Quality Dokumentation. In the course of serial production, the Supplier must continuously check and record compliance with required values for critical safety, functional and assembly characteristics as well as characteristics affecting statutorily prescribed values (“special characteristics”). The Supplier and production batch must be clearly marked on consignments with such characteristics so that any defective consignments can be reliably traced. The Supplier will take suitable measures to ensure that necessary further information is documented in its company in order to ascertain without delay, in the event of a defect, which products could be affected. The Supplier will store items that provide evidence of its quality management measures, especially initial sample documents, skills training and retraining records for staff and related samples, for up to 3 years after discontinuing spare-part production, but for a minimum period of 25 years. If KRONE requests to view all quality-related documentation, the supplier must honour this. If required, subsequent further testing of the Supplier’s reference samples (i.e. initial sample inspection) will be mutually agreed after consultation between the Parties depending on the particular circumstances and performed either by joint inspections or through an external inspection authority (for instance at the Supplier’s premises, at KRONE or at an external lab). Moreover, the supplier accepts to assist KRONE in the evaluation of the documentation and the samples. The documentation, in the form of a copy if necessary, will be promptly handed over to KRONE upon request, in all cases no later than within 2 working days. This particularly applies to product characteristics for which proof of the statistical capability was required and/or granted (“special characteristics”).
