Who holds which certificate
Rolvane is a sourcing desk and holds no quality-system certificate of its own. We say this plainly because buyers often ask, and because a trading or sourcing company that displays a manufacturer's certificate as if it were its own is a common source of confusion in the bearing trade. The certificates that matter belong to the partner plants that make the product, and the right question is: does the plant making my bearings hold the certificate, for the product I am buying, today? The desk answers that question for each project and shows you the evidence.
Documents available per project
| Document | Issued by | What it shows | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISO 9001 certificate | Accredited certification body | Plant runs a documented quality management system within the stated scope | Many partner plants; verified per project |
| IATF 16949 certificate | Accredited certification body | Automotive quality system requirements met within the scope | Some partner plants; verified per project, for automotive programs |
| Steel material certificate | Steel supplier | Grade and chemistry of the bearing steel lot | Per lot |
| RoHS / REACH declaration | Plant or material supplier | Restricted substances statement for materials and parts | On request |
| Lot inspection report | Plant inspection room | Measured results against the agreed plan | With each lot |
| Third-party inspection report | Independent inspector or lab | Independent verification of selected checks | Where ordered |
ISO 9001 and IATF 16949 are common among partner plants but not universal, and they are verified project by project. A plant that makes the right product for your application without a certificate may still be suitable if its process and records pass the plant screening; the choice is yours once the facts are on the table.
What a certificate does and does not tell you
A quality-system certificate shows that a plant has defined processes and is audited against them. It does not state that a particular bearing meets a particular tolerance class, vibration grade or life. Those are product facts, shown through the inspection plan, the lot report and the sample trial, covered in quality control and testing and inspection. IATF 16949 adds automotive requirements such as defect prevention and traceability, and is often requested by automotive programs, as described on automotive aftermarket; but a certificate for the plant is not the same as an approval of your part.
How to verify a certificate
- Read the issuing body. The certification body should be named, and accredited by a recognised accreditation body. Look for the certificate number.
- Match the holder. The legal name and address on the certificate must match the plant making your bearings, not a trading office or a different group company.
- Check the scope. The scope should include rolling bearings, or the relevant product line, and the site where they are made.
- Check validity. Look at the issue date, expiry date and surveillance status. An expired or suspended certificate counts as no certificate.
- Confirm with the issuer. Contact the certification body or use its online register, if it offers one, to confirm the number and details. The desk does this for every certificate before showing it to a buyer, and you may repeat the check.
Material certificates, RoHS and REACH
The material certificate of the steel lot links the finished bearings to a grade such as GCr15 (comparable to AISI 52100 and 100Cr6), as explained on bearing steel. RoHS and REACH declarations are material statements: they say what the parts contain, not that a bearing is safe for every use. If your market or customer needs them, state it on the request so that the right documents are collected from the plant and its component makers.
What we never do
- We do not show a certificate belonging to a different plant, a parent company or a trading company as proof for your product.
- We do not borrow or fabricate certificates, test reports or marks, and we do not retouch documents.
- We do not claim a certificate that has expired, been suspended or does not cover the product line.
- We do not present Rolvane as certified. Where a document is the plant's, it is described as the plant's.
- We do not publish inspection values we have not measured.
If a document you need is not available, the desk says so and proposes an alternative, such as a third-party test. Typical lead times for sample orders and batches are in MOQ and lead time.