The Trigger
A Tier 2 stamping supplier in Monterrey had passed two consecutive internal audits. Production volumes were doubling and the engineering team was too embedded in the ramp to run a credible independent review.
“They found a process drift in the hardening cycle that our own team had normalized over eighteen months. That finding alone saved us a recall. I don't know what the exposure would have been — I don't want to know.”
Director of Supplier Quality
Meridian Driveline Systems · Detroit, MI
Measurable Outcome
Critical process drift identified before SOP — recall averted
Hardening cycle deviation corrected 6 weeks before volume ramp. Zero warranty claims on affected part family.