Standard STD 105-0007

Volvo Group

Issue date September 2015 Issue 3 Page 1 (11)

The English language version is the original and the reference in case of dispute.

Special characteristics
Definition and application

Orientation
This issue differs from issue 2 in that section 1 has been updated with a clarification regarding former
practices of STD 105-0001.

This standard is a merge of:

• STD 105-0001 Critical characteristics of design products – Identification and grading
• STD 186-0002 Application of critical characteristics on assembly requirements – Screw joints
• STD 186-0003 Critical and significant characteristics on assembly requirements – excluding
screw joints

Definitions and wordings are aligned with ISO/TS 16949:2009.

The standard also includes a definition of “special characteristic” and contains minimum requirements on
manufacturing processes and quality assurance of suppliers and products.

There is no equivalent international standard.

This standard can be supplemented with other standards or instructions that describe in a more detailed
way how characteristics marked with a special-characteristics class ([CC] (Critical Characteristics) or [SC]
(Significant Characteristics)) shall be treated within a specific Volvo Group company.

Contents
1 Scope and field of application ......................................................................................................... 2
2 Classes of “special characteristic” ................................................................................................. 2
3 Basic principles ................................................................................................................................. 2
4 Special characteristics – Classification and requirements .......................................................... 3
5 Symbols and indication .................................................................................................................... 4
6 Responsibilities ................................................................................................................................. 5
7 Principal process logic for definition of Special Characteristics ................................................ 6
8 Reference to other relevant standards and documents................................................................ 7
9 Reference to this standard ............................................................................................................... 7
10 Example .............................................................................................................................................. 8

© AB Volvo Group. All rights reserved. The Standard may not be used, reproduced, transmitted or made available
to a third party without prior written permission. Printed copies are uncontrolled. Print date: 2018-10-24
 Standard STD 105-0007
Volvo Group

Issue 3 Page 2 (11)

1 Scope and field of application

This standard describes and defines the Volvo Group method for applying special characteristics in
design-engineering documentation and in production:

• Identification and application of special characteristics in order to control product risks related to
characteristics. These characteristics require variation control to ensure optimal form, fit, function,
performance or service life.
• Definition of manufacturing-process control requirements to manage process variation.

The use of a special-characteristics class shall not apply to embedded software development.

If the symbols from STD 105-0001 ([1], [2] or [3]) are still present in a drawing or other Volvo Group
document, these indications are valid and the characteristics shall fulfil the requirements stipulated in
STD 105-0001 and other Volvo Group documents. Symbols from STD 105-0007 and STD 105-0001 shall
not be used together in the same document.

2 Classes of “special characteristic”

The term “special characteristic” is defined in ISO/TS 16949 as a “Product characteristic or manufacturing
process parameter which can affect safety or compliance with regulations, fit, function, performance or
subsequent processing of product”.

Within the Volvo Group, the following special-characteristics classes are used:

Critical Characteristics [CC] refer to special characteristics which can affect safety;

Significant Characteristics [SC] refer to special characteristics which can affect compliance with
regulations (for emission regulations use STD 105-0004), form, fit, function and performance, or
subsequent manufacturing-process steps.

3 Basic principles
The objective and challenge for the development, design-engineering and manufacturing processes are:
• Product risk related to the product design’s sensitivity to process variation should be minimized.
• Special characteristics shall be applied only after all design/process alternatives have been
exhausted.
The necessary associated special quality-assurance actions shall have been identified and implemented.
Thereby, the need to assign special characteristics will be limited.

Design-engineering documentation is always expected to be met and delivered.

Application of special characteristics is a method for communicating which of the requirements that need
further quality-assurance measures to control process variations.

The basis for identifying special characteristics must be the product-risk management.

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 Standard STD 105-0007
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Issue 3 Page 3 (11)

The identification of special characteristics must be:

• a result of a cross-functional dialogue between Product development and the internal or external
manufacturer of the part or systems.
• based on performed and documented product-risk analysis and estimation, preferably by the use
of D-/P-FMEA (Design/Process – Failure mode and effect analysis) applied in accordance with
STD 105-0005. Equivalent methods that are verified to meet EN ISO 12100 are also acceptable.
The flowchart in section 10 explains the logic for defining special characteristics in connection with FMEA.

