Distributor vs Manufacturer C of C

Hello,

I have a debate with a few colleagues regarding whether a distributor can issue a Certificate of Conformance on a part that they buy from a manufacturer.

There is no manufacturer C of C with the part, but the distributor issued a C of C for that part.

Can a distributor issue a C of C on a part they do not manufacture ? In my opinion, only the manufacturer can certify the part.

Thanks !

 

It depends on what is confirmed in the C of C.
A distributor can confirm that the part (proper identification) he has supplied has been manufactured by xyz (Your approved manufacturer) and that he is the authorized distributor of xyz in his C of C.

 

Somashekar, thank you for your reply.

The C of C statement is the usual, saying something to the effect that the parts conform to requirements, etc. It is basically a C of C that 'certifies' the parts.

Had the C of C stated that it confirms that the parts were purchased from the XYZ manufacturer, I would have no issue (even though the parts are still not traceable to the manufacturer, but that is a different story).

 

Andy Nichols, my thoughts exactly ....

Thank you.

 

How and what you want in the C of C must be established at the stage when the evaluation and selection of the supplier is being done.

 

If the distributer was able to actually verify that the part meets requirments, then I don't see why not.

If you want the manufacturer listed, I would either request a modified C of C, or request a copy of the purchase order and manufacturer specs.

 

We try to communicate our requirement in the PO information we flow down to the customer. With counterfeit prevention plan requirements this kind of information traceability is more and more important for customer confidence. I've often seen the requirement be specific that it come from the source. Supply chain traceability gets more "particular" with government work tho, so maybe you don't have that concern.

 

FWIW, a Certificate of COMPLIANCE or a Certificate of CONFORMANCE mandates something to comply with or conform to...

I get asked for C of C often in my distributorship...and send CoA from the manufacturer instead.
With no mutually agreed spec, how can I certify that I comply with it?
And without my own testing, why should I assume the liability for the manufacturer?

Whether or not C of C is required in the PO or not...it is typically an oxymoron for a distributor...like overnight shipping for a two week lead time item.

 

My post should have said, "...we flow down to the supplier." not customer. Oops! Not seeing an edit button. Most traceability we need for our customers requires something from the original manufacturer, so for our needs we just get it from the source.

 

When we distribute material that we do not produce, we supply the customer with the actual manufacturer's COA... We feel that if we were to certify that material - then we would be held liable if something was wrong with it. Just playing it safe.