Suppliers development teams

Lloyd, A. 1994 A Study of Nissan Motor Manufacturing (UK) - Supplier Development Team Activities. Proc. Instn Mech. Engrs, 208, 63-68. 

A second relationship-building component is personal visits. The purchaser s supplier development team visits at least one supplier a month. They also have supplier representatives come to visit their plant to discuss process improvement corrective actions. This reduces the burden of travel for either group, but allows both groups to remain in close personal contact. This personal contact focuses on the supplier s actual process steps, and it provides the necessary history for open discussions about mutual problems and goals. 

Third, to build the trust necessary for the relationship to blossom, the purchasing firm s supplier development team needs to demonstrate constancy of purpose. Suppliers need to perceive that the purchasing firm s actions are always directed toward meeting its own customer s needs even though the techniques used by the purchasing firm may change over time. One method the purchaser uses to do this is to share information with its suppHers about the key characteristics required of its own product for its customers. 

The basic philosophy of co-makership is that the supplier should be considered to be an extension of the customer s operations with the emphasis on continuity and a seamless end-to-end pipeline. As the trend to outsourcing continues so must the move towards co-makership. Nissan Motors in the UK have been one of the leading advocates of this concept. A key element of their approach is the use of supplier development teams, which are small groups of Nissan specialists who will help suppliers to achieve the requirements that Nissan places upon them. The overall objective of the supplier development team is to reduce the costs and increase the efficiency for both parties - in other words a win-win outcome. Because the cost of materials in an automobile can be as high as 85 per cent, anything that can reduce the costs of purchased supplies can have a significant effect on total costs. 

Supplier software release and replication procedures must ensure that only approved products are available for use by the pharmaceutical manufacturer. It is advisable to have release authority with review groups who are independent of the development team. 

B.V., Catalysts and Chemical Division, PO Box 19, 3454 ZG De Meern, The Netherlands Heraeus, Chemical Catalysts, Postfach 1553, D-63450 Hanau 1, Germany Johnson Matthey, Process Catalysts, Orchard Road, Royston, Hertfordshire SG8 5HE, UK. They also have a substantial know-how about which type of catalyst is the most suitable for a specific problem. Our experience has shown that it is of advantage to search for or optimize a suitable catalyst in close collaboration with the catalyst suppliers. This is especially true for the development of technical processes and/or when the development team has little hydrogenation experience. Catalyst screening and development should always be performed with specified catalysts that can be supplied in technical quantities when needed. For laboratory use, Fluka and Aldrich Inorganics offer a wide variety of hydrogenation catalysts that are adequately suited for preparative purposes, although the catalyst manufacturer and the exact type of catalyst is not usually specified. 

This is essentially a facilitating role in many supplier organizations and is supported by development team members with specific project quality responsibilities. 

The supplier reduction team can be created directly by upper management or they can just appoint a chairperson and let that individual develop the... 

This process innovation was a wake-up call for the Samsung management team. The leadership team at Samsung became innovators in inventory management and supply chain processes championing horizontal process evolution of S OP, revenue management, and supplier development to never have to write off inventory. 

In the initial phase of snpply chain maturity, supplier development programs focus on the lowest pnrchase cost. In these early phases, the procurement team operates as an isolated silo and buys with a singular cost focus. 

These four components are the foundation for a purchasing firm s drive to have long-term partnering relationships with its suppliers. Personal relationships are a key to managing supplier development. They require individuals who can work internally as team members, be able to understand the supplier s process, communicate the supplier s problems back to their own firm, and allow the supplier to own the need to improve. Typical steps in a suppHer development program are described below. 

The application of Collaborative Engineering to product design is usually called Computer Supported Collaborative Design (CSCD) or Computer Supported Collaborative Work in Design (CSCW-D). CSCD is carried out not only among multidisciplinary product development teams within the same company, but also across the boundaries of companies and time zones, with increased numbers of customers and suppliers involved in the process [6]. 

Documenting the Process. The net effect of these steps is a process description, defined in terms of customers and suppliers and their interaction. Next, the team can summarize that description in the form of a process flowchart, to illustrate the roles and responsibilities of each process stakeholder (see Figure 6-8). This chart provides the basis for developing standard operating procedures, or other process documentation, that the company can incorporate into existing practices. 

Realistically, the information available to perform risk studies varies over the lifetime of a process. During the early stages of process development, analysis teams may only have access to basic chemical reactivity hazard data, such as may be obtained from suppliers and literature resources. By the time a facility reaches the detailed design phase, most of the basic design and operating information should be available and used in any study of the facility hazards and risks. 

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