supplier

All articles tagged “supplier”.

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:
Ask us: The 5W1H of Product Quality Control

Ask us: The 5W1H of Product Quality Control

Quality Control
One of the most commonly used quality tools is 5W1H, “a method of asking questions about a process or a problem taken up for improvement.” This Socratic questioning method is said to be rooted in Rudyard Kipling’s poem: I keep six faithful serving men (They taught me all I knew); Their names are What and […]
Five Ways to Ensure Quality Manufacturing – Sourcing Success

Five Ways to Ensure Quality Manufacturing – Sourcing Success

Quality Control/Sourcing
Whether you’re sourcing abroad, or from a manufacturer down the street, similar issues with product quality, shipment delays, cost and safety concerns, etc. still apply.  To mitigate the quality risks and cost involved in sourcing, we recommend five actions that have been proven successful throughout the three decades of experience we have working with clients and suppliers […]
Supply Chain Management – Webinar Review

Supply Chain Management – Webinar Review

Supply chain
Our Tampa office worked with the local ASQ section and Hillsborough Community College’s Institute for Corporate and Continuing Education and coordinated and instructed a series of webinars that will run through this month.  The webinar scheduled for today discusses Supply Chain Management, which many in our industry recognize is a broad topic. As a brief […]
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 […]
New Year, New Goals… 2015 Quality Goals

New Year, New Goals… 2015 Quality Goals

Quality Control
As 2014 comes to a close, we are considering the quality goals and objectives we’ve discussed with our clients and partners regarding ongoing improvement in the coming year.  Some examples shared with us include: Establish and/or improve a supplier performance evaluation process Develop and implement corrective action based on factory and inspection data analysis More effectively […]
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 […]
Using a Grid Analysis for Supplier Selection

Using a Grid Analysis for Supplier Selection

Supply chain
An article was published in MasterControl’s November newsletter that simplifies the process of supplier selection.  A grid analysis is great for almost any decision-making situation where you want to objectively compare multiple options.  It also complements many other decision-making tools as well. Per the article, factors that should be considered in the grid analysis for […]