供应商考察的要点

生产车间的考察 对采购方来说，考察供应商的工厂能揭示一些双方节约成本的机会。正如安迪萨顿所说的，它需要的只是相关人员做一些正确的询问。 所涉及的也只是一些基本的问题 . 为什么这么多公司和他们的供应商错失节约成本的机会呢？ 这是由于其获取策略被误导了。 任何费用最优化计划的关键元素是查明供应商车间发生了什么。但是，受贝恩和公司供应链子管理实践栏目委托，对162位首席经理的新近调查 显示只有 7的交易跟踪其卖方，物流供应商，分销商和客户等供应链的运行情况。 令人遗憾的是，在参观供应商的工厂时，采购专业人员很少具备识别出效率低下之处和成本节约机会的才能。 从而， 对供应者的访问经常仅止于为采购方提供一种有趣的娱乐，为供应方提供一个炫耀最新工具的机会。 因此，双方都无法发现进一步节约成本的潜在机会。 但是通过遵循供应商者访问的5步 简单适用的指南，就能比较容易揭示这些隐藏的宝藏。 1、.读布告牌 制造业在过去的10-20年中已经发生了相当大的改变， 现在都非常强调内部的信息沟通和告知工人生产如何运行。 因此当你在供应商允许的区域周围四处走动时，花些时间读读布告牌 ， 你经常会发现有关生产率，退货率以及成本花费等统计数据。 在我们和客户一起访问一家生产自有品牌饮料的制造商时，其不愿意透露最终产品的要素成本。 通过研究生产车间的一块布告牌，买方发现一个通知是告诉工人浪费瓶子，瓶盖和糖浆的结果以及相关的费用的。 他们发现供应商没有得到瓶盖的最优价格，于是促使供应商关注这个问题。 2.带着同事 在访问供应商前和你的同事一起确定你需要供应商回答的问题。 当你访问工厂时，大家分开就相同的问题询问不同的人。 接下来，比较你的答案， 你也许会惊讶于你的发现，甚至得到启发。 重要的是，你必须确保跟其生产经理打交道。 他们通常会站在更有利的角度阐述你的产品是怎样被生产的； 财务经理的回答往往显得过于简单。 我们在访问一家自有品牌的食品制造商时采用了这种方法。 这家供应商是做快餐的，其中一种成分是西兰花。 供应商的一个雇员说西兰花在全年都是按指定要求用的都是新鲜的。另一个说除一个特别的季节是冰冻的外，其余用的都是新鲜的。 后者是真实的。 当消费者研究表明采用新鲜或是冰冻的西兰花在质量和口感上并没有明显的差别时，证明这个发现是非常重要的。 生产上因而转向只使用更便宜的冰冻的西兰花，年度成本节省50，000英镑。3.跟工人对话 供应商的生产线上的工人能从独特的视角提供交易和生产运作的情况。 要问的一个大问题是： 你一定在每日的基本工作中碰到形形式式的问题。 如果你有一根魔杖，你想改变什么？ 当采购商在一个咖啡制造商处问这个问题时， 他们被反复告知为其特殊形状的咖啡罐建立生产线时碰到的困难。 进而， 消费者研究显示虽然这个罐子对这个只有品牌咖啡的重新投放市场大有好处，但是顾客欢迎罐子的回收利用，变化的背后是每年节省170，000英镑。 4.拒绝形式化的访问 如果供应商知道你要来，他们自然会确保生产区域一尘不染，并使一切运行正常。 但是如果你相信这种受控状况，你就会无法发现生产运行实际情况。你的走访区域一定既要包括原料处理区，也要包括制成品处理区。 后者非常可能是崭新而整洁的，但不一定货物进来的地方。在那里你可以检查一下库存水平， 看看是否有一些快过保值期的货物？ 库存水平很低吗？ 如果是的话，其间也许隐藏着一些有用的结论。 确保你能走达建筑的边缘区域，你也许会发现杂草和一些丢弃物，这可以有助于你感受一下你供应商组织的一些情况。在我们走访一家服装供应商时，在一幢大楼的边缘我们发现一些初始的多余包装设备。 供应商为一个准备提升的客户为而购买的，但从未使用过。 于是走访的采购方和供应商谈成了一笔交易，既使供应商因利用其冗余设备而获益，也使我们的客户以有限费用获得成功提升。 5.问一些开口问题 访问一家供应商时，采购方的义务是关注和理解影响成本的任何因素。 要供应商主动提供这些信息是不太可能的，除非你询问他们。使用诸如谁， 什么， 哪里， 何时，为什么，或“怎样”意味回答者必须在是或者 不以外给予解释。 开口问题也可以帮助你克服偏见，问 “这里发生什么了”比问“这是你混合它的地方吗？”更合适。一直问问题直到你满意，并得到正确的答案为止。 在访问另一家生产熟食的制造商时，我们的超市客户发现在封口时必须有人擦掉边缘上的泼酱。 他们问为什么，被告知这是必要的，如果边缘不干净，封口就会不牢。 酱为什么飞溅到边缘上？ 因为这部分的盘子太小。 他们为什么使用太小的盘子？ 因为户已经就盘子的比例做了规定。 这次，缺乏效率问题出在采购组织，并非供应商。 结果是换回了更合理的盘子，使生产线运行更有效率，从而比原先使用小盘子取得更大的成本节约。 遵从这五项指南，任何行业的采购方能从供应商的生产车间里搜集到显著节约成本的大量信息。 实际上，即使采购方同供应商利益明显冲突，拒绝发布信息时，这些指南也为交谈提供了有价值的的数据。 该是采购方发现节约成本的隐藏事实的时候了。识别效率低和节约成本机会时， 你不必是非常专业的生产经理。遵循这些指南，下次访问供应商时，你也许会得到一些惊喜， 即使你以前到过那里很多次。 安迪萨顿是经营业绩提升公司Boxwood的项目经理。Features, 19 February 2004Shop-floor detectionFor purchasers, touring a suppliers plant can reveal opportunities for both sides to make savings. As Andy Sutton explains, all it needs is for someone to make the right inquiries. Its elementary.Why are so many companies missing out on possible savings with their suppliers? Its because their procurement strategies are misguided.The most crucial element of any cost-optimisation programme is finding out what is happening on a suppliers shop floor. But a recent survey of 162 top managers, commissioned by Bain & Companys supply chain management practice, showed that only seven per cent of businesses track the supply chain performance at their vendors, logistics providers, distributors and customers. Unfortunately, purchasing professionals are rarely trained how to spot inefficiencies and cost-reduction opportunities when they are on a factory tour. Consequently, the visit to a supplier frequently ends up being little more than an interesting distraction for buyers, and an chance for suppliers to show off their latest kit.As a result, both miss the chance to identify the telltale signs that would allow them to unearth further cost savings. But by following five simple universally applicable guidelines on a supplier tour, these hidden gems can easily be revealed.1. Read the notice boardsThe world of manufacturing has changed significantly in the past 10-20 years, and there is now a strong emphasis on internal communication and informing the workforce how the business is performing. So take time to read the notice boards when youre walking around the suppliers premises - you will often find statistics relating to productivity, reject rates and costs.One manufacturer of an own-label drink we toured with a client was reluctant to divulge the component costs of the final product. By studying a shop-floor board, the buyer found a notice telling the workforce the consequences of wasting bottles, tops and syrup - together with their costs. They recognised that the supplier was not getting the best price