The organization shall make its storage area that it protects the stored material from the vagaries of nature like rain and hot sunshine depending on the material to be stored. It should be possible to lock the storage area to prevent pilferage and theft. Racks should be installed in the storage room and each rack should be tagged with the item to be stored in it. For some materials the temperature has also got to be controlled so that they do not deteriorate.

After receiving the material for a specific Purchasing Order, it is put in a Checking Area. The Store Personnel and the Quality Control or Production Personnel check the quality of the material before it is taken inside and put in racks. Tests may be performed either inside or outside the factory. If the material is found to be defective it is put in the Quarantine Area designated and marked separate from the stored materials. The Store Manager and the Production and the Quality Control in consultation with the external provider or the supplier decide what to do with the material or part. They can decide to use it if the defect is slight and use it in production under a concession. They can also decide to send it back to the supplier or scrap the material.

All material brought into the Store is entered in the Store Register or Computer Software. The Production department prepares the Store Issue Requisition (S.I.R) and gives it to the Store Manager. The Store Manager issues the required material and makes an entry in the Store Register. He also issues Purchase Order to the supplier when the inventory runs low. For regularly used items he can anticipate the production requirement and send the Purchase Order accordingly. It may also be a requirement to inspect the material produced by the supplier during its production in the supplier’s premises.

The Store Manager should designate areas for the storage of raw material inventory, Work In Process Inventory and Finished Goods Inventory.

Proper care should be taken to keep the stored material safe from deterioration.

The organization should also take care to protect the property belonging to the customer or external provider while it is in its control or is being used by it. They should identify, verify, protect and safeguard customers’ or external providers’ property provided for use or incorporation into the products or services.

If there is a damage to the customers’ or external providers’ property or it is lost then the organization shall inform the customer or the external provider and keep documented information about the incident.

The customer’s or external provider’s property can include materials, components, tools and equipment, premises, intellectual property and personal data.

You can do verification of the quality of supplied product at its arrival in the store or any time prior to use in production. You should make sure that any uninspected product is properly controlled. This can include identification and proper placement to prevent unintended use. You should consider using supplier quality plans, inspection plans to verify that purchased product meets specified purchase requirements be it product requirements or Quality Management System requirements. You can decide on doing no verification to 100 % verification. Your organization has got the flexibility in determining the scope of the verification of purchased material. You must define the sampling plan and the acceptance criteria for material conformity and what measurement tools are needed and what records are needed to show that there is effective control of purchased material quality and supplier performance.

To ensure delivery of material in the same condition as receiving it, the organization should provide methods and means of handling which prevent damage and deterioration.

The organization should, as previously stated, provide secure storage areas or stock rooms before the use or delivery. The organization should maintain appropriate methods for authorizing receipt and dispatch to and from the storage areas.

The organization shall control packing, preservation and marking process to the level necessary to make sure there is conformance to specified requirements and shall take steps to identify, segregate and preserve all product and material from the time of receipt until the organization’s responsibility ceases.

In order to make sure that undamaged product is delivered to the Customer, the organization shall arrange for the protection of the quality of the product after final inspection and testing.

Where it is specified in the contract the organization shall take steps to preserve the product upto delivery to destination.

For chemical products, the organization should ensure that it is not mixed or contaminated by accident. It should ensure that they are not subjected to temperature extremes or other environmental conditions that can cause deterioration. It should also be ensured that required operations and inspections are not missed. For sensitive electronic components Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) protection procedures should e carried out.

Products and materials with limited shelf life or special storage requirements should be identified and stored according to procedures which meet these special requirements.