If Ford has placed you on CS1 or CS2, here is the short version: Controlled Shipping is a formal quality escalation that forces you to add a redundant 100% inspection on top of normal production until you prove the defect is fixed. CS1 (Controlled Shipping Level 1) is typically run by your own people; CS2 (Level 2) requires a second, redundant inspection by an OEM-approved independent third party. This guide explains what each level means, what triggers it, exactly what Ford expects, and the concrete steps to exit, plus your local independent option minutes from the Kentucky Truck Plant (KTP).
What is controlled shipping (CS1 CS2) for an auto supplier?
Controlled Shipping is an OEM-imposed containment program that says, in effect: "We no longer trust that only good parts are leaving your dock, so you must inspect everything a second time and prove it." It sits on top of your normal quality system, not in place of it. You keep making and inspecting parts as usual, then add a redundant screen to catch any defect before it can reach the plant.
The program almost always follows a quality escape or a disruptive event. Emergency containment at the plant, like the kind described in our guide to a line-down at the Kentucky Truck Plant, frequently precedes a formal CS1 or CS2 notice. Controlled Shipping is the structured, documented phase that follows the initial firefight.
What triggers CS1 or CS2 from Ford?
You do not get put on Controlled Shipping for a single random miss with a strong system behind it. It is triggered when the customer's confidence in your outgoing quality drops. Common triggers include:
- A confirmed defective part reaching the assembly line or causing a plant disruption.
- A line-down, stop-ship, or hold event traced to your part.
- Repeat occurrences of the same defect, or a spike in PPM (parts per million defective).
- A safety, regulatory, or customer-facing concern.
- Missed or ineffective containment, or an 8D corrective action that did not hold.
CS1 vs CS2 trigger, in one line: CS1 is the first formal level. CS2 is escalated to when CS1 has not demonstrably contained the problem, when escapes continue, or when the issue is severe enough that the OEM wants an independent set of eyes from the start.
CS1 vs CS2: what is the difference?
The core difference is who performs the redundant inspection and how much independent verification the OEM demands. Both levels require you to continue your own inspection and drive root cause. CS2 adds an approved independent third party.
| Element | CS1 (Level 1) | CS2 (Level 2) |
|---|---|---|
| Redundant 100% inspection | Required, typically run by your own staff (a third party is allowed) | Required, and must add an independent, OEM-approved third party |
| In-house inspection continues | Yes | Yes, in addition to the third party |
| Why it is applied | First formal escalation after an escape | CS1 failed, escapes continued, or issue is high-risk |
| Independence of verification | Supplier may self-verify | Independent verification is the point of the level |
| Root cause and corrective action (8D) | Required | Required, continued or redone until proven effective |
| Data reporting to OEM | Required | Required, from the independent inspection |
| Who pays | Supplier | Supplier |
Why does CS2 require an independent third party?
At CS2 the OEM has already seen your internal checks fail to stop the problem. Asking the same organization to re-verify itself carries an obvious conflict of interest. So the redundant CS2 inspection must be performed by a company that is independent of the supplier and approved by the customer. You choose the provider, but Ford has to accept it. That is why suppliers engage an experienced independent containment and sorting firm rather than staffing CS2 with their own people. Independence is not a formality; it is the mechanism that lets the OEM believe your clean data. Our guide on choosing a sort and containment partner in Louisville covers what "approved" and "independent" should mean in practice.
What does Ford require at each level?
Regardless of level, Controlled Shipping is a data exercise. You are not just sorting parts; you are building a defensible record that only certified material shipped. Expect to maintain and report:
- A documented containment / inspection instruction: defect definitions, boundary samples, inspection method, and reaction plan.
- Certified, segregated stock: clear "clean point" identification so inspected parts are traceable and cannot mix with unscreened stock.
- Daily inspection data and defect trend / PPM tracking: quantities inspected, defects found, and defects contained, reported to the OEM on the required cadence.
- An 8D corrective action with verified root cause and irreversible (error-proofed) corrective actions.
- GP12 / Safe Launch discipline where the part is in launch, so early-production containment aligns with the controlled-shipping evidence.
The documentation is what ultimately gets you released. Weak paperwork can keep a supplier in Controlled Shipping even after the parts have gone clean.
How do you get out of CS1 or CS2 controlled shipping?
You exit by proving, with independent-quality data, that the defect can no longer escape. The sequence is consistent across OEMs:
- Contain now. Stand up 100% redundant inspection so no additional defects reach the plant. This is where 24/7 emergency dispatch and local crews matter.
- Find true root cause. Complete the 8D. Distinguish the cause of the defect from the cause of the escape; both need irreversible actions.
- Implement irreversible corrective actions. Error-proofing beats added inspection. The OEM wants the defect designed out, not merely caught.
- Prove effectiveness with clean data. Run the corrective actions in production and show zero escapes over the OEM-defined window, commonly on the order of 20 to 30 consecutive clean days or shipments of verified data.
- Request formal exit. Submit the evidence package. The OEM reviews and, if satisfied, steps you down from CS2 to CS1, then off Controlled Shipping.
One financial reality: the supplier pays for all of it, the sorting, third-party labor, documentation, and admin. Every extra clean day of inspection is cost. Fast, correct root cause and a clean exit protect your margin as much as your customer scorecard.
Your local independent CS1 / CS2 third party near KTP
SupplyShield Louisville, a service of Integrity Driven Solutions (IDS), provides exactly the independent, on-site support Controlled Shipping demands for suppliers shipping to the Ford Kentucky Truck Plant and the Louisville Assembly Plant. Our crews are minutes from KTP and dispatch 24/7 for emergency containment, third-party sorting, redundant inspection, rework coordination, resident quality liaison coverage, 8D and PPAP support, and GP12 / Safe Launch containment. As an independent third party, we are positioned to perform the redundant, verifiable inspection that CS2 requires. (IDS is an independent quality services provider and is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, Ford Motor Company.)
With 20+ years supporting 60+ OEMs, we help you contain today, build the data package the OEM will accept, and get back to routine shipping. If you have just been placed on CS1 or CS2, or you can see it coming, do not wait for the next escape. See our CS1/CS2 controlled shipping support, call 905-260-2388, or reach us through the contact form for rapid local dispatch.