Unit 5 discussion response_MT436

13159Respond or elaborate on the response below:

Supplier evaluation is a must for continued success in your supply chain. This mitigates the risk of quality decline after the point of sale, service faults, and more. Points of evaluation can be quantitative or qualitative, with qualitative review being more difficult due to the nature of these being more subjective. It is recommended to assign someone with ample experience dealing with a particular supplier to ensure objectivity in making qualitative judgements of performance. Additionally, Monczka mentions that a 5-point scale can be used to rank a supplier’s performance against a qualitative measure (Monczka 2020, Pg 329). The cumulative scores of each metric could then combine to measure overall performance.

One quantitative metric that was incredibly important to a retailer I worked with at my former position was On-Time In-Full (OTIF). Adherence to this metric meant fewer shorted warehouse picks, fully leveraged dock time, and more predictive workflows (assigning workload based on truck size). We were graded on this metric and charged a fee when we failed to meet 100% adherence. This seemed a bit extreme at times, but given its importance, I understand why it mattered for a retailer of this scale.

A qualitative metric I’d recommend using is Supplier Cost Reduction Collaboration, or some other form of Continuous Improvement. The future of any relationship hinges on each other’s ability to stay relevant. The procuring firm may be motivated to find a better cost elsewhere if their supplier is not innovating. This is hugely important in manufacturing specifically.