Reduce the Supply Base Develop Strategic Long-Term Partners Manage Suppliers with Commodity Teams Certify Suppliers Connect to Suppliers with Internet Technologies

• Use cross-functional teams to certify suppliers
• Create and use a certification process that challenges suppliers and makes them proud to be certified
• Ensure that the certification process contains exactly those criteria that are important to your company
• Recognize certified suppliers publicly
• Award plaques

• Do not certify or use a system that is not considered relevant by the supplier
• Have too many suppliers to do certifications or do them properly

• Lets the supplier know your standards
• Makes the supplier proud
• Makes the supplier strive to please your company
• Produces better suppliers, cutting mistakes and confusion to create leaner operations

"But quality has reemerged as a critical issue because of the rapid development of Internet links among companies. Quality is no longer the concern of just a single factory but of whole supply chains. As companies outsource more of their work, they need to take increasing care to make sure their partners measure up on quality', says Michael J. Burkett, a senior analyst at Boston's AMR Research Inc., a manufacturing consultant." - The Web of Quality, Business Week, June 26, 2000