Material & Part Release Manager

The challenge today

Approval shouldn't depend on manually reading every supplier PDF

For Tier-1/-2 suppliers and OEMs, every material and every part in your product carries a formal release — and that release depends on data that is complete, comparable, and traceable to your specification. In practice, the data arrives in fragments: PDF data sheets, supplier-specific Excel templates, scanned signatures, and email attachments. Specifications leave your house in one format; results return in another. Reconciling the two falls on your quality and material engineering teams.
The cumulative effect is familiar: PPAP and sampling cycles drag on, supplier qualification consumes engineering capacity that should be going to product development, and audit preparation for IATF 16949 becomes a forensic exercise rather than a routine report.

1. Define and publish test requirements

Define and publish test requirements using TestIDs that leave no room for interpretation

2. Communicate requirements

Communicate requirements unambiguously to your suppliers via the platform

3. Receive structured test results

Receive structured test results from suppliers, mapped to your TestIDs

4. Validate results automatically

Validate results automatically against your defined acceptance criteria

5. Commission independent validation testing

Commission independent validation testing through the accredited lab network where required

6. Approve and release

Approve and release the material or part — with audit-proof documentation

7. Track release status

Track release status in real time across products, projects, and suppliers

1. Unambiguous specifications with the TestID

The TestID (TID) is a unique, machine-readable identifier that defines a single testing requirement, including its method, parameterisation, conditions, and specification reference. Where a traditional specification might say "tensile test according to ISO 527 at room temperature", the corresponding TestID resolves every parameter that sentence leaves open: specimen geometry, strain rate, conditioning time, temperature range, acceptance criteria.
For your suppliers, this means there is no interpretation gap — they know exactly which tests to run, under which conditions, and against which acceptance criteria. For you, it means the data they return is directly comparable across suppliers, projects, and material grades.

2. Automated validation of incoming results

When supplier test results arrive in the platform, they map automatically to your TestIDs and validate against the acceptance criteria you defined. Conformity is computed, deviations are flagged, and the underlying data is preserved in structured form — not flattened into a PDF. Your engineering and quality teams review exceptions, not entire reports.

3. A live overview across your supply chain

Every approved material and every released part lives in a single, queryable view. Filter by project, supplier, material grade, or specification. Identify alternative approved materials for a given application. See at a glance which suppliers are qualified for which parts. Track expiring approvals and trigger re-qualification before they become a production risk.

4. Independent validation testing when you need it

Some materials and parts warrant validation testing under your own control — alongside or independent of supplier sampling. Through the platform you can commission accredited testing laboratories directly from the same test plan. The Brain of Materials network includes over 50 accredited laboratories. Results return in the same TestID-referenced structure, alongside your supplier data, in the same audit-proof record.

For quality and material engineering

Specifications go out in a single, machine-readable format — no more clarification cycles with suppliers; incoming results validate automatically against acceptance criteria; real-time supplier qualification status without spreadsheet maintenance; access to over 50 accredited laboratories when independent validation is required.

For engineering and product development

A live, queryable view of every approved material and part across your project portfolio; faster transition from specified to approved and usable; easier alternative sourcing because comparable, standardised data is the norm.

For executive management

Significantly reduced PPAP and sampling cycle times; audit-proof documentation aligned with IATF 16949; a single coordination layer across your tier-1, tier-2, and material manufacturer base; a foundation for VDA 231-301-aligned data exchange with your suppliers and — for Tier-1/-2 organisations — your downstream OEMs.