Receiving Inspection: What Buyers Check and Why Parts Get Held
Receiving inspection confirms the right part, at the right revision, in the right condition, with a complete and correct certification package. Most holds are paperwork, not dimensions, so suppliers who ship a clean cert pack get paid faster.
What receiving inspection is for
Receiving inspection is the buyer's check that purchased product meets the purchase order before it is accepted into stock or production. AS9100 requires organizations to control externally provided products, which in practice means a documented receiving process with defined checks, records and a way to segregate anything suspect.
It is not a full re-inspection of every characteristic. The depth depends on the supplier's history, the part's criticality, whether source inspection was done and what the contract requires. See the logistics hub for how receipt connects to packaging and shipping.
The checks, in order
| Check | What is verified | Common failure |
|---|---|---|
| Shipment condition | Crate and bag intact, seals unbroken, shock and tilt indicators, humidity card | Activated indicator, wet desiccant, crushed corner |
| Identification | Part number, revision, quantity, serial or lot numbers against the PO and packing list | Wrong revision, quantity short or over |
| Documentation | C of C, material certs, special process certs, FAI, test reports | Missing or unsigned cert, wrong spec revision |
| Visual | Damage, finish, marking, burrs, cleanliness | Handling damage, missing part marking |
| Dimensional sample | Selected characteristics, often key characteristics | Out of tolerance feature |
| Tests | Hardness, conductivity, PMI, functional tests where required | Wrong temper or alloy |
What belongs in the cert pack
The certification package is how the supplier proves conformance without the buyer re-testing everything. Exact contents come from the purchase order, but a typical aerospace pack includes:
- Certificate of conformance stating that the parts conform to the PO, drawing and revision, signed by an authorized person, with PO number, part number, revision, quantity and lot or serial numbers.
- Material certifications from the mill or an accredited lab, tied to the material specification and heat or lot, with traceability to the parts. See material certs and traceability.
- Special process certifications for heat treat, finishing, NDT, welding and cleaning, naming the specification, revision and the processor.
- First article inspection report per AS9102 when required.
- Inspection and test data such as CMM reports or acceptance test results.
- Specialty metals or country of origin statements where DFARS or other clauses apply.
- Deviation or waiver approvals for anything accepted as nonconforming.
Every document should reference the same part number, revision and lot. A cert that cannot be linked to the parts in the box is not evidence.
Sampling and how much to measure
Buyers decide how many parts to measure from the risk. ANSI/ASQ Z1.4 is the common attribute sampling system; it descends from MIL-STD-105E, which DoD stopped supporting in 1995 in favor of Z1.4. Many aerospace buyers prefer zero acceptance number plans, where any defect in the sample rejects the lot, rather than AQL plans that accept some defects.
Key characteristics, safety critical features and anything that cannot be checked after assembly usually get 100 percent inspection or a verified supplier capability record. Make sure the measurement method at receiving can actually resolve the tolerance; see inspection and metrology.
Electronics and counterfeit risk
Electronic parts carry extra risk because counterfeits can look identical. DFARS 252.246-7007 requires DoD contractors to maintain a risk based counterfeit electronic part detection and avoidance system with elements including training, inspection and testing, traceability from the original manufacturer, use of suppliers that meet DFARS 252.246-7008, reporting and quarantine, and flow down to subcontractors at all levels. Reports go to the contracting officer and to GIDEP, and counterfeit or suspect counterfeit parts shall not be returned to the seller.
SAE AS5553, currently revision D, gives industry practices for avoiding, detecting, mitigating and disposing of counterfeit electrical, electronic and electromechanical parts, and is used alongside AS9100. At receiving that means checking source documentation back to the manufacturer or authorized distributor and applying the test level the risk requires.
Nonconformance and the MRB
When receiving finds a problem, the parts are identified and segregated so they cannot be used, and a nonconformance report is written. A material review board (MRB), with quality and engineering authority, decides the disposition.
| Disposition | Meaning | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| Return to supplier | Supplier reworks or replaces | Buyer quality |
| Rework | Bring the part fully into conformance by the original process | Re-inspected after rework |
| Repair | Make the part usable, but not fully to drawing | Design authority approval |
| Use as is | Accept the deviation without change | Design authority approval |
| Scrap | Part is unusable | Must be controlled until physically made unusable |
In AS9100 practice, use as is and repair dispositions need approval from the organization responsible for design or someone with delegated authority, and where the nonconformity departs from contract requirements the customer must authorize them. Scrapped parts must be conspicuously and permanently marked or positively controlled until physically rendered unusable. Supplier corrective action requests ask the supplier to find root cause and prevent recurrence, not only to fix the batch.