for tops, which spurred the supplier into addressing the problem.2. Take colleagues with youGet together with them before you visit the supplier and agree the questions that you need answers to. When you arrive at the factory for the tour, split up and ask different people the same questions. Afterwards, compare your answers; you may be surprised, and even enlightened, by what you have discovered.Above all, make sure you spend time with the firms production manager. They are usually in a better position to tell you about the reality of how your products are made; account managers all too often simply tell you what you want to hear.We did this on a visit to one own-label food product manufacturer. The supplier made ready meals, of which one ingredient was broccoli. One of the suppliers employees said the broccoli was supplied fresh throughout the year, as specified. Another said it was fresh all the time, apart from a particular season when it was frozen.The latter was true. This proved highly significant, as consumer research showed no perceptible difference in quality or taste in the ready meal whether fresh or frozen broccoli was used. Production was therefore switched to using only the cheaper frozen broccoli, which led to an annual cost saving of 50,000.3. Speak to the workforceThe people on a suppliers production line can provide unique insights into the business and how it operates. A great question to ask is: You must come across all sorts of problems on a daily basis. If you had a magic wand, what would you change? When one buyer asked this question at a coffee manufacturer, they were repeatedly told what a hassle it was to set up the production line for their shape of jar. Again, consumer research solved the problem by showing that although the jar was great for the relaunch of this own-label coffee, consumers would welcome the original jars return. The resultant change back saved 170,000 a year.4. Reject the royal tourIf a supplier knows you are coming, they will naturally make sure that the production areas are spotless and everything is running smoothly. But accepting this controlled environment can lead to a lost opportunity to look for signs of what is really going on.Insist that your walk includes the parts of the facility that deal with raw materials and finished goods. It is highly likely that the area for the latter is spick-and-span, but not necessarily the area where goods come in. Here you can check to see what stock levels are like. Are there any perishable goods that are close to going out of date? Are the stocks running low? If so, there could be issues with availability.Make sure you also walk the furthest reaches of the building. Thats where you might find redundant plant or rejects. It can help to give you a feel for how organised your supplier is.While walking the edge of a building of one clothing supplier, we found some pristine surplus packaging equipment. The supplier had bought it for a promotion for another client that never went ahead. The buyer on the visit negotiated a deal that led to the supplier being able to gain some return on its otherwise redundant equipment, while our client benefited from a successful promotion at limited cost.5. Ask open questionsWhen touring a supplier, the onus is on the buyer to understand everything that could have a cost impact. It is unlikely the supplier will volunteer this information unless asked.Using questions containing who, what, where, when, why or how, means a respondent has to give an explanation beyond yes or no. Open questions also help to avoid preconceptions. What happens here? is better than Is this where you mix it?Keep asking questions until you are satisfied that you have got the answer you are looking for. On a tour of another ready-meal manufacturer, our supermarket client found someone had to wipe away splashes of sauce from the lip before being sealed. They asked why, and were told it was necessary because the lid would not stick unless the lip was clean. Why did the sauce splash onto the lip? Because the dish was too small for the portion. Why were they using a dish that was too small? Because the client had rationalised the sizes of its tray range.This time, the inefficiency was down to the purchasin