With the start of a new millennium, companies are preparing to successfully face new challenges, in an increasingly competitive world with a globalized economy and with dizzying technological advances, especially in the fields of computing and communications. Under this premise it is indisputable that all the functional areas of a company must have efficient and effective management, however one of the most important and traditionally critical areas in companies is the Logistics area, which is responsible for adequate and timely supply of goods and services to the other areas of the company so that they can fulfill their purposes and thus contribute to the company being able to meet its strategic objectives.
One of the most important responsibilities of logistics management in a company is to develop an adequate relationship with its suppliers.
Thus, in recent years, many companies see their suppliers as strategic allies for the development of their businesses; which implies establishing relationships based on trust and the long term, so that both parties become partners in the profits.
But, for this relationship to be successful, it is necessary for companies to properly choose their suppliers, for which they must first select and evaluate them carefully.
One of the determining factors in the customer-supplier relationship is that the customer is certain that the good or service that is delivered or provided is of excellent quality. Many authors on quality management have given special emphasis to the relationship with suppliers. Thus, for example, we have Kaoru Ishikawa, for whom the fundamental objective of these relationships is to "improve quality assurance and eliminate the unsatisfactory conditions existing between the buyer and the supplier", and to achieve this purpose, he sets out ten principles:
1. Buyer and supplier are fully responsible for the application of Quality Control.
2. Buyer and supplier must be independent and respect that independence.
3. The buyer must supply clear and adequate information on what is required.
4. The contract between the parties must contemplate: Quality, Quantity, Price, Delivery conditions and Payment method.
5. The supplier must certify and guarantee a satisfactory Quality, backed up with data.
6. The parties must previously agree on the evaluation and testing methods.
7. The contract must include systems and procedures for the resolution of discrepancies.
8. The parties must exchange the information necessary to execute a better Quality Control.
9. The parties must efficiently control business activities such as ordering, production and inventory planning, office functions, and systems, so that their relationships are maintained on a friendly and satisfactory basis.
10. Buyer and supplier must always pay due attention to the interests of the consumer.
As a result of this new philosophy and practice of establishing transparent and long-term relationships with suppliers, based on the trust and benefit of the parties, companies will be able to reduce the number of suppliers by improving their quality, guaranteeing the quality of the good or the service received, properly scheduling your supply by minimizing inventories, obtaining reasonable prices, achieving timely deliveries and reducing administrative expenses of generating several Purchase Orders to various suppliers in short periods of time. All this will allow a successful logistics management with the consequent benefit for the entire organization.
Posted by Digital Magazine mercadeo.com
