- Let’s say I am a purchasing manager looking for a good product to implement in my production of bicycles or any product as a matter of fact. What do I look for in a product if I want my end product to be good, competitive and to have satisfied customers? Is it the price? Is it the design? Is it the material? Is it the smooth talking sales rep?
- Well as a mater of fact all of these factors are important to some extent. But all o these factors don’t matter if you don’t get the same product every time.
- What does this mean ? If the quality of material is different every time, shade of color is different, price changing all of the time, product is performing great and then claims happening with another batch and so on ,you have a bad product in the end and even worse unhappy customers.
- Why do we all love McDonalds and Coca Cola for example. We know that we will get the same product every time and we are prepared to pay double double for this comfort sometimes.
- Everyone who is in production will tell you that the most difficult thing is to make the same product every time. All else is much easier.
- When you are looking for a supplier then you must determine that they have a good stability of process making same product every time, no exceptions!
- When choosing a vendor everyone is asking for price, delivery time and payment terms. But did you ever ask your supplier: How is your stability o process? Honestly after 20 years in trading I have never heard this question.
- So when you are choosing a partner make sure to get to know them, see the factory if possible and make sure they have a stable process in production so that you get the same product every time.
Interesting topic. Should be discussed more.