---
id: KB-CS-027
url: https://app.codecontract.io/help/manufacturing/automotive-suppliers
idioma: en
categoria: sector-industria
subcategoria: automocion
audiencia: usuario
nivel: avanzado
actualizado: 2026-08-13
tambienEn: [es]
relacionados: [KB-CS-021, KB-NO-004]
citadoPor: [KB-CS-032]
---

# Automotive suppliers

_The most demanding customer you will have, and the one that audits most._

**Responde a:** documentation for an automotive manufacturer · automotive supplier audit · automotive quality standard documentation · tier 1 customer requirements

Automotive is where documentary demands bite hardest, for one reason: a defective part can end in a recall campaign covering thousands of vehicles. The whole documentary system is designed around that.

## What you will be asked for, and what handles it

| What they ask | Module | Frequency |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Documentation from your own suppliers | Trackline | Continuous, with expiries |
| Quality and confidentiality agreements | Consigne | At onboarding and on every change |
| Batch traceability back to material | Trackline + SmartCheck | Per delivered batch |
| Responses to questionnaires and audits | Trackline | Annual or per project |

> [!IMPORTANT]
> Upstream traceability is what decides the scope of a recall. If you can say exactly which material batches went into which delivered parts, the campaign narrows; if not, it is scoped by dates and everything from that period is included. The difference is an order of magnitude in cost.

## Frameworks cited

Sector-specific quality management standards, each manufacturer's particular requirements, and — across the board — supply chain due diligence and materials and substances rules. The concrete requirements come from the customer and your certification body.

> [!WARNING]
> One manufacturer's requirements are not another's, and they usually arrive contractually. If you supply three, you will have three different questionnaires asking almost the same things — building them as separate processes and reusing answers is the only thing that makes this sustainable.

> [!NOTE]
> Keeping each completed questionnaire with its date and source turns next year's into a review rather than a project.

**Can I reuse answers between customers?**

The answers yes; the format usually not. The saving is still there.

**What if a supplier of mine gives no traceability?**

That is your risk, not theirs: you are the one answering to the manufacturer.

**How long must it be kept?**

Periods in this sector tend to be long; confirm them in your contracts.

## Ejemplos

**A component supplier receives a field incident and is asked to scope the affected batches.**

- Checks which material batches went into each delivery

→ Scopes it to 3 batches instead of three months of production, and the campaign costs a fraction.

**The client demands documentation per part and it is handled manually.**

- Ties each part to its batch and file

→ The trace exists without extra work.

**A process change never reaches the client.**

- Communicates the change before applying it

→ The relationship does not break over a surprise.

**A client audit arrives at short notice.**

- Keeps the file current through the year

→ Preparation is a review.

**A supplier changes and nobody reviews their documentation.**

- Launches onboarding on the first order

→ No supplier gets in without a file.

**A problem with a part must be contained.**

- Checks which batches carry it and where they went

→ Those affected are warned.