From the raw materials and equipment that a manufacturing business needs to the computers that a modern office needs, businesses need to know how to work with the right kind of suppliers. If a supplier does you wrong, then it can create some serious trouble for your business. Which, obviously, you don’t want.
Forget supply and demand – it’s time to demand a good supply!*
* Please don’t actually forget supply and demand. Please. It’s basic economical sense and your business will not last very long at all if it forgets to factor in the need to supply the demand that it needs to survive.
Set a strong list of criteria
You’re going to need a good selection criteria if you want to ensure that you’re not working with a substandard tech supplier. And that means you’ve got to get a strong handle on what it is you really need from a supplier.
Some of the things you need to think about are the delivery times that suppliers provide you with, as well as their specific methods of delivery. You need to know good they are when it comes to contacting them. Who exactly can you contact? How high up the chain can you go if there’s a problem? You must consider all of this.
Consider your process
So what is it your manufacturing process really needs? Because, of course, if a supplier isn’t able to supply those precise things, then you’re not going to get very far with them. So identifying precisely what you’re going to need in the long-term is essential.
You’ve also got to consider the problems your process currently has. Let’s say you’re running a factory, and your current equipment is difficult to control, making the entire process feel extremely inefficient and un-streamlined. In such a case, you’re going to want to work with a tech supplier that can actually provide you with improvements to what you already have, should you ever need them. Something like CNC machine tools, for example, are known to introduce higher amounts of speed and control to manufacturing processes. When you know what tools you need, then you need to look for a supplier that can work with that.
The costs
Ah, we would definitely be very remiss if we were to make an article such as this and not consider the issue of pricing. Because, just as with any other business pursuit, there are going to be companies in this field that are going to try to rip you off.
That’s why it’s paramount that you do your research on pricing before you start sharing payment details and signing contracts. Of course, there is such a thing as putting too much of a focus on getting a cheap deal. It’s not really about getting a cheap deal – it’s about getting a good deal. Don’t confuse the two! Very cheap suppliers may be very cheap for a good reason – because the stuff they supply isn’t of very high quality. Don’t get too suckered in by what seems like a good price – research all of the factors associated with a supplier first.
