Your supplier relationships significantly affect your business success. The research proves it:
- “Companies focused on Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) lead their peers five to one in terms of value derived from their supply base” (source: Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply).
- Companies with strong supplier relationship management “generate higher profits, innovate more effectively, and are better able to manage risk” (source: State of Flux).
Traditional approaches measure success by a very narrow rubric that considers tactical performance metrics almost exclusively. This neglects the big-picture view and the relationship part of supplier relationship management.
For your business to grow, you need suppliers that support your company and its future.
With that in mind, here are three steps to creating a great relationship with your blow molding supplier.
Step 1. Know what you want
A true partnership can help you save money, streamline product designs, and improve production efficiency. A stellar blow molder will be able to provide valuable information to guide your decision-making, help you see coming market trends, and anticipate changes in global supply patterns that may affect your processes.
To develop a strong relationship, you need to know what you want from the start. Here are some things to consider in choosing a blow molder:
- Do they have the proper equipment? Consider machine size, the number of machines that fit your product, and processes that meet your needs.
- Are they experienced in the kinds of processes you need? Have they produced products similar to yours before?
- Do you need a supplier that can incorporate blow molding with other production techniques?
- What quality assurances do they have in place?
- Where do they source their plastics? How does this impact your cost-per-unit?
- Do you need a blow molding supplier that can produce your entire product on-site?
- What are their delivery procedures and timeframes? What is their turnaround estimate?
- Do they work with recycled materials?
- What are their safeguards against delay?
- What is their overall customer satisfaction rate?
- What is their company culture? Does it sync with yours?
Check out our full list of Questions to Ask a Blow Molder to make sure you know what your ideal supplier looks like.
Step 2: Set clear KPIs
Part of being involved and connected to your blow molding supplier is continually monitoring the project’s progress and adherence to goals.
Here are some key performance indicators for blow molding:
- Product quality
- Cost-per-unit
- On-time delivery performance against agreed delivery lead times
- Delivery accuracy
- Service quality
- Response time to inquiries, rescheduling, order status, etc.
Communicate your expectations around these KPIs from the very beginning and agree with your supplier about how you will measure them.
Step 3: Conduct a post-project evaluation
Mostly likely, your blow molding experience won’t be a one-off. Instead, you’ll be setting a process and a standard that your company will return to every time you need blow molded products in the future.
As soon as a project ends, take the time to evaluate how it went.
- Does the final product meet your expectations?
- Did the process go as you expected?
- Did the supplier meet all of the KPIs you identified in Step 2?
- Do you have any questions?
Schedule some time to discuss the project with your supplier. This will help you address any outstanding issues and also tighten up your process for the next time.
As a leading blow molding supplier, we know that your success feeds our success. That’s why we’re not just a vendor — we’re a partner. Contact us to learn more about working with Custom-Pak.