AS6174: Counterfeit Material; Authentic and Compatible Material Supply Assurance
This standard establishes the processes and requirements necessary to prevent counterfeit materials from entering the supply chain and to ensure that only authentic and compliant materials are supplied.
AS6174 REQUIREMENTS
- Material Authenticity Assurance Plan
The organization must develop and implement a material authenticity assurance plan to ensure that only authentic and compliant materials are procured from legally authorized sources. This plan should also include risk reduction, disposal and reporting processes to be implemented in case of detection of counterfeit materials. - Authentic and Compatible Material Supply
Material authenticity assurance processes should ensure the continued supply of authentic and compliant material throughout the product life cycle. This includes the management of material obsolescence. - Purchasing Processes
Purchasing processes should evaluate the ability of supply sources to provide authentic and compatible materials. This evaluation may include methods such as surveys, audits, reviewing product warnings, and reviewing quality data on suppliers’ past performance. - Purchasing Information
Quality requirements specified in purchase orders and contracts should be defined to increase the likelihood of providing authentic and compliant material. - Verification of Purchased Product
Documented processes must carry out the necessary checks to verify that purchased material is authentic and compliant. This verification process should be determined by the criticality of the material and the risk of receiving counterfeit material. - In-Process Control
In-process controls should include steps necessary to detect, verify and control suspected counterfeit materials after acceptance and during use in service. - Material Control
Manufacturers and suppliers must implement effective control methods to prevent excess and incompatible materials from entering the supply chain fraudulently. Returned materials must be separated and inspected until verified as authentic and unused. - Reporting
All incidents of counterfeit materials must be reported to internal organizations, customers, relevant government agencies, industry-sponsored reporting programs and criminal investigative authorities, as appropriate.