No. 17 · 2025223
Shipments billed to the responsible supplier
RELYService family·Part sorting, containment & reworkOn-site · at RELY · hybrid
For quality and plant leadership
Part Sorting, Inspection & Containment
Parts on hold? Start a controlled third-party inspection and containment response.
RELY responds to urgent sortation and containment inquiries within one business hour from its Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin facility in the Milwaukee area. Deployment and completion timing depend on the defect criteria, quantity, location and inspection method.
Containment cell · RELY floor
The first call
What helps us start fast.
Have what you can. An NCR helps, but you do not need one to start the conversation. If an NDA is required before drawings or quality data can be shared, say so on the first call.
- Part number and revision
- Suspected defect
- Where the material is
- Quantity and affected lots
- Approved criteria or a reference sample
- Required output and timing
- Who can approve disposition
| Stage | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Response | Within one business hour for urgent sortation and containment inquiries. RELY is also frequently reachable after hours when production cannot wait. |
| Response plan | Scope, criteria, location, people and reporting agreed with you once the required information is available. |
| Deployment and arrival | Set in the response plan. Depends on location, access, equipment and the inspection method. |
| Completion | Depends on quantity, fallout and method. Releases can be sized to your next production window. |
| Ongoing inspection | Scheduled programs with part-level work instructions and agreed reporting, separate from urgent response. |
Containment program evidence
Case No. 16 · since Oct 2023
172M+
Parts inspected in one high-volume containment program
Case No. 17 · 2025
4.4M+
Parts sorted for one Tier 1 automotive supplier across two facilities
Case No. 15 · 7 months
91.1%
Of 5.2M+ held pieces dispositioned that were returned to usable inventory
Case No. 18
0
Line stoppages at the customer’s plant during a casting recovery program
From RELY published case studies. Each figure applies only to the named program and period and is not a capacity or results commitment for another program. Example: a Midwest customer needed about 100,000 parts sorted; RELY completed it in under 3 days, against an incumbent’s quote of 12 to 14 weeks.
Where RELY works
Your plant, your supplier’s, ours or a mix.
01 · On-site
At your plant.
When material cannot move or the line needs parts today. RELY brings the work instruction, the people and the records.
02 · Supplier site
At a supplier’s plant.
With the authorization of the parties involved, so suspect material is contained before it ships.
03 · At RELY
In Menomonee Falls.
When your floor needs its space back. Released material returns under the agreed disposition and release authorization.
04 · Hybrid
Start on-site, then move.
Protect the line on-site first, then move volume to RELY once the work is stable.
The best location depends on where the material is, how quickly conforming product is needed, the inspection method, space, handling requirements and shipping. RELY’s on-site teams cover Wisconsin and the Midwest. Material from anywhere, including suppliers outside the US, can be sorted at RELY. Timing is confirmed for each request.
International suppliers
Supplier outside the US? Contain it here.
When parts from an overseas or cross-border supplier arrive nonconforming, the sort still has to happen before they reach your line or your customer. RELY can deploy inside your US plant or receive suspect material at our Menomonee Falls facility, sort and rework to the criteria you approve, and report results by lot. Your supplier quality team gets counts, defect types and photos it can use to drive the corrective action.
If you are a supplier whose US customer has placed your parts on hold, RELY can run the containment on your behalf, subject to your customer’s approval of the containment provider.
What RELY covers
One call covers the containment, not just the sorting.
- Approved rework and recovery
- Controlled Shipping Level 2 support
- Custom gauges and fixtures
- Dimensional inspection
- Electrical, continuity & hi-pot testing
- Functional testing
- Lot-level reporting
- Segregation to approved criteria
- Supplier-funded billing, where authorized
- Visual inspection
Authority stays with you
RELY runs the containment. You keep the decisions.
RELY builds the work instruction around your customer-approved criteria, trains and signs off operators before they run the work, and holds anything the criteria do not answer. Acceptance criteria, release and disposition stay with the customer, supplier or authorized quality representative. RELY does not release rejected material without authorization.
What RELY controls
- Work instruction to your criteria
- Operator training & sign-off
- Segregation & count reconciliation
- Escalation of uncertain parts
What you receive
- Accepted parts released as authorized
- Lot-level results by failure mode
- Rejects held for your disposition
- Reporting on the agreed cadence
Case studies
Containment programs we can show you.
No. 17 · 2025
No. 16 · ongoing1.25M
Parts inspected in a single day
A containment program that was one person deep.
Read the summary →
No. 15 · 7 months148
MRB events absorbed in seven months
When the hold area became a second production problem.
Read the summary →
No. 182,500+
Castings inspected and reworked
An inspection request turned into a supply chain rescue.
Read the summary →The Quality Containment Series
Read it before your worst week.
No. 06 · Supplier-funded containmentThe supplier caused the defect. Your plant should not have to staff the containment.Open PDF (new tab)- No. 08 · Containment controlTwenty inspectors without one criterion is twenty versions of “good.”Open PDF (new tab)
- No. 10 · Engineering capacityEngineering should define the boundary. It should not have to run the sort.Open PDF (new tab)
- No. 13 · Production-linked releaseA completed sort on Friday doesn’t help a line that needs parts on Tuesday.Open PDF (new tab)
- No. 23 · Audit-ready recordsA pallet doesn’t leave on someone’s word. It leaves through a control system.Open PDF (new tab)
- No. 28 · ReportingNumbers you can act on are how the next sort gets smaller.Open PDF (new tab)
Questions buyers ask
Short answers. Full answers in the FAQ.
Who sets the acceptance criteria?
The customer, supplier or authorized quality representative establishes or approves the criteria. RELY manages the sorting process, operator training, work instructions, segregation, identification and reporting.
Full answer: third-party sortingWhat happens to rejected parts?
They are segregated, identified and controlled so they cannot be confused with accepted product. Disposition can include return to supplier, hold for your decision, approved rework, component recovery or scrap. RELY follows the agreed disposition authority.
Full answer: rejected partsWhat reporting will we get?
Quantities inspected, accepted and rejected, defect counts and categories, affected lots, rework quantities, material available for release, and photos. Cadence and format are agreed at launch.
Full answer: reportingIs one business hour the deployment time?
No. One business hour is RELY’s response to urgent sortation and containment inquiries. Deployment and completion depend on the defect criteria, quantity, location, inspection method, equipment, access and how quickly the required information is available.
Full answer: response timeDoes RELY support Controlled Shipping Level 2?
Yes. RELY has repeatedly supported customer-required CS2. Some customers require formal approval of the containment provider, and approval for one customer or program does not establish approval for another. Exit criteria are defined by the customer requiring containment.
Full answer: CS2Can RELY bill the supplier responsible?
Often, when the responsible supplier authorizes the work and accepts the commercial terms. RELY confirms the purchasing entity, PO requirements, scope, reporting and billing terms. The arrangement depends on your customer requirements and purchasing process.
Full answer: supplier billingParts on hold? Call 262.853.1634.
Tell us the part, the suspected defect and where the material is. That is enough to start. For a planned or ongoing inspection program, send the details online.
General inquiries: 262.276.0050 · info@relycm.com