Customers definition

Note that the factor 2 appearing in above equations is due to the chemical hardness definition bearing 1/2 in the custom definition (3.3) and can be skipped (as will be done below) when the chemical hardness will be considered as not-normalized to its acid-base behavior, see Eq. (4.158) of Section 4.2.3.3 as well as the discussion of Eq. (4.252) in Section 4.5. 

We must now mention, that traditionally it is the custom, especially in chemo-metrics, for outliers to have a different definition, and even a different interpretation. Suppose that we have a fc-dimensional characteristic vector, i.e., k different molecular descriptors are used. If we imagine a fe-dimensional hyperspace, then the dataset objects will find different places. Some of them will tend to group together, while others will be allocated to more remote regions. One can by convention define a margin beyond which there starts the realm of strong outliers. "Moderate outliers stay near this margin. 

Originally confined to the shipment of crude raw materials and fuels, the term transportation of bulk sohds now apphes also to manufactured produc ts, which often become raw materials for other industries. In recent years, increasing tonnages of highly processed, finished chemical products have moved to customers in large bulk units. A useful definition of a bulk shipment is any unit greater than 2000 kg (4000 lb) or 2 m (70 fF). The containers available range from small portable hoppers of 2-m (70-fF) capacity to railroad cars of 255-m (9000-fF) capacity. 

Before setting about the task of developing such a model, the product development process requires definition along with an indication of its key stages, this is so the appropriate tools and techniques can be applied (Booker et al., 1997). In the approach presented here in Figure 5.11, the product development phases are activities generally defined in the automotive industry (Clark and Fujimoto, 1991). QFD Phase 1 is used to understand and quantify the importance of customer needs and requirements, and to support the definition of product and process requirements. The FMEA process is used to explore any potential failure modes, their likely Occurrence, Severity and Detectability. DFA/DFM techniques are used to minimize part count, facilitate ease of assembly and project component manufacturing and assembly costs, and are primarily aimed at cost reduction. 

The ISO definition states that quality assurance is all those planned and systematic actions necessary to provide adequate confidence that an entity will fulfill requirements for quality. Both customers and managers have a need for quality assurance as they are not in a position to oversee operations for themselves. They need to place trust in the producing operations, thus avoiding constant intervention. 

The standard requires the supplier to apply the appropriate methods to identify special characteristics, to include these characteristics in the control plan, and to comply with any specific definitions and symbols the customer may use. 

The requirements for product approval are defined in the reference manuals. You may not need to prepare product approval submissions for all the parts you supply. The applicability of product approval procedures is affected by several factors so definitive solutions cannot be offered. The fundamental requirement is that if you supply product to the automotive customers you need a product approval procedure in place to gain ISO/TS 16949 registration. If you have been supplying parts for some time without product approval then you should confirm with your customer that you may continue to do so. 

Convert the customer needs into a definitive specification of the requirements. 

Your initial tasks are to establish what the customer requires and what the expectations are, then convert this into a definitive specification or a design brief. 

From these simple statements of need you need to gather more information and turn the requirement into a definitive specification. Sometimes you can satisfy your customer with an existing product or service, but when this is not possible you need to resort to designing one to meet the customer s particular needs, whether the customer be a specific customer or the market in general. 

The definition of nonconformity in ISO 8402 states that it is the nonfulfillment of specified requirements therefore a nonconforming product is one that does not conform to the specified requirements. Specified requirements are either requirements prescribed by the customer and agreed by the supplier in a contract for products or services, or are requirements prescribed by the supplier which are perceived as satisfying a market need. This limits the term nonconformity to situations where you have failed to meet customer requirements. However, ISO 8402 1987 suggests that nonconformity also applies to the absence of one or more quality system elements, but clearly the requirements of clause 4.13 cannot be applied to nonconformity with quality s /stem requirements. Both ISO 9001 and ISO 9004 only address nonconformity in the context of products, processes, and services and when addressing quality system elements the term deficiencies is used. Some auditors use the term nonconformity to describe a departure from the requirements of ISO 9001 but it would be preferable if they chose the term noncompliance to avoid any confusion. The requirements of clause 4.13 therefore only apply to products, processes, and services and not to activities, quality system elements, or procedures. 

Although the standard does not recognize any classification of nonconformities, the practical application of nonconformity controls requires controls to be balanced with the severity of the nonconformity. It is not necessary to seek concessions from a customer against requirements that have not been specified, or seek design authority approval for workmanship imperfections. The definition of the term defect in ISO 8402, and the fact that there are many requirements other than those specified in a contract or needed to satisfy market needs, demands that it is sensible to classify nonconformities into three categories ... 

The corrective action requirements fail to stipulate when corrective action should be taken except to say that they shall be to a degree appropriate to the risks encountered. There is no compulsion for the supplier to correct nonconformities before repeat production or shipment of subsequent product. However, immediate correction is not always practical. You should base the timing of your corrective action on the severity of the nonconformities. All nonconformities are costly to the business, but correction also adds to the cost and should be matched to the benefits it will accrue (see later under Risks). Any action taken to eliminate a nonconformity before the customer receives the product or service could be considered a preventive action. By this definition, final inspection is a preventive action because it should prevent the supply of nonconforming product to the customer. However, an error becomes a nonconformity when detected at any acceptance stage in the process, as indicated in clause 4.12 of the standard. Therefore an action taken to eliminate a potential nonconformity prior to an acceptance stage is a preventive action. This rules out any inspection stages as being preventive action measures - they are detection measures only. 

A definition of when a message from a customer can be classified as a complaint... 

The impact of this requirement depends upon what constitutes the specified requirements. The standard does not require you to demonstrate conformance with every requirement of ISO 9001. However, if your customer has invoked ISO 9001 in the contract, this clause requires that you maintain sufficient records to demonstrate compliance. As stated elsewhere in this book, there is no definition clarifying what specified requirements are. If specified requirements are a//the requirements that you have specified in your quality system, your plans, procedures, specifications, etc., this requirement may well be viewed as the most onerous in the standard. A pragmatic approach to take is to declare in your quality manual that the specified requirements are specified customer requirements . 

What is an engineering standard Webster s New International Dictionary contains the following definition Standard That which is established by authority, custom, or general consent, as a model or example, criteria, text. In general, a definitive level, degree, material, character, quality, or the like, viewed as that which is proper and adequate for a given purpose. 

Sturdy door hinges and drawer suspensions are a necessity, and there is a definite difference between manufacturers here. If a manufacturer has a display of cabinets, the prospective customer should act like a buyer of a used car, slamming doors and yanking open drawers. He should then make a careful examination of the various components and compare them with what he has seen elsewhere. 

Commercial Testing. The commercial test lab is by definition, in the business of testing. The satisfaction of its customers is paramount. Quality service and responsiveness holds old customers and attracts new ones. Getting dependable data fast is important, but here cost is critical. In a competitive market, the ability of LIMS to bring down the effective cost per test means more profit and/or the ability to keep or increase one s market share by lowering prices. 

As for the customer s observation that the datasheet claims the ripple will be +20mV, you should be aware that almost all companies deliberately choose the best conditions to present their curves. Remember, these curves are only typical, and your definition of what that word means can differ dramatically from theirs. From their point of view, it is a dog-eat-dog world out there, and if they don t do this, the customer will likely penalize them and pick the competitor s parts without further thought. They also figure that very few... 

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