Expanding Scope with a Fortune 500 OEM: FAI Qualification for Actuator Division Couplings
~10 P/Ns
Now Qualified
1st Submission
FAI Result
12 / 12
Characteristics Passed
The Problem
A Fortune 500 process management OEM was consolidating the supply chain for a recently integrated actuator division and needed qualified Canadian precision machining suppliers for coupling components. Although Bhurjee Industries was already an established supplier to this customer, these part numbers were new scope — and new scope required a formal First Article Inspection package under the customer's FA-00 Rev.1 standard before any production release could happen.
The Result
FAI packages for the K12 coupling (P/N 44829307) and K-Series variants were accepted on first submission — no rejects, no resubmission requests. Production orders followed immediately. The relationship has since expanded: Bhurjee is now the go-to Canadian supplier for approximately 10 actuator division coupling part numbers across multiple sizes in this product family.
Constraints
Material had to be Canadian-sourced 1018 cold drawn steel with CUSMA certification and a mill test report tracing to the specific heat used. Every dimension on the customer drawing had to be reported — 12 characteristics including bore diameter, keyway width and depth, chamfer angles, and outer diameter — with measurements taken on three separate sample parts using calibrated instruments. The complete package had to be submitted through the customer's supplier quality portal and accepted before a single production unit could ship.
Our Approach
We sourced 1018 CD steel bar from Union Drawn Steel II LP in Hamilton, Ontario — CUSMA-certified, country of melt and pour Canada, hot rolled by ArcelorMittal. Heat C168225 was matched to the MTR before material was cut. Each first article part number went through a documented 9-step routing: contract review, material receipt and inspection, CNC turning, mid-operation quality inspection, CNC milling, final inspection, documentation assembly, and shipment — with 100% inspection frequency at every quality gate. The dimensional inspection report covered all 12 drawing characteristics, measured with calipers, bore gauge, and block gauges. Parts were stamped, photographed with heat number visible, and red-tagged per the customer's packaging and labeling standard.
Manufacturing Process
How Every Part Was Made and Verified
Every routing step ran at 100% — no sampling, no skipped inspection gates.
Client name withheld for privacy.
Background
The OEM Actuator Division product line — developed across operations in Italy and Alabama — required a consolidated North American supply chain for machined coupling components after its integration into a Fortune 500 process management company. These are the interface parts that connect actuator drive shafts to butterfly valve stems in sizes ranging from model 10 through model 19.
Bhurjee Industries had an existing relationship with this customer through another of their actuator divisions. When the OEM Actuator Division parts program came up for supplier qualification, we were invited to quote. Winning the work meant completing a formal FAI under the customer's internal FA-00 Rev.1 standard — their qualification gate for any new part number entering production.
The Parts
P/N 44829307 — K12 Coupling (Drawing 26-3209-04, Rev. -) Coupling, K12, Model 15 to heavy-duty butterfly valve sizes 10 & 12. Material: C1018/1020 CD steel bar. Milled pockets colinear and on center within .005" TIR. Parts stamped or etched with "K12" per drawing note.
Geometry: 3.00" OD × 2.00" length, 1.128" bore, 1.000" drive socket, broached keyway (.251" wide × .253" deep), 1/8 × 45° chamfers typical, 1/32" chamfer on all edges typical.
Material — Heat Traceability
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Supplier | Union Drawn Steel II LP, Hamilton, Ontario |
| Heat Number | C168225 |
| Grade | SAE 1018 / ASTM A108 |
| Form | 1.997–2.000" RD cold drawn, 20 ft bar |
| Country of Melt & Pour | Canada |
| Hot Roll Source | ArcelorMittal |
| CUSMA Certified | Yes |
| Hardness | 156 BHN |
| Tensile Strength | 74,000 PSI |
| Yield Strength (0.2% offset) | 68,000 PSI |
| Elongation (2 inch) | 16% |
The heat number C168225 was carried on the material certificate, the QC certificate, and the traceability photograph of the finished parts — three independent documents tying back to the same steel.
Dimensional Inspection Results
All 12 drawing characteristics inspected on 2 of 3 sample parts (n=3 submitted). All results within tolerance on first submission.
| # | Min | Max | #1 | #2 | Device | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2.99 | 3.02 | 3.001 | 3.001 | Caliper | OK |
| 2 | 1.86 | 1.89 | 1.875 | 1.874 | Caliper | OK |
| 3 | 0.99 | 1.02 | 1.000 | 1.000 | Caliper | OK |
| 4 | 1.99 | 2.02 | 1.999 | 2.000 | Caliper | OK |
| 5 | 0.02 | 0.05 | 0.03 | 0.03 | CNC Program | OK |
| 6 | 1.000 | 1.000 | 1.001 | 1.001 | Block Gauge | OK |
| 7 | 1.49 | 1.52 | 1.500 | 1.500 | Caliper | OK |
| 8 | 0.24 | 0.27 | 0.25 | 0.25 | CNC Program | OK |
| 9 | 1.128 | 1.130 | 1.129 | 1.129 | Bore Gauge | OK |
| 10 | 1.24 | 1.25 | 1.241 | 1.241 | Caliper | OK |
| 11 | 0.251 | 0.254 | 0.253 | 0.253 | Block Gauge | OK |
| 12 | 45° | 45° | 45° | 45° | CNC Program | OK |
What the FA-00 Rev.1 Checklist Required
The customer's FA-00 Rev.1 standard defines which documents are required for hard components (n=3 sample submission) versus soft components (n=5). For the K12 coupling — a torque-transmitting hard component — the full package was:
- Numbered Drawing — the OEM production drawing, revision controlled
- Material Certificate — Union Drawn Steel II LP Certificate of Analysis for Heat C168225
- QC Certificate — hardness, tensile, yield, elongation reported by heat number
- Sample Submission — 3 physical first article parts, red-tagged
- Sample Inspection Report — 12 characteristics, n=3, all results documented
- Manufacturing Flow Chart — 9-step routing, 100% frequency at each step
- Control Plan — characteristic, tolerance, measurement method, sample size, reaction plan, and responsible party at each process step
- Traceability Marking Photograph — parts stamped with "K12", heat number visible
Items marked N/A (not required for this part): new vendor form (existing supplier, new scope), tooling approval, engineering test, master color plate, certificate of compliance/PED.
Outcome
Both part numbers on the initial purchase order were accepted on first FAI submission. No conditional approvals, no resubmission requests. Production release followed.
The program has since grown. Bhurjee is now the qualified Canadian supplier for approximately 10 coupling part numbers in the OEM actuator family — different sizes and configurations, each with its own completed FAI package in the customer's supplier quality portal.
The documentation system built for the first two part numbers — the MTR matching protocol, the inspection template built balloon-by-balloon from the drawing, the flow chart and control plan format — is now the standard we bring to every FAI submission.
QA & Documentation
What shipped with the parts
Each FA-00 Rev.1 package included: numbered OEM production drawing, QC Certificate with hardness (156 BHN), tensile (74,000 PSI), yield (68,000 PSI), and elongation (16%) for Heat C168225, Union Drawn Steel II LP certificate of analysis (CUSMA-certified, ArcelorMittal hot roll, SAE 1018 / ASTM A108), sample inspection report covering all 12 drawing characteristics on n=3 parts, 9-step manufacturing flow chart, control plan with inspection method and reaction plan at each step, traceability marking photograph, and red tag labeling on all first article parts.
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