If you purchase large amounts of products from supplier companies, you can have an influence on those companies. If you can get them to improve their performance using a supplier development process, for example, improve their quality or cut their costs, you will benefit greatly. The process of getting suppliers to improve is usually called supplier development. And most large companies have set up their own supplier development process, at least for their key relationships. The question is, … [Read more...]
How To Improve Supplier Performance? [Podcast]
In this episode... Renaud talks you through a common query that we get on a regular basis when customers ask us: "How do I get my suppliers to improve?" A recent survey of importers found that 70% said that their biggest challenge was working with suppliers to improve performance. So, with this in mind, Renaud goes through the topic based on training that he gave for European Chamber of Commerce in China members on improving suppliers with a focus on product quality, delivery times, price, … [Read more...]
3 Vertical Integration Benefits: Transparency, Control, Speed
Last year I wrote about a very common problem in China Supply Chain Transparency and Monitoring: Not Getting Easier… and this year we are still lamenting that same problem: Further down the supply chain, unauthorized subcontracting is still very, very common. We noticed this is particularly true of metal surface treatment processes that are done outside of the “main factory” (which would typically do casting and CNC lathe/milling). A few examples: Plating Polishing Painting, … [Read more...]
8 Elements of a Low-Risk Supply Chain in China [Free Webinar]
Clients often ask us for assistance in improving their supply chain in China. For instance, it's common to hear that they aren't satisfied with poor quality, with missed timelines, or with unethical practices. If your supply chain is giving you issues like this, and it is causing your business unnecessary risk, you might not have taken all the necessary steps. How to lower these risks and build a low-risk supply chain in China? Over at Sofeast, we've created a free webinar for you about … [Read more...]
Supply Chain Management: Quality Inspections’ Role
Do you sometimes feel that your company, your suppliers, and their own suppliers, are on different planets? Does information spread with difficulty through your supply chain? Nothing unique here. It is quite typical if you work with suppliers in China, Vietnam, India, etc. I wrote about this in The Impact of Quality Control Software on Your Supply Chain, on the SynControl blog, and we illustrated it in this infographic: Every step in the supply chain tries to optimize its own … [Read more...]