Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/653001
I DA U N I V E R S A L M a rc h -A p r i l 2 0 1 6 11 LEGAL LINE Robert W. McIntyre IDA Association Legal Counsel Continued on page 56 T he replacement parts and assemblies made and sold by our members are, with rare exceptions, made of high quality materials, by methods and processes that are governed by standards. is is especially true if the products are expected to meet or exceed OEM quality and performance specifi cations. e crucial challenge today is not only meeting or exceeding the speci- fi cations, but also understanding the fundamental standards behind the specifi cations. e failure to fully under- stand and appreciate the relation- ship between specifi cations and standards and their separate, but intertwined, importance when developing a product, can lead to expensive legal costs, risk of money payments, and, most important, damage to your company's reputation. In this discussion, the starting point is defi ning specifi cations and standards as separate sets of basic rules for making a product: 1. Specifi cations are the blueprints for making a product: the dimensions, tolerances and fi ts, hardness, fi nishes, coatings and, in some instances, measure- ments of performance in the applications. 2. Standards are the criteria used to measure the product's conformance with the specifi ca- tions, how the product is made and what material is needed. In the above context, whether a product meets or exceeds the specifi cations set by the OEM or by your own company can be Not So Standards measured by known methods and techniques: (i) Are the dimensions identical in every aspect? is can be determined easily by electronic measurement equipment that is extremely accurate and now aff ordable. (ii) Does the product meet the necessary specifi cations for hardness, surface fi nish, and/or fl exibility? (iii) If in-place performance can be "bench tested," – such as fuel injection components, implement pumps, hydrostatic drives, turbochargers and similar assemblies – do the products pass the tests? (iv) Do the specifi cations call for plating or coatings – such as those applied to piston rings, pistons, anti-corrosion paints and coatings, anodizing of non-ferrous parts – either to make them work better or to protect them from deteriorating conditions while in service? In some of the above examples, unless all of the work is done in-house, you must rely heavily on your suppliers to follow yours and the OEM's specifi cations. And in many situa- tions, those suppliers must rely on one or more tiers of downstream suppliers. is brings us to a critical point in the development and production of every product, from the six-fi gure remanu- factured engine to the lowliest o-ring and seal, where a funda- mental error can make or break a product. If the fundamentals of material specifi cation and production methods are not investigated, understood, and followed, the most beautiful part may fi t like a glove and fail miser- ably in service. An example I use o en to illustrate this concept is the Russian MIG 29 jet fi ghter. A few years ago the Mikoyan factory team toured the U.S. to demon- strate this new plane. For reasons still unclear, they also off ered rides to anyone with $5,000 cash and the guts to sit in the back for about 40 minutes. When Team MIG came to Cleveland, I was able to inspect one of the MIGs very carefully and was amazed at the quality of the design, the workmanship, and the fi t and fi nish. I was equally amazed that it leaked lubricating oil, hydraulic fl uid and fuel out of every seal and joint. e friendly English- speaking engineering technician complained that they could not get proper quality western o-rings and seal materials from their Russian suppliers. e moral of this story is that the plane met or exceeded the specifi cations for a frontline fi ghter jet, but the standards used in making critical parts were not followed. e result was poor reliability and lack of mission readiness. Following this theme into more down-to-earth products, if