on the face of or in the attachments on Astra’s purchase order, the requirements on the face of the purchase order and/or in the attachments shall prevail.
- Document controlled location: The copy of this Terms & Conditions on astraproducts.com is the relevant version. Any other version of this document is considered obsolete and must not be used.
- Astra’ Authorized Contact:
Jeff Bogin
6 Bethpage Road
Copiague, New York 11726
p.631.464.4747
Email: jbogin@astraproducts.com