CQI-37 training is a hands-on programme built on the 1st edition of AIAG‘s CQI-37 “Safety Critical Bulk Material/Catalog Item Management Guideline”, published in 2025. The guideline provides an industry framework for managing bulk materials and catalog items that become safety-critical within a component, across the supply chain.
Why is CQI-37 necessary?
Bulk materials and catalog items — battery cells, seals, adhesives, fasteners — are usually supplied as standard products, not as part of a specific automotive design. That’s exactly where the problem starts: the catalog supplier manages its product as a general-purpose standard item, while that item may take on a safety-critical function inside the customer’s component — and neither side knows the other’s assumption.
A change in a catalog item’s properties (recipe, process, production location) may be a routine update from the supplier’s perspective, yet have a safety impact in the application where it’s used. CQI-37 closes this gap: it clarifies responsibilities among OEMs, Tier “N” suppliers and bulk/catalog suppliers; it defines the need for a combined assessment when changes occur, to confirm the item’s continued suitability for its intended application; and it makes clear communication throughout the supply chain the baseline. The guideline is designed for virtually all suppliers, regardless of quality certification status.
Scope: which products and scenarios?
- Bulk materials and catalog items that become safety-critical within a component — for example batteries, bulk components and seals
- Both build-to-spec and build-to-print scenarios
- The division of responsibilities among the OEM, the Tier “N” supplier and the bulk/catalog supplier
- Notification of changes in catalog item properties and the combined suitability assessment
Who should attend CQI-37 training?
- Quality and product management teams at suppliers producing bulk materials and catalog products
- Design, quality and purchasing teams at Tier-1/Tier-N suppliers that use catalog items
- Product safety and conformity officers (the PSCR role)
- Supplier quality (SQA/SQD) teams and supplier auditors
- Teams responsible for change management processes
There are no prerequisites; familiarity with product safety concepts makes participation easier.
Training Content
General framework
The purpose and scope of CQI-37; the concepts of bulk material and catalog item; how a standard product becomes safety-critical within an application; OEM expectations and the link to customer-specific requirements (CSRs).
Roles and responsibilities
The responsibility matrix among the OEM, the Tier “N” supplier and the bulk/catalog supplier; how obligations differ between build-to-spec and build-to-print scenarios; cascading requirements down the supply chain.
Change management and communication
Notification when catalog item properties change; the combined assessment confirming the item’s continued suitability for its intended application; structuring open communication throughout the supply chain.
Practical exercises
Practice through example scenarios: assessing a catalog item in a safety-critical application, a combined suitability decision in a supplier change-notification scenario, adapting the responsibility matrix to your own supply chain.
Learning Outcomes
- Grasping the structure and purpose of CQI-37
- Performing safety-criticality assessments for bulk materials and catalog items
- Clarifying responsibilities in build-to-spec and build-to-print scenarios
- Running the combined suitability assessment when catalog items change
- Setting up safety-focused communication and change management across the supply chain
Duration and Participation Options
Duration: 1 day (in in-house programmes, expandable to 2 days depending on scope and depth of practice).
Participation type: Open enrolment or in-house.
Training method: In person, live online, on-demand recording.
Dates: Set according to demand.
Certificate of Attendance
Participants who complete the training receive a certificate of attendance.
- CQI Trainings — which CQI applies to which process, the overall roadmap
- PSCR Training — the product safety and conformity officer role
- AIAG-VDA FMEA Training — risk analysis of safety-critical characteristics
- IATF 16949 Training — the automotive quality management system framework
Beyond Training: Implementation Support
After the training, we can provide implementation support: running the safety-criticality assessment for your bulk material and catalog item portfolio, and setting up the responsibility matrix and the change-notification process. We plan the scope together based on your needs.
Frequently Asked Questions About CQI-37 Training
Is CQI-37 a special process assessment? No. It is not a scored special process assessment like CQI-9 or CQI-11; it is a guideline for the safety-focused management of bulk materials and catalog items. It governs responsibilities, communication and change assessment.
We’re not IATF 16949 certified — does the guideline concern us? Yes. The guideline is designed for all suppliers regardless of quality certification status; a significant share of catalog suppliers hold no automotive certification, and the guideline manages exactly that intersection.
What is the relationship between PSCR and CQI-37? PSCR defines the product safety and conformity officer role within an organization; CQI-37 governs the responsibilities and communication between the parties in the supply chain, specifically for bulk materials and catalog items. The two approaches complement each other.
Why does the build-to-spec vs build-to-print distinction matter? In build-to-spec, design responsibility sits with the supplier; in build-to-print, with the customer. Who assesses what in a safety-critical deviation depends on this distinction, and the guideline addresses the responsibilities separately for each scenario.
Do we need to have purchased the CQI-37 guideline for the training? It’s not mandatory; the training conveys the structure and logic of the guideline. At the implementation stage, however, we recommend the organization obtain the guideline from AIAG.