What a manufacturing record book is
A manufacturing record book is the supplier's file of proof for one order. It shows the equipment was made from the right materials, by qualified people and procedures, and was inspected and tested as the purchase order asked. The customer keeps it for the life of the equipment. For the short definition, see the manufacturing record book glossary entry.
It is usually one line near the bottom of the vendor data requirements list (VDRL), but it holds the records that most other lines produce. Many purchase orders tie the last payment, or the release of a retention, to its acceptance.
Names you will see: MRB, MDR, final data book, MDB
| Name | Where you see it |
|---|---|
| Manufacturing record book (MRB) | Common in oil and gas and with UK and European buyers. |
| Manufacturing data record (MDR) or manufacturing data book (MDB) | Common in EPC vendor document lists and in some owner specifications. |
| Final data book, final documentation dossier, databook | Common in purchase orders and supplier software. |
| Turnover package, handover dossier | Usually a wider project term: the EPC or contractor's full handover set, which includes each supplier's book. |
Read the purchase order's own definition. Some buyers split the book into a quality dossier and a separate set of manuals. See also handover dossiers.
Not the same as a material review board
In quality management, MRB also means material review board: the team that decides what to do with nonconforming parts. That is a meeting, not a document. Search engines and software sites mix the two up, so write "manufacturing record book" in full in emails, purchase orders and file names.
What goes in a manufacturing record book
| Section | Typical records |
|---|---|
| Index and cover | Customer index, cover sheet, certificate of conformity, release note |
| Approved documents | Final-revision drawings and datasheets as approved by the customer |
| Quality plan | The signed inspection and test plan (ITP), with every hold and witness point signed off |
| Materials | Material certificates, often to EN 10204 3.1 or 3.2, and a material or heat traceability list |
| Welding | Weld map, WPS, PQR and welder qualifications. See WPS, PQR and WPQ |
| NDE | Radiography, ultrasonic, magnetic particle and penetrant reports, and examiner certificates |
| Heat treatment | Heat treatment records and charts, where the order needs them |
| Tests | Pressure, seat, functional and performance test reports, including the factory acceptance test (FAT) |
| Calibration | Certificates for the instruments used in each test |
| Dimensional and coating | Dimensional reports, painting and coating records |
| Nonconformance | NCRs, concessions and the agreed deviations from the bid |
Not every order needs every section. A simple valve order may need certificates, test reports and a certificate of conformity. A pressure vessel or skid can need hundreds of records.
Who sets the index, and when to ask for it
The customer usually sets the index. It may come with the purchase order, in the quality specification, or only when you ask. It gives the section numbers, titles and order, and sometimes file naming, cover sheets, bookmarks and the number of copies. Ask for it at the kickoff meeting. If you wait, you sort records into your own order and then have to re-sort them.
How to compile a manufacturing record book
- Get the customer's index and MRB instructions at kickoff, and map each section to the ITP step and VDRL line that produces it.
- Set up one folder per index section on day one, and name files the way the index does.
- As each ITP step is signed, file the record in its section the same week. Collect sub-supplier certificates when the parts arrive.
- Keep only the current, approved revision in the book folder. Move older revisions to a separate archive.
- Before shipment, check every index entry has a document, at the right revision, with approval where needed.
- Check the links between records: part to heat number to certificate, weld to procedure to welder, test to instrument to calibration.
- Assemble the book in the format asked for, usually one bookmarked PDF with a contents page, and issue it with a transmittal.
- Log the customer's comments and resubmit quickly. Payment often waits on acceptance.
Why record books come back
- An index entry with no document, often a sub-supplier certificate.
- A superseded drawing or procedure revision filed instead of the current one.
- A document still marked for review, or returned with comments, filed as if it were approved.
- A heat number on a part that does not match any certificate in the book.
- A weld with no NDE report, or a repair with no re-examination.
- A test report that names an instrument with no valid calibration certificate.
- An ITP hold or witness point with no signature.
Software for record books, and where OdysseyGPT fits
Document control systems for suppliers, such as DocBoss, track VDRL submittals and build the final databook, including the bookmarked PDF. Data-book builders such as MDB Builder assemble records into a book online. Welding management systems can produce weld records and data books. See DocBoss alternatives for a sourced comparison.
OdysseyGPT checks the content. The MRB Readiness Check (beta) compares your folder with the customer's index and flags missing, wrong-revision, incomplete or unapproved documents. MRB Traceability Verification (beta) checks the links between records. The MRB Compiler (beta) plans the book: it maps approved documents to the index and produces a cited compilation manifest, flagging missing, duplicate, unapproved and superseded files. It does not build the final PDF.
These tools are in beta
The MRB Readiness Check, MRB Traceability Verification and MRB Compiler are in beta. You can request access, and we onboard each team ourselves. Every finding cites the page, sheet or cell it came from, and your engineers decide what to do with it.