Materials and welding expertise for equipment-engineering suppliers

– so you stay an OEM supplier

For component and equipment-engineering suppliers to demanding OEMs: welding consulting, welding and brazing qualification, peer review and systematic process improvement – as the interface between your production and your customers’ audit requirements.

OEM supply quality Welding & brazing qualification Peer review First article inspection / FAI / PPAP Supplier audit TÜV interface

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CHALLENGE

Remaining a supplier to demanding OEMs means passing every audit, every first article inspection and every complaint with technical confidence.

An OEM audit is coming up – the in-house welding and materials documentation has to be ready as verifiable evidence in a short time.

A first article inspection (FAI / PPAP) requires complete materials and procedure records – individual gaps can delay the ramp-up.

A customer files a complaint about a delivered component – the technical clarification has to be quick, factual and customer-friendly.

The OEM requires an additional welding qualification or a special material specification – in-house experience with it is lacking.

OEM audit, first article approval or a complaint from the customer plant?

We prepare the technical side, clarify matters factually and safeguard your supplier position.

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SERVICES

Three core services for component and equipment-engineering suppliers

Welding consulting & welding/brazing qualification

Consulting on materials and procedure selection as well as support for welding and brazing procedure tests in line with your OEM customers’ requirements – including industry-specific additional requirements.

WPS and WPQR preparation to DIN EN ISO 15614
Welder qualification tests to DIN EN ISO 9606
Brazing procedure test to DIN EN 13134
Industry-specific qualifications (rail, aerospace, medical)
Technical review (peer review) of in-house welding and brazing instructions

FAI PPAP VDA 6.3

Audit & first article preparation

Technical preparation of your supplier audits and first article inspections – material specifications, welding and brazing documentation, procedure concepts and test records prepared as verifiable evidence.

Preparation of OEM supplier audits
FAI and PPAP documentation support
Material specifications to OEM requirements
Development of procedure and work sample concepts
Trial assemblies and first article inspections

VDI 3822 Forensic Engineering

Process analysis & complaint clarification

Systematic analysis of your production and manufacturing processes by technical experts – to reduce scrap, ensure process stability and clarify customer complaints factually.

Process analysis with measurable results
Scrap and root-cause analysis
Complaint clarification with customer communication
8D reports and corrective actions
Interface between manufacturer and notified body (TÜV)

8D report Complaint SPC

FOR SUPPLIERS WITH OEM REQUIREMENTS

We know the audit standards

IATF 16949 DIN EN ISO 3834 VDA 6.3 DIN EN ISO 9001 DIN EN 15085 (rail) EN 9100 (aerospace) ISO 13485 (medical) PPAP / FAI

OEM INDUSTRIES WE KNOW

Which suppliers we typically support

AUTOMOTIVE

Tier-1 and Tier-2 suppliers

IATF 16949-compliant processes, PPAP preparation and VDA 6.3 audits for structural parts, drivetrain and safety-relevant assemblies.

AEROSPACE

EN 9100 suppliers

First article inspections, NADCAP requirements and special-process qualification for structural and systemic components in aerospace.

MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY

ISO 13485 component suppliers

Materials and procedure qualification for implant components, instruments and medical device housings with full traceability.

ENERGY

Manufacturers of pressure components

PED-compliant component manufacturing, AD 2000 qualification and materials consulting for pressure vessels and pressure-bearing components in energy technology and petrochemicals.

PROCESS INDUSTRY

Stainless steel and special equipment suppliers

Stainless steel, duplex and non-ferrous materials for process plants with high purity requirements – welding qualification and material certificate preparation.

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

Component suppliers OEM mechanical engineering

ISO 3834-compliant welding production, materials consulting and first article inspection for demanding mechanical-engineering OEMs at home and abroad.

AUDIT PREPARATION – WHAT WE FOCUS ON

What OEM auditors really check – and how we prepare you for it

Material traceability

Every OEM auditor checks whether you can supply a material certificate (3.1 or 3.2) for every batch. We set up your documentation so that this question can be answered positively in every audit.

WPS and WPQR currency

Outdated or incomplete welding instructions are the most common audit finding. We review your documents and bring them up to the current standard-compliant status – including re-qualifications.

Welder qualifications

Auditors check whether each of your welders holds a current qualification for every material and geometry range used. We manage your qualification matrix and renewal dates.

Complaint history & 8D reports

Every auditor looks at your complaint history and the quality of your 8D reports. We support the preparation of sound root-cause analyses and verifiable corrective actions.

