Supplier Development
The typical approach for supplier engagement involves a purchasing function and often times a quality function. The quality role is spread over all the disciplines required to engage with the supplier. This engagement becomes inefficient due to the different skills required to accomplish the outcomes desired.
For example, SQA (Supplier Quality Assistance) assesses capability, follows-up on problems, review documentation for sampling, review capability studies, and determines the effectiveness of the supplier’s development, and training activities. Typically left out are cost reduction strategies (focus), project management engagement throughout product development, and participation in reducing risk. In other words, one person probably does not have all the skills necessary to deliver best results. This is the equivalent of going to a general practitioner for heart surgery.
This multi-disciplined burden on one person means that not all of the high value collaboration and engagement goals are being met.
The QAI approach, segments these disciplines into three distinct functions:
- Strategic Program and Project Management
- Strategy
- Engagement
- Collaboration
- Quality Management Process and Assessment
- Engagement
- Collaboration
- Replication
- Supplier Development
- Collaboration
- Replication
Strategic Program Management and Quality Management Process are covered in Supply Chain Management and other sections of this website. Supplier Development disciplines and information are continued in this section.
Supplier Development disciplines include the following:
- Combined training opportunities with other suppliers
- Workshops for skill development
- Self-paced Online Training on many topics
- Facilitation and mentoring for skill development
- Tools and techniques proficiency to assess proficiency
- Training records
- Certification of individuals who have successfully completed a course of study
- Feedback to supply chain team and legacy for sustainability
QAI’s FIT approach to supplier development recognizes the requirements of the specific disciplines, crafts the services of engagement based on the desired value, and deploys within the framework of Supply Chain Management. Each of the three disciplines interfaces with and interacts with each other. Reporting is in one location. Due to the segmenting of these disciplines, QAI can distribute work more efficiently. Efficient distribution of work translates into less time more focused engagement.
QAI can provide structured planning to your organization for better supplier development and relationships. We provide hands-on workshops, online training courses, and mentoring based on evaluation and experience. Tools and topics include over 50 subjects and thousands of pages of training material developed over the last two decades. Some of the topics related to supplier development include:
QAI’s unique blend of classroom and online training offers measured improvement through follow-up mentoring along with pre- and post- testing applied for quantifiable learning measurements. Call us today at 248.280.4800 to discover the value that our supplier development process can bring to your organization.
Link to this page:
Need more information?
For more detailed information on this topic please email our qualified staff, contact us by phone at (248) 280-4800, or fill out a contact form.
 |
 |
 |
 |