Identified special characteristics shall be objectively measurable values with tolerance indication and/or
parameter information, defined in the design-engineering documentation, e.g., PVR (part version report),
drawings and Technical Requirements.

4 Special characteristics – Classification and requirements

1
Special characteristics shall be analysed using D-/P-FMEA and classified in accordance with table 1.
Table 1
Special characteristics Critical Characteristic Significant Characteristic
[CC] [SC]
Applies to product Unplanned stop in operations with
characteristic or process or without warning
parameter where non- and/or
compliance leads to the
Risk of accident and injuries with Non-compliance with legal or
following effect:
or without warning governmental requirements that
lead to the above-mentioned
consequences (for non-
compliance with emission
regulation see STD 105-0004)
Failure rate target Zero = “less than 1 PPM” N/A

Minimum requirement on Demonstrated process capability Demonstrated process capability

process capability as per Cpk ≥ 1,67 AND Cpk ≥ 1,33 AND
STD 105-0002 Checking frequency adequate to Checking frequency adequate to
demonstrate demonstrate
• On-going process control • On-going process control
• Compliance with capability • Compliance with capability
requirement requirement
or, if not possible, 100 % control or, if not possible, tailored
with documentation requirements sampling control with
documentation requirement
Minimum quality-assurance • Design-FMEA and Process-FMEA mandatory.
requirements • All special characteristics must be monitored in the control plan.
• Function testing of tightening machines or tools shall be included in
verification systems in accordance with STD 820-0001.

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 Standard STD 105-0007
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Issue 3 Page 4 (11)

Minimum documentation • Verified results shall be documented in such a way that they can
requirements for easily be linked to the individual manufactured product (e.g.
manufacturing manufacturing number/chassis number/batch identity dates).
• Manufacturing-process records and documentation have a
minimum retention period of ten (10) years after product phase-out
or end of production. These requirements do not supersede any
regulatory requirements.
Minimum documentation • Product-controlling documents shall be stored in accordance with
requirements for engineering the respective product-development processes or minimum ten
(10) years after product phase-out or end of production. These
requirements do not supersede any regulatory requirements.
1
Equivalent methods that are verified to meet EN ISO 12100 are also acceptable.

5 Symbols and indication

Each identified special characteristic shall be accompanied by its class that follows the following rules of
indication:
• a letter combination, either [CC] or [SC]
• placed after the critical requirement concerned.

Besides indication on drawings, special-characteristics classes can be indicated in other design-

engineering documents (e.g. Technical Requirement) and, in that case, in a way that clearly indicates
which requirement the indication applies to.
Table 2
Example Interpretation
Special-characteristics class [SC] applies to weld
class C.

Static torsional strength Special-characteristics class [CC] applies to the

200 Nm min [CC] requirement on static torsional strength.
Spheroidal graphite iron Example of a material designation where a special-
VISG500/7 +AC/HT, STD 310-0002 characteristics class [CC] applies to the requirements on
With the following exceptions: yield strength, tensile strength and elongation.
Yield strength: Min 350 MPa [CC]
Tensile strength: Min 550 MPa [CC]
Elongation: Min 6 % [CC]
In this example, the special characteristic is identified in
[SC]
the Technical Requirement being part of the PVR.

+0,2 Special-characteristics class [SC] applies to the lower

∅30 0 [SC] tolerance limit.
+0,2 [SC] Special-characteristics class [SC] applies to the lower
∅30 0 [SC] and upper tolerance limit.

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 Standard STD 105-0007
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Issue 3 Page 5 (11)

100 Nm ± 10 Nm [SC] Special-characteristics class [SC] applies to

100 Nm ±10 Nm.
0,2 [SC] Special-characteristics class [SC] applies to the
straightness requirement.
Special-characteristics class [SC] applies to the surface
texture requirement.

Special-characteristics class [SC] applies to ∅66 h6.

Special-characteristics class [SC] applies to the surface-

texture requirement.

Special-characteristics class [SC] applies to ∅66 h6 and

to the surface-texture requirement.

6 Responsibilities
From D-FMEA, the potential special characteristics are identified and applied in B-release design-
engineering documentation.

For special-characteristics [CC] or [SC], the manufacturing unit, the suppliers and the subcontractors shall
be responsible for quality-assurance activities in accordance with table 1.
Decision and confirmation of special characteristics shall be made by design engineering and production
engineering, based on the evaluation of performed risk reduction in D-FMEA and P-FMEA and later
applied in C-release design-engineering documentation.

