Subcontractor Work Verification

A Subcontractor Work Tracker creates complete visibility and traceability for all work performed by outside processors and subcontractors, directly addressing the opacity and lost documentation that plague modern supply chains. The system connects a manufacturer's plant floor to subcontractor facilities via a secure supplier portal, enabling real-time work tracking, process parameter documentation, and personnel certification verification—transforming subcontract work from a black box into an auditable, traceable process.

The work order issuance process establishes the foundation for visibility. When a manufacturer needs to send materials for heat treat, plating, welding, or other outside processing, the system generates a work order that includes detailed process requirements, acceptable parameter ranges, required equipment certifications, and required personnel qualifications. The work order is transmitted electronically to the subcontractor's portal with explicit acknowledgment. The subcontractor cannot begin work until the job is formally acknowledged, creating the first control point.

Real-time process parameter capture eliminates the traditional "work completed" mystery. As work is performed, critical process parameters flow directly into the system: temperature and hold time for heat treat, plating bath composition and immersion duration, welding amperage/voltage/wire speed, surface finish measurements, and material chemistry verification. This replaces the historical pattern of subcontractors returning work with only a packing slip and no parameter evidence. The system captures these parameters from connected equipment (furnaces, plating control systems, welding machines) via Bluetooth/WiFi, eliminating manual transcription errors and creating immutable timestamped records at the point of execution.

Operator certification enforcement adds accountability. Before work can begin, the assigned technician's credentials are verified against both external NADCAP/customer-approved databases and the subcontractor's internal certification records. The system logs which certified operator performed the work and documents their qualifications and certifications at the time of execution (not retroactively). Any deviation from process parameters triggers real-time alerts: if heat treat temperature drifts outside specification, both the subcontractor's quality manager and the manufacturer's quality engineer are immediately notified, enabling corrective action while work is in progress rather than after scrap is created. At completion, the subcontractor photographs the finished components and uploads all supporting documentation: material certificates, process execution records, inspection results, and any process deviations or rework with full details.

The receiving inspection process validates completeness and compliance. The manufacturer's receiving inspector uses the mobile app to verify that returned components match the work order, that all required documentation is present, and that process parameters stayed within specification. If documentation is incomplete or parameters are out of spec, the system triggers an automatic quarantine hold: items cannot move to the next manufacturing step until the issue is resolved. This prevents the historical pattern of subcontracted work flowing silently into inventory only to be discovered later during customer audits or field failures. Partial rework is tracked with complete traceability: if a heat treat job required re-processing, both the original execution and the rework are recorded and linked to the same lot, preserving the full history.

The scorecard system provides long-term visibility into subcontractor capability and performance. Over time, the system calculates which subcontractors consistently execute processes within specification, which hold valid NADCAP certifications for specific process types, and what rework rates each subcontractor generates. These metrics enable manufacturers to make informed decisions about which subcontractors to trust with critical work and to identify performance trends requiring intervention. For manufacturers managing customers with rigorous traceability requirements (aerospace, pharma, medical device), the system automatically generates audit-ready subcontractor work reports compliant with AS9100: process specification, actual parameters used with timestamps, equipment serial numbers and calibration status, operator certification status at time of execution, completion date, and photographs of finished components—all in a single document that satisfies compliance requirements.