This lesson centers on "Disposal Procedures and Standardized Practices for Nonconforming Products". Building on Lesson 1 – "Basic Understanding of Nonconforming Product Management", it elaborates on the complete closed-loop disposal workflow of nonconforming products from identification to closure, as well as standardized implementation requirements. This session aims to equip all staff with standardized disposal methods, strengthen the process awareness of "all operations supported by clear rules and documents", elevate nonconforming product management from "theoretical awareness" to "practical execution", and effectively boost the implementation capacity of quality control.

Theme of This Session: Standardize Disposal Procedures for Nonconforming Products and Strengthen Standardized Implementation

I. Necessity of Standardized Disposal Procedures

Once nonconforming products are identified, the disposal method, responsible personnel and applicable criteria directly determine product quality and the overall effectiveness of quality management.

Avoid improper disposal: Wrong disposal solutions may lead to greater quality losses or potential safety hazards.

Clarify responsibilities: Standardized procedures clearly define who undertakes review, execution and verification work.

Enable experience reuse: Standardized disposal procedures and records provide reliable data support for subsequent analysis and continuous improvement.

Core philosophy: Standardized procedures ensure every disposal of nonconforming products is "supported by clear rules and documents".

II. Basic Logic of Nonconforming Product Disposal

After nonconforming products are detected, three core questions must be addressed: who takes charge, how to conduct management, and what criteria to follow.

The company’s Management Rules for Nonconforming Products stipulate four core management principles: prevention first, rapid response, closed-loop management and data-driven governance. Among them, "rapid response" and "closed-loop management" directly apply to disposal links: mark and isolate nonconforming items immediately upon discovery to avoid mixed use; strictly follow the closed-loop workflow: Identification → Review → Disposal → Verification → Analysis → Improvement.

III. Standardization – The Foundation of Rule-Based Disposal

Standardization is the core guarantee for the implementation of nonconforming product management. Guided by the total quality management system, it realizes the "Three Unifications" in practical operation: unified management systems to standardize operations, unified records to support traceability and analysis, and unified workflows to clarify responsibilities and handover links. The goal of standardization is to ensure consistent criteria, records and execution standards for all nonconforming product disposal, fully realizing rule-based and documented management.

(1) Unified Management Systems Guided by Regulatory Specifications

Unified operational specifications are the fundamental prerequisite for implementing standardization. All departments shall strictly comply with the company’s total quality management requirements, take the General Quality Management Regulations as the overarching guideline, and implement the supporting Management Rules for Nonconforming Products. These documents specify technical standards and operational guidelines for identification, judgment and disposal of nonconforming products, and inspections shall be carried out in accordance with the frequency and items specified in the Product Inspection Plan.

The management system covers all departments and working procedures without blind spots. When dealing with identical quality defects across different departments and processes, unified judgment criteria and clear disposal paths shall be adopted to eliminate inconsistent standards and arbitrary operations at the source.

(2) Unified Records & Forms Supported by Ledger Documentation

Unified record formats lay the foundation for traceability, problem analysis and continuous improvement. The company has formulated a unified template for the Nonconforming Product Management Ledger, which serves as the official record form for all departments. All departments must fill in the template as required without modifying preset columns, to guarantee complete, accurate and traceable information.

Ledger contents shall include: product name, batch number, quantity, occurrence time & location, person in charge, description of nonconformity, disposal method & result, disposal cost, and tracking of improvement measures. Electronic ledgers shall be backed up regularly to prevent data loss.

Unified records deliver three major values:

Traceability support: Restore the whole incident and track batch circulation;

Analysis support: Summarize and compare data to identify frequent defects and trend changes;

Improvement support: Verify the effectiveness of corrective actions to prevent recurring similar problems.

Every record shall be complete and unambiguous, making ledgers a credible basis for management decision-making.

(3) Unified Workflows with Clear Division of Responsibilities

Unified workflows guarantee smooth handover between links and clear accountability. Responsibilities for each step (marking, isolation, recording, review, disposal and verification of nonconforming products) are clearly defined as follows:

Marking: Finder

Isolation: Finder or team leader

Recording: Quality inspector or team leader

Review: Organized by personnel with corresponding authority levels

Verification: Inspector or quality specialist

The core of unified workflows is to formalize operational steps and reduce human errors, ensuring all nonconforming products circulate under control in accordance with prescribed procedures with well-defined boundaries of accountability.

IV. Practical Post Case Sharing

Case: Barrel Forming Post – Defective Crimp Forming

Scenario: First-article inspection finds insufficient layers at the bottom crimp of steel barrels, failing the 5-layer standard. Disposal Steps:

Mark: Hang tags or attach labels reading "Defective Crimp" on unqualified barrels.

Isolate: Move defective barrels to the nonconforming product area.

Record: Fill in nonconformity information, mark "Detected during first-article inspection".

Review: Root cause identified as unstable equipment parameters; adjust parameters and produce trial samples again.

Disposal: Rework the defective barrels.

Verification: Mass production can only start after reworked first articles pass inspection following parameter adjustment.

Experience Summary: First-article inspection is a critical checkpoint to prevent batch nonconformities.

V. Conclusion

Disposal of nonconforming products is neither simple scrapping nor unqualified release. Standardized workflows, uniform records and clear responsibilities are essential to properly handle every defective product.

In 2026, let us implement nonconforming product management in a solid, detailed and thorough manner through standardized procedures, ensuring every disposal is traceable and every improvement measure delivers tangible results.