PROJECT REFERENCES (ANONYMIZED)

From practice – what we have delivered for OEM suppliers

AUTOMOTIVE TIER-1

PPAP preparation structural component (aluminium welding)

Support for the PPAP first article approval of an aluminium structural component for a German OEM. WPS preparation, procedure test and first article documentation to VDA 6.3 requirements.

→ PPAP approval with no additional requests, series production started on the planned date

RAIL SUPPLIER

EN 15085 re-certification CL2 for car body assemblies

Complete preparation of the re-certification to DIN EN 15085 CL2 for a rail component manufacturer, including updating of the WPS documentation and audit support by DVS-IIW.

→ Re-certification with no findings, supply contract with a European OEM extended

MEDICAL DEVICE SUPPLIER

Complaint clarification implant component (CoCrMo)

Factual complaint clarification with a medical device OEM following a finding on an implant component. Materials analysis, 8D report and joint clarification with the customer.

→ Supplier status retained, no contract loss despite the initial complaint

COLLABORATION

How a collaboration works

Enquiry

A brief description of your concern – audit, first article inspection, complaint or qualification need.

Initial consultation

Within 24 hours: clarification of the OEM requirements and the interface to the notified body.

On-site appointment

On site in your production facility or in the laboratory – audit preparation, first article approval or complaint clarification.

Support & documentation

Complete documentation – verifiable evidence for OEM auditors and notified bodies.

WHY TECHNICAL CENTER

What OEM suppliers value about our work

We speak the OEM language

PPAP, FAI, VDA 6.3, IATF 16949, EN 9100 – we know what auditors of major OEMs require, because we work at this interface every day.

A complaint as an opportunity, not a crisis

A complaint resolved factually and quickly can strengthen your supplier position rather than weaken it. We help you present yourself with technical confidence.

Audit experience from both perspectives

We have worked on both the supplier and the OEM side and know the audit process from both perspectives – this makes our preparation accurate.

Clear, customer-ready documentation

Our results are documented so that you can pass them directly on to your OEM customers – with no rework, no translation into OEM format.

TYPICAL OCCASIONS

When component and equipment-engineering suppliers contact us

An OEM supplier audit is coming up – the welding and materials documentation has to become verifiable evidence in a short time
A first article inspection (FAI / PPAP) requires complete materials and procedure records
An OEM customer files a complaint about a delivered component – quick, factual clarification required
A new welding qualification (material, procedure, geometry) is additionally required by the OEM
Building an industry-specific qualification system (EN 15085, EN 9100, ISO 13485)
Before an initial supply: technical clarification of the OEM specification before contracts are signed

No acute audit, but strategic positioning as an OEM supplier?

A non-binding initial consultation is possible at any time.

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What suppliers want to know before their first enquiry

How quickly can you prepare an OEM audit?

That depends on the current state of your documentation. With a largely functioning QA structure, 4–8 weeks are often enough for a systematic audit preparation. With shorter lead times, we prioritize the critical points – missing WPS, missing welder qualification tests, incomplete material traceability – and make the most important areas audit-ready even in 2 weeks.

Can you also help with complaint clarification with our OEM customer?

Yes. Complaint clarification with OEM customers is a central focus of our work. We analyse the technical cause neutrally and factually, prepare the 8D report and, on request, support directly in the communication with your customer – as an independent technical partner. This takes the emotional tension out of the process and speeds up the clarification.

We supply several OEMs with different requirements – can you handle that?

Yes. We know the specifics of the common OEM worlds: automotive (IATF 16949, VDA 6.3, PPAP), rail (EN 15085), aerospace (EN 9100, NADCAP), medical (ISO 13485) and pressure equipment (PED, AD 2000). We help you build a common base system and efficiently add the OEM-specific add-ons – instead of running a separate parallel system for every industry.

What does an audit preparation cost?

The costs depend on the scope of the preparation. An initial consultation to assess the effort is free. Based on this conversation, we draw up a concrete offer for you with a clearly defined scope of services. The investment often pays for itself simply through an avoided audit repeat or a retained supplier nomination.

Can we also use you permanently as an external consultant after the audit preparation?

Yes. Many of our customers use us as an external welding and materials consultant on call – for specific questions, annual documentation updates, new WPS when orders expand or complaint clarifications. This is more efficient than a dedicated full-time position and gives you access to specialized expertise when it is needed.