A supplier corrective action request, or SCAR, asks the supplier to find the cause, fix it and prove it. Include the facts, what you want back (containment, root cause, corrective action and proof), dates, one owner on each side and how you will check. Put it on a tracker the day it is issued.
It's Thursday morning. The sorted replacement lot has arrived, and Dunmore's quality contact has answered your notice with one line: "We'll look into it." That is not a response. It is a promise with no date.
A supplier corrective action request, or SCAR, is the formal request that the supplier find the cause, fix it, and prove it. The notice said what happened. The SCAR says what you need back, and by when.
Write the problem so it can be answered
The problem statement is the first thing the supplier reads. If it is vague, the answer will be vague. Write down the plain facts: the part, the lot, the quantity, the requirement, what you found and how you found it. For this one: flange bolt FB-8120, lot 55102, 4,000 pieces received Wednesday. Thread go gage rejected 6 of 32 sampled. The previous lot, 55087, passed 32 of 32. No opinions, no adjectives.
What goes in it
- The facts, copied from the receiving report and the red tag log.
- What you want back. Containment at their end, the root cause, the corrective action, and proof it worked.
- Dates for containment, for the cause and plan, and for verification.
- Owners. One name on each side.
- How you will check. Say now what proof you will accept.
Ask for the cause on all three legs, which the next chapter covers: why it was made, why their checks missed it, and why their system allowed it. Say so in the request, so the answer you get is the answer you need.
Dates and owners
In this case the supplier agreement asks for containment within one day and a written plan within 14 days. Your own supplier agreement sets the real numbers. On your side, one person owns the SCAR from issue to close. It is usually the supplier quality engineer or whoever holds the relationship. If nobody owns it, nobody chases it. For a full walkthrough, see the guide How to Write a SCAR.
Track it from day one
A SCAR that lives in an inbox ages quietly. Put every one on a tracker the day it is issued, so overdue ones are visible. Record the issue date, each due date, the owner and the status.
When the supplier goes quiet
On the due date with no response, send a short written reminder the same day. If it is still silent after a few more days, escalate to the next level on their side and tell your purchasing contact, who can raise it through the commercial relationship. Your supplier agreement says what steps are open to you. Do not invent consequences. State the date, state what is overdue, and ask for a new committed date in writing.
The mistake to avoid
Sending a SCAR that says "improve your quality." Vague requests get vague answers. The second mistake is issuing it and forgetting it. A SCAR is a clock, and somebody has to watch it.
- Open your supplier corrective action log.
- Find any request with no due date, or one past its date.
- Write to the supplier today and set a new date in writing.
Open the printable Monday Board
Related on ShopFloorOps
The supplier, the part, the lot and the people in this book (Dunmore Fastener Co., FB-8120, lot 55102) are a made-up example. The tool sidebars show ShopFloorOps tools, which I make and sell. Every chapter teaches the step itself, so you can use your own forms.