Assesment of the Candidate Suppliers’ Fluency in ISO GPS Standards Essential Principles, Rules and Indications

Many potential suppliers state that they are ready to produce components according to specified requirements as they are familiar with the ISO GPS system tools for dimensional and geometrical tolerancing. Regrettably, in many instances, this is not true. This paper discusses a survey developed to assess the geometrical dimensioning and tolerancing skills and results derived from this survey executed among 15 potential suppliers. The investigation aims to preselect potential suppliers and evaluate how much support the suppliers will require while also assessing the risks associated with placing an order with a particular supplier. The survey is based on the online test comprised of 27 closed-end questions used to identify strengths, weaknesses, and knowledge of a candidate supplier’s personnel. Five different answers are given for each question. The respondent shall indicate one correct answer. The inquiry is practically oriented. Most of the questions include drawings with indicated selected tolerance as well as drawings of the possible actual parts with exaggerated geometrical deviations. The associated question is whether an actual part is made according to the specification. The main conclusion is that most responders disclose a low level of understanding of the ISO GPS system. Urgent education is needed.