East West Manufacturing Blog

Studies by Planning Perspectives, Inc. (PPI), determined a causal link between a company’s profitability and the quality of the relationships it has with its suppliers. Dr. John W. Henke, Jr., president and CEO of PPI, specializes in studying OEM buyer/supplier relationships in the automotive and 17 other industries. His company publishes an...

I have this image of a sourcing manager talking to a supplier with the conversation going something like this, “I don’t have extruded aluminum right now, but what I do have are a very particular set of skills; skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let me have the aluminum that...

You’ve found your new manufacturing services provider! YAY!

But that manufacturer is only as good as its weakest link. It’s up to you to know all about the companies supplying your manufacturer. It’s time for supplier evaluations, and we've got a list of questions for a supplier evaluation checklist.

Lower cost. That's the goal of every sourcing or procurement manager, right? Well, it's certainly one goal. But how is cost measured? How great is a cheaper part or component if you can't get it on time or it isn't up to spec? 

Hey, we get it. No one, NO ONE, likes to wait. But there are ways to mitigate the potential delays in ordering electronic assemblies containing long lead time (LLT) components.