Product-development engineering is responsible for the final decision and documentation of special
characteristics in design-engineering documentation.
The product-development engineer is responsible for indicating special-characteristics information in all
the intended areas of the PDM (product data management) system.

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to a third party without prior written permission. Printed copies are uncontrolled. Print date: 2018-10-24
 Standard STD 105-0007
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Issue 3 Page 6 (11)

7 Principal process logic for definition of Special Characteristics

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to a third party without prior written permission. Printed copies are uncontrolled. Print date: 2018-10-24
 Standard STD 105-0007
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Issue 3 Page 7 (11)

8 Reference to other relevant standards and documents

STD 105-0002 Capability – Basic concepts and methods

STD 105-0005 Failure Mode and Effect Analysis, FMEA

STD 100-0009 Terminology for product development and production

9 Reference to this standard

Reference to this standard on drawings or other design-engineering documentation shall be made
through a reference standard or directly with the following note:

SPECIAL CHARACTERISTICS STD 105-0007

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 Standard STD 105-0007
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Issue 3 Page 8 (11)

10 Example
How to connect a D-FMEA with the application of special characteristics
The purpose of this example is to visualize how Product Risk Management (D-FMEAs) and the identified
risks are connected to special characteristics and managed through the application of risk-reduction
actions. The example has been adjusted for educational purposes.

1. Identify the System-of-Interest and its context, interfaces

and functions.
Example: Performing D-FMEA of a Hauler Axle identifies that
the hub can have safety-related failure modes.
2. The Product Risk is managed through the application of
a D-FMEA. Example: Extract of D-FMEA for hub.
a. There are risks identified for Volvo CE’s hardening process at
plant SE-75 that require Quality Assurance.
The customer consequence is severe (S = 10, RPN = 600, HUB
which by VCE-internal rules is not tolerable), thus
triggering Risk-Reduction Actions and “Potential” need for special characteristics.
b. A criticality for supplied forging material quality (specified in TR (Technical Requirements)) and a need
for Quality Assurance of the supplier and the supplier process through application of APQP (Advanced
Product Quality Planning) are identified. The customer consequence is severe
(S = 10, RPN = 480, which by VCE-internal rules is not tolerable), thus triggering Risk-Reduction
Actions and “Potential” need for special characteristics.

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 Standard STD 105-0007
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Issue 3 Page 9 (11)

3. The Technical documents are updated as a first step, released in B-status to Operations (SE-
75) and Purchasing & Supply Management to feed APQP.
The D-FMEA (as depicted in the image above) is communicated together with the Drawing to
Operations and Purchasing & Supply Management.

Example – Drawing of hub with areas to be hardened

4. Operations in SE-75 perform a P-FMEA for the Hub unit and hardening process, see image
below.
The P-FMEA identifies a number of required quality-assurance actions, such as Quality Assurance of
supplier and supplier processes and implementation of a SPC in the “Hub hardening line” at SE-75
Operations.

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 Standard STD 105-0007
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Issue 3 Page 10 (11)

5. Purchasing and Supply Management initiate an APQP.

Based on the D-FMEA, with the objective to Quality Assure Supplier and Supplier processes. As
results are achieved, objective evidence of achieved results and Quality Assurance work is
communicated to the D- and P-FMEA for documentation and updating of rating.

6. The D-FMEA is updated with respect to performed Quality-Assurance actions and the
achieved results communicated from the P-FMEA and APQP.
As can be seen, the Severity S = 10 remains but RPN has been reduced.
This means that with the Quality-Assurance processes and products in Operations and at the supplier,
the required product quality can be achieved.
However, the [CC] will need to remain on the drawing and the drawing is C-released! See updated
D-FMEA below.

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 Standard STD 105-0007
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Issue 3 Page 11 (11)

7. The Operations Statistical Process Control (SPC) triggered by Special Characteristics [CC].
The Operations process requires the development and Quality Assurance of a Statistical Process
Control (SPC) and documentation thereof, including the requirements triggered by Special
Characteristics of the type [CC]. An example can be seen below.

© AB Volvo Group. All rights reserved. The Standard may not be used, reproduced, transmitted or made available
to a third party without prior written permission. Printed copies are uncontrolled. Print date: 2018-10-24