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Certificate of Conformance Extraction Field Template

Receiving teams read certificates of conformance by eye and re-key the lot, PO and specification into the ERP. Before any extraction tool can help, you need to decide exactly which fields to capture and which rules to check them against. This template generates that schema as JSON you can hand to a developer or a document AI tool.

Fill in

Document type

Supplier name

Part number example

Purchase order example

Specification referenced

Minimum confidence to auto-accept

Retention note

Generated code

Download:

Extraction schema

{
  "document_type": "Certificate of Conformance",
  "purpose": "Receiving inspection capture and ERP lot record",
  "auto_accept_min_confidence": 0.97,
  "fields": [
    { "name": "supplier_name", "type": "string", "required": true, "example": "Example Precision Components Ltd" },
    { "name": "certificate_number", "type": "string", "required": true },
    { "name": "issue_date", "type": "date", "required": true },
    { "name": "customer_po_number", "type": "string", "required": true, "example": "PO-4500123456" },
    { "name": "part_number", "type": "string", "required": true, "example": "PN-48213-A" },
    { "name": "part_revision", "type": "string", "required": false },
    { "name": "quantity_shipped", "type": "number", "required": true },
    { "name": "lot_or_batch_number", "type": "string", "required": true },
    { "name": "specification", "type": "string", "required": true, "example": "AMS 4911" },
    { "name": "conformance_statement", "type": "string", "required": true },
    { "name": "authorized_signature_present", "type": "boolean", "required": true },
    { "name": "signatory_name_and_title", "type": "string", "required": false }
  ],
  "on_low_confidence": "route_to_receiving_inspector",
  "retention": "Retain per customer contract and quality system"
}

Validation rules to pair with the schema

{
  "rules": [
    "customer_po_number must match an open purchase order for the supplier",
    "part_number and revision must match the PO line",
    "quantity_shipped must not exceed the received quantity on the receipt",
    "lot_or_batch_number must appear on the packing list and the part marking",
    "issue_date must not be later than the receipt date",
    "signature field must be present, never auto-accept an unsigned certificate",
    "conformance_statement must reference the specification on the PO"
  ]
}

This is a generic starting schema, not a standard. Add the fields your customer flow-down, AS9100 quality system or contract requires, such as heat number, process source approval or country of origin. Human review should confirm every certificate used for product release.

Have certificates read and checked against your POs

We can prototype CoC extraction on a few of your supplier documents and show which fields read reliably. Optional, the template stands alone.

Optional. The tool and every export work without this. No spam.

How to use the template

Choose the document type and fill in examples of your supplier, part number, PO and specification. Set the minimum confidence below which a certificate goes to a person. Copy the generated JSON into your capture tool's schema or hand it to your integration developer as the specification. The second block lists validation rules that should run after extraction, because a correctly read certificate can still be wrong for the order it accompanies.

Start with the fields on your current receiving checklist
Keep required fields to what you will actually check
Treat the signature check as mandatory, not optional

Why these fields

A certificate links a shipment to its evidence. The certificate number and issue date identify it, the PO, part number and revision tie it to the order, the lot or batch number ties it to the physical material and the traceability record, and the specification and conformance statement say what was claimed. The authorized signature establishes accountability. Together these let the ERP create a lot record, attach the document and flag mismatches before material is released to stock.

Common mistakes

Teams extract text but never validate it against the PO, so a certificate for the wrong revision slips through. Others auto-accept low-quality scans of handwritten lot numbers. Certificates for released product deserve a lower tolerance for automation than commercial purchases, and for counterfeit-prevention programs a human should confirm authenticity cues that OCR cannot read.

Not matching revision, only part number
Ignoring stamps, seals and handwritten amendments
Accepting a certificate dated after receipt
Not storing the original image with the extracted record

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a certificate of conformance the same as a material test report?

No. A CoC is the supplier's statement that product meets stated requirements. A material test report contains actual measured test results, such as chemistry or mechanical properties, often by heat number. Many orders require both, and the fields differ.

Can OCR replace receiving inspection?

No. Extraction speeds data entry and checking against the PO, but inspection requirements come from your quality system and contract. Treat extraction as support for the inspector, not a replacement.

What confidence should I require?

For certificates used in product release, set a high bar and route anything uncertain to a person. The value in the template is a placeholder, calibrate it against checked samples from your own suppliers.

Should the schema include test values?

Only if you plan to analyse them. For a plain CoC, capture the statement and references. For material test reports, add repeating groups for chemistry and mechanical properties, which need table extraction rather than simple fields.

If you want certificates read and checked against your purchase orders inside your own network, with a person approving anything uncertain, we can build that on-prem and connect it to your ERP lot records.

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