Supplier Management

All articles in the “Supplier Management” category.

Understanding the Supplier Audit Process

Understanding the Supplier Audit Process

Factory Audits/Supplier Management
Supplier audits are critical in fostering continual improvement, emphasizing defect prevention, and aiding in the reduction of variation and waste in the supply chain. A supplier audit process scrutinizes factors that could lead to increased costs or financial losses due to supplier underperformance. Watch our video: Supplier Audit Process Components An effective supplier audit process […]
When do you switch suppliers?

When do you switch suppliers?

Supplier Management
I’ve never heard the process of switching suppliers described as easy.  People may say that it “went smoothly” or “could have gone worse,” but the reality is that it’s not easy.  Because of this, many organizations delay the process and experience increased costs and consumer dissatisfaction as a result. Questions to consider:
How well are your suppliers performing?

How well are your suppliers performing?

Supplier Management
In a recent post, we discussed several New Year’s goals that we frequently hear from clients and prospects around this time of year.  One of the most common is evaluating and improving supplier performance. We know that suppliers may appear qualified at first and then fail to deliver the required quality after time and money have been invested in […]
Best Practices For Minimizing Global Supplier Risk

Best Practices For Minimizing Global Supplier Risk

Supplier Management
We were just reading through an article posted by Supply Chain Management Review that discusses Four Best Practices for Minimizing Global Supplier Risk.  As a third-party quality engineering and consulting firm, we get questions about this often and have written a handful of articles related to the topic. We like the SCMR’s four best practices, […]
3 Ways to Improve Communications with Suppliers

3 Ways to Improve Communications with Suppliers

Supplier Management
Developing and maintaining strong supplier partnerships depends on a solid foundation of successful communication. In our thirty years of experience at the table with clients and suppliers around the world, we’ve seen a range of outcomes where communications are concerned.  The impact is quite often more substantial than you may think, with some arguing that […]
Selecting suppliers using a grid analysis

Selecting suppliers using a grid analysis

Supplier Management
Let’s say you need to find a manufacturer for a new product.  It’s easy to look at the cost and weigh heavily in that direction.  However, this often results in regrets later when shipment delays and other quality issues occur. A useful quality tool for making such decisions is the Grid Analysis.  It allows you […]