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01 — Competencies

Supplier Quality Management

Create transparency across your supplier base, reduce complaints, and safeguard your certifications.

Every complaint, every line stoppage, and every round of rework caused by a defective supplier already costs you money today – usually significantly more than a structured supplier quality management system would cost. This is exactly where this topic comes in. You gain transparency over your critical suppliers before a problem reaches you, replacing costly case-by-case fixes with clear, lean approval and escalation processes.

The economic effect is usually felt quickly. Avoided cost of poor quality, fewer special freight shipments, and less coordination effort between purchasing, quality, and suppliers typically outweigh the consulting investment many times over. The effort required on your side remains manageable. Depending on your starting position, the entry point ranges from a status assessment lasting a few weeks to ongoing support on an annual cycle.

At the same time, a robust SQM system safeguards your certifications to ISO 9001, IATF 16949, and VDA 6.3, and strengthens your position with customers who increasingly demand their own evidence of supplier management.

Orientation for machine and plant builders

When the Purchase Price Is Right but the Plant Budget Tips Anyway

What do purchasing, engineering and quality need to clarify before the order is placed so that a low quote becomes an economical purchase? Using the fictitious order AP-06, an explainer video (in German) shows the way from the risk assessment to the cost balance.

View: Supplier Quality Management - Orientation for Machine and Plant Builders
Modular Structure

Three stages, independently bookable

1

Status Assessment

SQM maturity analysis & risk assessment
  • Maturity of existing processes
  • Risk classification of the supplier base
  • Prioritized roadmap
2

Build-Up & Implementation

Processes, tools & supplier development
  • Approval process, PPAP/APQP
  • Core tools & scorecards
  • Escalation & development process
3

Full Service

Ongoing supplier management
  • On-site supplier audits
  • Escalation & complaint management
  • Reporting & reviews

Each stage can be commissioned independently and covers one part of the supplier lifecycle.

The entry point depends on your specific starting situation. Building a new SQM system usually starts at stage 1; an existing system with urgent needs (e.g. a rise in complaints, critical suppliers) often starts directly at stage 2 or 3.

In Detail

The three modules in detail

Goal, target group, and service components of each module — each module can be commissioned independently.

01

Module 1: Status Assessment

Goal

SQM maturity analysis & risk assessment — creating transparency across your supplier base and processes.

Target group

Companies building up their supplier quality management from scratch, professionalizing it, or wanting a fundamental review following quality issues — complaints, field failures, audit findings.

Service components

  • Kick-off workshop to capture the supplier portfolio, procurement strategy, and existing SQM processes/tools
  • Maturity analysis of existing processes against IATF 16949 (clause 8.4, control of externally provided processes) and relevant VDA requirements or other standards
  • Risk classification of the supplier base (A/B/C suppliers) by quality, criticality, and delivery performance
  • Analysis of existing complaint and escalation cases, including recurring weak points and root causes
  • Management presentation with a prioritized action plan for building up or expanding the SQM system
02

Module 2: Build-Up & Implementation

Goal

Building processes, core tools, and supplier development across the entire lifecycle.

Target group

Companies that want to build or professionalize their SQM processes across the supplier lifecycle — selection, approval, series support — in a structured way.

Service components

  • Building/optimizing the supplier selection and approval process (potential analysis, initial sample inspection/PPAP, APQP support)
  • Introducing or sharpening core tools across the supply chain (FMEA, control plan, SPC, MSA)
  • Building a supplier evaluation system with scorecards and KPIs (PPM, delivery performance, audit score)
  • Developing an escalation and supplier development process, including action tracking (8D, root cause analysis)
  • Training purchasing, Supplier Quality Engineering (SQE), and quality assurance staff
  • Preparing and conducting supplier audits per VDA 6.3 (potential analysis, process audit)
03

Module 3: Full Service

Goal

Managing, monitoring, and continuously developing supplier quality on an ongoing basis.

Target group

Companies with an existing SQM system that need ongoing operational support, on-site supplier audits, or systematic escalation management for critical suppliers.

Service components

  • Conducting on-site supplier audits (VDA 6.3 process/potential analysis, system-oriented audits)
  • Managing the escalation process for critical suppliers (delivery blocks, special releases, requalification)
  • Ongoing complaint and corrective action management, including effectiveness verification (8D, 5-Why, Ishikawa)
  • Regular supplier reporting and reviews (supplier meetings, scorecards, escalation levels)
  • Supporting resourcing/multi-sourcing decisions from a quality perspective
  • Integrating digital standards for data exchange across the supply chain

Does this topic fit your situation?

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