Where should a wind equipment order include manufacturing hold points?

The short answer

Place hold points before activities whose correction would be costly, concealed or difficult to verify later. Choose them from project risks and agreed inspection needs. A hold point must identify the required evidence, the release authority and the notice period; adding many undefined stops can delay manufacture without improving assurance.

Select irreversible decision points

Review the manufacturing sequence with the supplier and inspector. Candidate gates may concern acceptance of interface drawings, verification before a concealed assembly closes, completion of a specified test, or release for packing. These are examples of planning categories, not a prescribed manufacturing process for any MARSTON model. Select only those relevant to the actual order. Ask what evidence would be unavailable if the activity proceeded, and whether a later check could provide equivalent assurance.

Distinguish hold and witness arrangements

State whether work must stop until written release or whether the buyer is invited to witness within an agreed notice arrangement. Define who receives notification, how long a response is allowed, and what happens if the designated person is unavailable. Do not assume that a missed email constitutes acceptance. Align these arrangements with the purchased inspection service so the supplier, buyer and third party understand who can permit the next activity and who merely reports observations.

Record release and residual conditions

The release record should identify the activity, inspected items, referenced requirements, evidence reviewed and any accepted conditions. Open nonconformances need a separate disposition. Preserve the release together with the manufacturing record so a later reviewer can reconstruct the sequence. If the supplier proposes bypassing a hold point, evaluate the lost evidence and obtain the required authorization before proceeding. A documented gate is valuable because it controls a specific uncertainty, not because it produces another signature.