The Automotive Industry Action Group publishes CQI-23, "Special Process: Molding System Assessment," as part of its lineup of special process manuals for automotive suppliers. The manual sets a common approach for assessing molding systems and strengthening process controls across a range of molding operations, spanning injection molding, blow molding, vacuum forming, compression molding, resin transfer molding, and extrusion. Two additional tables cover process control and testing equipment and part inspection and testing, rounding out eight process tables in total.

CQI-23 sits alongside customer-specific requirements and IATF 16949 rather than replacing them, according to AIAG. That distinction matters on the shop floor: suppliers already juggling separate audit criteria from individual OEM customers get one reference point for demonstrating that their molding processes consistently meet applicable customer and regulatory requirements. For a QA manager running an injection molding line under pressure from multiple customer scorecards, a shared assessment framework cuts down on redundant paperwork and conflicting checklists.

AIAG built the manual around industry experience and documented lessons learned, aiming to help organizations identify process weaknesses before they become field failures. The focus areas include strengthening startup and preventive maintenance controls, preventing common molding defects, and supporting continual improvement across the manufacturing process. AIAG frames the outcomes in terms of reduced manufacturing risk, improved process consistency, and better customer satisfaction, though the manual itself functions as an assessment tool rather than a certification.

AIAG distributes CQI-23 as e-documents in multiple languages, with both online and offline access to downloadable files. Buyers outside the United States looking for hard copies need to go through AIAG's network of authorized distributors rather than AIAG directly, a distribution detail that trips up suppliers new to AIAG's special process manual series.