AUTOMOTIVE CERTIFICATIONS

“Quality must be taken for granted, but everything surrounding it is not taken for granted. The quality of materials and their processing is taken for granted. Design and problem solving are not taken for granted. The thing that makes the difference is the quality of people and their professional background.”

Cosimo Ricco

Quality is one of Lyra Bearing’s core values and thus an indispensable guide for everyone working in the company.
Lyra Bearing works every day to meet objective quality requirements necessary to fulfil product technical specifications as well as subjective quality requirements to meet customers’ wishes and expectations. In order to guarantee constant focus and improvement of perceived quality, the company works in parallel on several aspects, including:

Our Quality Control

ISO 9001:2015 CERTIFICATION

The company has been ISO 9001 certified for several years. This has allowed it to constantly update and monitor all company processes to ensure they comply with standards. Aspects considered include the following: planning of quality system management activities through inspections, preventive and corrective actions, design control, qualification and monitoring of suppliers’ performance (in terms of quality and service), monitoring of customer satisfaction and immediately dealing with complaints, control of measuring instruments, incoming and outgoing quality controls and monitoring of all company processes.

ISO IATF 16949 CERTIFICATION

This certification stems from partnership between two bodies, ISO and IATF, with the aim of improving and standardising the quality of all products supplied to ancillary automotive industries at international level. This model, now recognised by all manufacturers, is one of the minimum requirements for becoming a supplier to vehicle manufacturers. All Lyra Bearing production partners, located in Europa and Asia, are ISO IATF 16949 certified.

AUDITS CONDUCTED ON MANUFACTURING PARTNERS

The audits we conduct on our manufacturing partners or new suppliers are a very important tool for finding out whether the company’s high-quality standards will be respected. Ongoing monitoring of suppliers also allows us to ensure consistent quality over time.
We have organised our audits to make a distinction between existing partners, requiring monitoring, and new potential suppliers. The two different types of audit are organised into checklists and carried out every six months on the supplier’s premises. This also provides us with visual feedback of declared results.
Lyra Bearing has qualified staff and an office in Jinan (China) to ensure a constant presence near our manufacturing partners.

IN-PRODUCTION QUALITY CONTROL

Constant cooperation with its manufacturing partners is one of Lyra Bearing’s key ingredients. Sharing control plans, inspection procedures and other useful material is the basis for guaranteeing a top-quality finished product.
Our technical department exchanges know-how with our manufacturing partners and any problems encountered are discussed and resolved jointly. These activities are designed to ensure the goal of quality is not an end in itself but a means of continuous improvement.

STATIC AND ENDURANCE TESTS

Quality procedures or manuals are not enough to ensure that the products supplied meet the same quality standards as an original equipment component.
Testing the most delicate parts of the timing system and comparing their performance with that of the OE equivalent is an absolute must. The main tests performed are as follows:

  • Dynamic or endurance tests performed on timing system chains and pistons to check product durability under difficult conditions in order to ensure their reliability during normal use.
  • Static or stress tests to check the way materials respond to endogenous and exogenous causes in order to ensure a long product lifetime.
  • Tests on materials, hardness tests, micrographic analyses and other tests to ensure raw material continuity and quality.

All the tests we regularly carry out on our components are shared with customers upon specific request..

PPAP

This acronym stands for Production Part Approval Process. This is mainly used for original equipment supplies. Its purpose is to demonstrate that the design and production process requirements can ensure consistent supply quality over time. Here is a list of the main documents that Lyra Bearing can provide:

  • Production Part Submission Warrant
  • Dimensional results
  • Material, Performance Test results
  • Process flow charts
  • Control Plan
  • Process FMEA
  • Process capability studies: Per tutte le misure più significative con un CP e CPK minimo di 1,33.
  • Measurement system studies (R&R study).
IN-HOUSE QUALITY CONTROL

The sizes and appearance of all incoming components are checked by staff in the Quality department using a continually updated control system that is tried and tested over time. Sample checks are also carried out on outgoing goods using a level II AQL system to check products are complete and compliant before they reach our customers.

EXTERNAL QUALITY CONTROL

We are also able to provide other tests through close collaboration with qualified, certified laboratories. Here are some of them:

  • Dimensional tests
  • Tensile test: the chain is subjected to a load that is initially zero and then increased to a maximum value that causes the material to break.
  • Microhardness test: a hardness test on the Vickers scale is performed on each part of the chain (pin, bushing and plate).
  • Micrographic examinations: images are analysed under a light microscope. The metallographic structure of the sample is examined to identify any defects.
  • Dimensional measurements: analysis of dimensions.
  • EDS microanalysis: this analysis identifies any defects in the metal. Chemical analysis: analyses the percentage of metallic elements in the sample.

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A RELIABLE PARTNER TO SUPPLEMENT YOUR AUTOMOTIVE PRODUCT RANGE?