This document defines requirements that are universal across all components purchased by Ralston Instruments. If a conflict arises, the requirements in the purchase order, part print, and any approved deviations will take precedent over the requirements in this specification.
All suppliers must comply with Ralston Instruments' quality standards, delivery schedules, and ethical guidelines.
Suppliers must provide all requested documentation beyond required certification such as but not limited to Safety Data Sheets (SDS) and any relevant regulatory compliance certificates.
Suppliers must maintain open and prompt communication with Ralston Instruments regarding order status, potential delays, or issues that may affect service or delivery.
Suppliers must provide adequate customer support, including technical assistance, troubleshooting, and after-sales service.
Suppliers must respond to inquiries and order confirmations within 2 business days and requests for quote within 10 business days.
All deliveries must be made within the agreed-upon lead time that is reflected as the required date. Once it is known that a required date will be missed, suppliers are expected to immediately contact Ralston Instruments Purchasing.
Raw materials and components must not be sourced from countries or organizations appearing on the U.S. Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctions list.
Suppliers shall not accept changes to the specifications, drawings, or purchase order requirements without documented approval from Ralston Instruments.
The supplier with whom the purchase order is placed is responsible for the conformity of dimensional and other characteristics to the specified requirements. This extends to outplant processes such as but not limited to electro polishing, brite dipping, passivation, anodizing, plating, painting, and burnishing.
Product sent to Ralston Instruments is to be clean – free of excessive grease, oil and other contaminants. A light oil residue to prevent oxidation on materials that are prone to rust is permissible.
Burrs, chips, and other foreign material are not permitted on and within parts or in packaging containing parts.
Sharp edges on machined parts should be broken to avoid risk of injury.
Ralston Instruments may require certification to support quality aspects that cannot be verified through inspection or test upon receipt. When required, this certification should be provided ahead of the shipment in electronic form. If this is not possible, hard copies of the certification may be sent with the shipment documentation. Arriving shipments that do not have the required certification at the time of receipt will be subject to a Nonconformance Report. Below are the types of certifications and the minimal information that needs to be included with each. All certifications must contain the following six items:
Suppliers of calibration services must have an active accreditation to ISO 17025 and the work completed must be within the scope of accreditation. Calibration certificates must meet the requirements described in ISO 17025.
This document states the product supplied is in full conformance with all physical configuration and functional test specifications and that all raw material used conforms to applicable specifications on the purchase order. The certificate of conformance does not contain actual test or inspection results but is rather a declaration that all requirements have been met. In addition to the six common items required on all certifications, the following must also be included:
This document contains data from the raw material source as it relates to the physical and/or chemical properties of the material used to manufacture a part or the actual raw material if that is what is being shipped. Ideally, the supplier will provide a copy of the actual certificate from the source and add the extra requirements specified in this document. An alternative method would be to reproduce the original mill cert information into a supplier certificate that meets all the requirements of this document. The latter, although acceptable, has the potential to introduce data transfer error and is therefore discouraged. In addition to the six common items required on all certifications, the following must also be included:
This document contains actual test information that pertains to the parts on the shipment. In addition to the six common items required on all certifications, the following must also be included:
This document contains actual inspection measurements that pertain to the part on the shipment. Ideally, these measurements would be collected at final inspection prior to shipment but they may be collected at earlier stages of production with Ralston Instruments approval. In addition to the six common items required on all certifications, the following must also be included:
Products must be securely packaged to prevent damage during transit. An example would be machined parts with external threads.
Parts should be packed in Ralston Instruments reusable plastic boxes, whenever possible. Parts not shipped in Ralston boxes should be packed in oil-free cardboard cartons.
Each package should be clearly labeled with the Ralston Instruments part number plus revision, the quantity of items in each package, and the Ralston Instruments purchase order.
Packing Slips should be clearly marked as such and securely applied to the outside of one of the packages.
Individual packages, regardless of type (box, bin, case, carton etc.) shall weigh no more than 25 pounds.
Product shipped on pallets should be secured to the pallet to minimize shifting during transport.
When multiple part/revision combinations must be placed on the same pallet, it is preferred to have a maximum of (4) part numbers on each pallet – one in each quadrant. If this is not possible, boxes with the same part of the same revision should be reasonably grouped together and not mixed throughout the pallet with other parts.
NOTE: Bulk items such as boxes, foam, etc. are exempt from the above requirements. Arrangements of how these items are to be packaged should be discussed and agreed upon with Ralston Instruments Purchasing.
Suppliers must use Ralston Instruments’ preferred carriers unless otherwise approved by Ralston Instruments.
All shipping costs and risks until the point of delivery are the supplier's responsibility unless other terms are approved by Ralston Instruments.
Quantities shipped shall correspond with those listed on the purchase order.
Ralston Instruments reserves the right to return over shipped product.
Accepted overages up to 10% will be received against the open release.
Accepted overages more than 10% shall have the overage amount received against the next open release or the amount on the PO can be adjusted if there is no other planned open release.
Suppliers should not declare value or insure shipments unless specifically requested by a Ralston Instruments representative.
Ralston Instruments does not pay supplier handling fees.
The shipping method will be stated on the purchase order.
A Packing Slip must accompany each shipment to Ralston Instruments. The following information is required:
Parts not meeting the requirements as specified by Ralston Instruments will be subject to an NC Report.
A Ralston Instruments representative will send the NC Report to the supplier. Further action by the supplier may be required as determined by the disposition of the nonconformance. The expectation is that all NC Reports are acknowledged by the supplier within (5) working days of issuance, regardless of the disposition.
When a supplier discovers nonconforming parts, either those that are Ralston Instruments supplied as well as product manufactured by the supplier, they should be kept in separate packages and clearly marked as “nonconforming” with quantity when shipped.
If Ralston supplied parts (such as extrusions, castings, forging, sensors or LCDs) are damaged or rendered unusable by the supplier, then a credit equivalent to Ralston’s part cost may be taken.
Ralston Instruments reserves the right to issue a Corrective Action request for repeated, excessive, or severe nonconformances.
When items are returned to the supplier to remedy a nonconformance, a credit will be taken for the returned items at the purchase order price. If required by the supplier, a return authorization will be requested prior to any items being returned.
Repaired or replaced items returned to Ralston Instruments as a result of a remedied nonconformance shall be invoiced at the same purchase price as on the original purchase order. The NC Report Number must be indicated on either shipping paperwork or on the packaging.
A new packing slip and invoice are required for return shipments.
Suppliers are expected to notify Ralston Instruments immediately once it has been determined that a requirement cannot be met. This notification must be prior to shipment and is ideally a submission of the supplier’s deviation request form. An email stating the specifics describing why the requirement cannot be met is also considered adequate.
Ralston Instruments will consider all submitted deviation requests and will provide an approval or rejection response.
If approved, Ralston Instruments will provide documentation of the approved deviation to the supplier.
Documented evidence of an approved deviation should be included with the shipping documentation when the parts are sent to Ralston Instruments. The approved deviation will be taken into consideration by Ralston Instruments Incoming Inspection to avoid the issuance of a nonconformance.
Ralston Instruments will regularly monitor supplier performance and may periodically communicate this information back to its suppliers.