Correcting an error in the product passport for your aluminium semifinished product does not happen in a few minutes, but there is also no legal deadline that specifies within how many days it must happen. The lead time is determined in practice by three things: how quickly the correct source data comes to light, who is responsible within your organisation, and how the passport is technically structured. In the case of a simple typo, it may be a matter of days; if an error goes back to a supplier further down the chain, it can take weeks.
As far as is currently known, the regulation itself does not prescribe a fixed correction deadline. What is certain is that a product passport must be current and accurate as long as the product is on the market or in use. How strictly a supervisory authority looks into this and what deadline is reasonable in a specific case is for that supervisory authority or, in case of doubt, a legal expert to determine. This article only describes what influences the lead time in practice.
Where the clock starts ticking
Before anything can be corrected, it must first be clear what is wrong and where that information originally came from. For aluminium semifinished products, some of the data is held by the alloy producer, some by the rolling mill or foundry, and some by yourself as processor or importer. An error in, for example, the share of recycled material is often not your own error, but it is your responsibility to have it corrected. This means that the first step is often not updating the passport, but tracking down the correct source. Anyone who has been through this process knows that this is often the longest step, not the last.
On how the data in your passport are compiled you see which party supplies which part of the information. This is also the place to find out who you need to contact if something is wrong: yourself, your supplier, or the party that compiled the passport for you.
Internal decision-making often takes more time than the correction itself
In many SMEs, it is not predetermined who is internally responsible if an error in the passport is detected. Is it the quality officer, the buyer who maintains contact with the supplier, or management because it is a matter of liability concern? As long as this question is not assigned, a flagged error sometimes sits for weeks before anyone takes the first step. This is not a legal problem, but it is the most common reason why correction takes longer than necessary.
The technical structure determines how quickly a correction becomes visible
Once the correct data is in place, how quickly the correction actually appears in the passport depends on the technical setup. Some systems use a fixed QR code that points to a dynamic page; a correction can in principle be made within a day. Other approaches generate a new document or new version with each change, which requires more coordination, especially if physical labels with the old QR code have already been applied to stock or with a customer.
This is precisely the type of question you should discuss with your software supplier or passport service in advance, not when something goes wrong. Who determines when a change goes live, how long an old version remains accessible, and whether you can see when a correction has been made are questions that largely determine the lead time in practice.
What you can arrange in advance to speed up correction
The quickest corrections we see are at companies that have already established in advance who supplies which data, which party is responsible for the accuracy of which component, and how a change is technically implemented. This is not a matter of a thick protocol, but of a few clear agreements you make once and that remain sound thereafter.
In the knowledge base with explanations per subject you will find how other companies have arranged these agreements, broken down by the situation applicable to your company. And if you want to know where your own passport process currently stands and what a logical next step is, the short scan with a few questions provides a first indication of that.
Whether a correction in your specific case is fast enough, and what a supervisory authority would think of it, is not something that can be answered in general terms. For that assessment, your own situation is decisive, and for that we refer you to a legal advisor or to the supervisory authority responsible for your sector.
Do you first want to get an idea of how the product passport should be organized in your company before there is anything to correct? Take the free quick-scan or browse through the topics in the frequently asked questions about the product passport to see which step is most appropriate for you.