Validating product design is only the first step toward crafting a quality product and achieving compliance with industry standards. The suppliers you choose to work with will impact your ability to meet important production schedules and financial goals. In the aerospace industry and other Quality critical fields, organizations need systematic ways to ensure suppliers are capable of fulfilling their contract requirements.
At NTS Unitek, we offer a range of services to help OEMs in technical industries evaluate and manage their supply chains, including supplier assessments.
What Is Supplier Assessment?
Supplier assessment is a process designed to evaluate a supplier’s ability to meet a customer’s production or compliance requirements. An assessment can be tailored to survey both quantitative and qualitative data. Assessments can be performed before a supplier signs a contract or on a long standing supplier. Whether you want to monitor the performance of an existing supplier or choose a new one with confidence, a supplier assessment can provide a thorough review along with documented evidence of supplier capabilities and risks.
When you partner with NTS Unitek, you can expect to see the following supplier assessment benefits:
- Reduced risk: A supplier assessment reveals weaknesses in a potential supplier’s capability or capacity early, often before manufacturing begins. When you know how a supplier performs, you can take action to mitigate risks before they become costly problems, such as finding an alternate supplier or providing additional support.
- Accurate results: Evaluation by an experienced, unbiased third party helps ensure the results of your supplier assessment are accurate and provide real value. You can use a supplier assessment report to make more informed sourcing decisions.
- Improved efficiency: Supplier assessments can allow you to identify areas for cost savings and greater efficiency in your supply chain. At NTS Unitek, our services can further increase efficiency by enabling you to focus on your organization’s core competencies.
Measuring Capability and Capacity
Capability and capacity are both important aspects to consider when evaluating a supplier’s performance. Capability refers to the supplier’s ability to create products as specified, while capacity refers to the supplier’s ability to meet customer demand in the present as well as the future.
Our Supplier Assessment Services and Procedures
At NTS Unitek, we partner with our customers in the aerospace and defense industries to conduct thorough supplier assessments on their behalf. Depending on your needs, we can conduct capability and capacity assessments separately or at the same time. Acting as an extension of your organization, we will investigate many aspects of a supplier’s performance, including:
- Organizational Structure
- Process Value Stream Map
- Production planning
- Manufacturing and tooling capabilities
- Facilities
- Personnel
- Sub tier suppliers
- Past delivery performance.
- Past quality performance.
- Theoretical capacity versus observed capacity
Our employees adhere to industry best practices and prescribed standards, so you can feel confident in the supplier assessment reports and objective evidence we provide.
What Does a Supplier Assessment Report Contain?
Our supplier assessment reports contain three main components:
- A summary of the assessed supplier’s performance and capabilities
- A list of the risks and performance gaps identified during the assessment
- Strategic recommendations for mitigating the risks
Contact NTS Unitek for More Information
We have over 45 years of experience providing supply chain management, global supplier quality and technical support services in challenging industries. To learn more about how a supplier assessment could reduce risk and lower costs for your organization, contact us today.
