Page 246 - The Handbook for Quality Management a Complete Guide to Operational Excellence

232 P r o c e s s C o n t r o l S u p p l y C h a i n M a n a g e m e n t 233

the first shipments, which should be numbered and accompanied by
results of the vendor’s quality inspection and test results. Verify that the
ven dor has correctly checked each important characteristic and that your
results agree, or “correlate” with his. Finally, keep a running history of
quality performance. The best predictor of future good performance
seems to be a record of good performance in the past. If you are a sub-
scriber to GIDEP, the Government Industry Data Exchange Program, you
have access to a wealth of data on many suppliers. (GIDEP subscribers
must also contribute to the data bank.) The Coordinated Aerospace
Supplier Evaluation (CASE) database for the aviation industry is another
useful resource. If relevant to your application, these compilations of the
experience and audits of a large number of companies can be a real money-
and time-saver.

Vendor Quality Planning

Vendor quality planning involves efforts directed toward preventing
quali ty problems, appraisal of product at the vendor’s plant as well as
at the buyer’s place of business, corrective action, disposition of non-
conforming merchan dise, and quality improvement. The process usually
begins in earnest after a particular source has been selected. Most pre-
award evaluation is general in nature; after the vendor has been selected
it is time to get down to the detailed level.
A first step in the process is the transmission of the buyer’s require-
ments to the vendor. Even if the preliminary appraisal of the vendor’s capa-
bility indicated that the vendor could meet your requirements, it is important
that the requirements be studied in detail again before actual work begins.
Close con tact is required between the buyer and the vendor to ensure that
the require ments are clearly understood. The vendor’s input should be
solicited; could a change in requirements help them produce better-quality
parts?
Next it is necessary to work with the vendor to establish procedures for
inspection, test, and acceptance of the product. How will the product be
inspected? What workmanship standards are to be applied? What in-pro-
cess testing and inspection are required? What level of sampling will be
employed? These and similar questions must be answered at this stage. It is
good practice to have the first few parts completely inspected by both the
vendor and the buyer to ensure that the vendor knows which features must
be checked as well as how to check them. The buyer may want to be at the
vendor’s facility when production first begins.
Corrective action systems must also be developed. Many companies
have their own forms, procedures, etc., for corrective action. If you want
your sys tem to be used in lieu of the vendor’s corrective action system,
the vendor must be notified. Bear in mind that the vendor may need

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