Returns
A clean return protects both sides. The buyer sends the nonconformance report, photographs and measurement data with a return authorization; the supplier confirms receipt, investigates, and either reworks, replaces or disputes with evidence. Agree on who pays freight and how long the supplier has to respond.
Do not return suspect counterfeit electronic parts to the seller; DFARS 252.246-7007 prohibits it, and they must be quarantined and reported instead. For controlled hardware, returns are exports or transfers like any other shipment and follow the same rules; see controlled programs.
How suppliers avoid holds
- Pack the cert pack with the shipment and send a copy electronically before it arrives.
- Match part number, revision and lot on every document.
- List every special process with its specification revision and processor.
- Include the FAI or reference the approved one.
- Package to the purchase order and photograph before closing.
- Disclose any deviation before shipping, with the approval attached.
Records receiving should keep
A receiving record is part of the product's traceability. It should tie the purchase order, packing list, part number, revision, quantity, lot or serial numbers and cert pack to the inspection results, the inspector, the date and the stock location. When a problem surfaces later in assembly or in the field, these records let quality find every affected part and every other lot from the same material heat or process batch.
Keep the shipment condition evidence too: photographs of damaged packaging, indicator status and humidity card readings. They support carrier claims and supplier corrective actions, and they are hard to recreate after the packaging is thrown away.
Feeding results back to suppliers
Receiving data is only useful if it reaches the supplier. Buyers typically track each supplier's quality and delivery performance and use it to set inspection levels: a supplier with a long clean record may move to reduced inspection, while repeated escapes move it to tightened inspection or source inspection. Send nonconformance reports promptly with evidence, ask for root cause and corrective action on repeat problems, and close the loop by verifying the fix on later deliveries.
Get parts that pass receiving
We check paperwork before delivery and ship with a certificate package built to your purchase order. When you request an inspection or sourcing quote, attach your receiving and documentation requirements so they flow down to the supplier from the start. A person replies within 1 business day.
Questions
What is the most common reason parts are held at receiving?
Paperwork. Missing or unsigned certificates of conformance, material certs that do not reference the right specification revision or heat, special process certs without the processor or specification, and part number or revision mismatches between documents. Dimensional failures happen, but most holds are documentation gaps that the supplier could have caught with a simple check before shipping.
Who can approve a use as is disposition?
Use as is and repair dispositions accept a part that does not meet the drawing, so they need approval from the design authority or someone with delegated authority from it. Under AS9100 practice, when the nonconformity departs from contract requirements, the customer must also authorize the disposition. Rework, which brings the part fully back to the drawing, needs re-inspection but not design authority approval.
Can I return suspect counterfeit electronic parts to the distributor?
Not on DoD work. DFARS 252.246-7007 says counterfeit and suspect counterfeit electronic parts shall not be returned to the seller. They must be quarantined and reported to the contracting officer and to GIDEP. Returning them risks the parts re-entering the supply chain. Keep them, document them and follow your counterfeit control procedure.
Does receiving inspection replace first article inspection?
No. AS9102 first article inspection verifies that a production process can make a conforming part, usually checking every characteristic once at the start of production or after a change. Receiving inspection checks each delivery against the order, often by sampling. A supplier may submit the FAI with the first shipment, and receiving verifies it is present and approved.
Is AQL sampling acceptable for aerospace parts?
Some buyers use ANSI/ASQ Z1.4 AQL plans, but many aerospace buyers require zero acceptance number plans so that any defect found rejects the lot. Critical and safety related characteristics usually need 100 percent inspection or proven process capability. Check the buyer's quality clauses, which override any default sampling plan the supplier would otherwise use.
Related
Sources
- DFARS 252.246-7007, Contractor Counterfeit Electronic Part Detection and Avoidance System
- SAE AS5553D, Counterfeit EEE Parts; Avoidance, Detection, Mitigation, and Disposition
- ASQ, attribute and variable sampling plans (Z1.4 history from MIL-STD-105E)
- Elsmar Cove forum, AS9100 nonconforming product disposition authority (quotes of the standard)
- Net-Inspect, AS9102 Rev B vs Rev C first article inspection changes
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