A Systematic Process for Building A Better Supply Chain

It takes a Supply Chain to design, engineer, make, deliver, sell, support, service, and continuously improve products and services. Supply Chain partners’ capabilities and performance are essential for many organizations to deliver industry-leading products and services. So, a better supply chain makes for better products/services and a better organization.

 

Selecting Better Suppliers – Supplier Selection

Selecting the right suppliers for various components/services gets an organization the majority of the way to building a better supply chain. However, there is no one-size-fits-all method for selecting better suppliers. The rigor with which supplier evaluation and selection can vary depending on the program scope and importance to the company, component(s), and operational excellence requirements.

Helping Suppliers Get Better – Supplier Development

Supplier development is a key strategy for “Building a Better Supply Chain.” Supplier Development can bring a new supplier up to the performance standard needed to support operational excellence targets effectively. Supplier Development does not have to stop once the new supplier performs at the expected level. For many organizations, it makes sense to incorporate Supplier Development activities to support continuous improvement of day-to-day operations. Supplier development activities can be closely aligned with supplier performance assessment and where suppliers need help.

The following two articles give you a good idea of industry leaders’ importance on Supplier Development.

Cooperative and Transparent Supplier Relationship

While selecting better suppliers and supplier development are the two key drivers of building a better supply chain, a cooperative and transparent supplier relationship is the glue that holds the edifice of “Better Supply Chain” together. A cooperative and transparent supplier relationship is built on trust and treating suppliers as equal partners. Key to a cooperative and transparent supplier relationship is the ability of the entire organization to work closely with suppliers. A digital workflow-driven Supplier Portal is a great way to support a cooperative and transparent supplier relationship.

Making Supplier Development Systematic