Release suppl., regulatory conformity & acceptance criteria (IATF only)
Plain-language summary
Layered automotive tightening: control-plan-defined release arrangements at all stages, evidence of statutory/regulatory conformity before release, and acceptance criteria — with sampling plans for attribute data set at zero-defect acceptance.
What the clause is really asking
8.6.1: verification per the control plan, documented as the control plan specifies, including outsourced steps. 8.6.5: legal conformity confirmed before release. 8.6.6: acceptance criteria defined and, where required, customer-approved; for attribute sampling, the acceptance level is zero defects.
What auditors look for
Auditors check release activities mirror the control plan exactly, regulatory evidence (material certs, marking) is confirmed before shipment, and any attribute sampling plan in use accepts on c=0 — an AQL table accepting 1 defect is an instant finding.
Typical evidence
Release records matching control plan checkpoints; regulatory conformity confirmations; sampling plans showing zero-defect acceptance; customer approval of acceptance criteria where required.
How to comply — recommendations
Audit your own sampling plans once: any attribute plan with acceptance number above zero gets fixed today. Wire regulatory document checks into the despatch checklist, not the quality office's memory.
Common nonconformities
Sampling plans accepting defects; release checks differing from the control plan; regulatory certs chased after shipment.
Related clauses
Builds on ISO 9001 8.6
In the book
Chapter 8 — Operation — Where the Product Is Won or Lost treats this clause family in full: what it is really asking, what auditors look for, the evidence that satisfies, how to make it work on a real floor, and where companies stumble. This IATF requirement is covered in the Automotive Edition, in the same six blocks as the ISO clause around it.
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