Subcontractor versus Supplier

CQM allows for CQM certifiable components to be supplied by

1. CQM certified Suppliers
   2. Not CQM certified Suppliers
   3. CQM certified Subcontractors
   4. Not CQM certified Subcontractors

The obligations of the Vendor asking to be certified are different in these cases, as are the details of CQM Assessment.

What is a Supplier?

A Supplier is a legal entity providing a product.
Suppliers usually:

• Design their product
• Qualify their product
• Sell their product

What is a Subcontractor

• A Subcontractor provides manufacturing or testing services as instructed by their customer
• A Subcontractor usually does neither design nor qualify the component themselves, but may participate in the qualification process executed by the customer

And if it is not that clear?

• The entity selling the product (the Vendor) must have the related CQM label, and either the Vendor, or the Supplier who designed and qualified the product, must have the CQM label for the component.

Examples

Card manufacturer designs an inlay, and requests an inlay manufacturer to produce it according to the drawings provided by the card manufacturer

A card manufacturer designs and qualifies a wire embedded inlay for their card production.
The card manufacturer subcontracts the wire embedding process to an inlay manufacturer, who produces the inlay according to the instructions provided by the card manufacturer.
The inlay manufacturer is in a typical subcontractor role and has limited control over the quality of the product they are producing for the card manufacturer.
The card manufacturer should aquire the inlay CQM label. The inlay manufacturer may also aquire the CQM label for inlay; the difference this makes is explained further down on this page.