The quality management of suppliers can be a very difficult but important task to a company that produces a finished good or another component, that is way we present you the information you need to learn how to use the 14 principles of the Toyota way for your supplier quality management. What is The Toyota Way? We tell you below!
What is the Toyota way?
Easily said, is a guide proposed by Jeff Liker to understand the lean approach by the giant of manufacturing, is not a target but more like a direction to achieve goals.
One of these goals can be the assembling od your kits with a Custom Kitting Services with a 3PL for your Industrial Product Kits like the one we offer in A&T for example.
So, what are the 14 principles of the Toyota way?
Well these principles start with a very important point of vision with everything you do, not only in your supplier quality management but your strategic business decisions, and that is basing your strategy in a future vision and not only on the now.
This could also lead to other changes in the way you solve problems in your production, if you are an automotive manufacturer, like corrective errors that lead to a yard inspection for example.
The 14 principles of the Toyota way:
- Long term decisions
- Lean process in your business
- Reduce your inventory to only the needed
- The 3 M’s (Muda, Mura, Muri)
- Stop the production to fix problems first
- Standardize tasks to get employee empowerment
- Use visual boards to follow the production
- Work with only the right technology
- Leaders with the same mindset and philosophy
- Communicate the philosophy to the work teams
- Respect your partners and suppliers
- Supervise it by your own eyes
- Nemawashi decision making
- Hansei and Kaizen learning
Many industries use the benefits of a quality inspector to cover some of these points in their manufacturing processes.
Early supplier involvement
Having your suppliers involved at the beginning of your project can bring a number of benefits. They can help you make sure that:
- The product design is technically possible for them to produce.
- Your quality requirements are practical and achievable for them to meet.
- The supply chain is stable and sustainable, with enough capacity to provide ongoing support in the future.
- And then you will need to know 5 steps to follow when you have a problem with your supplier quality to be prepare in case of emergency.
Long-term partnerships and supplier development
To support your strategy of high-quality products, continuous improvement, and sustainable competitive advantage, Toyota has developed two core principles for managing suppliers: treat suppliers as partners and develop them for the long term.
But also always be prepared to know when to make an audit to your suppliers so you can prevent any issue in the future and save the long term relationship.
These principles are at the heart of the Toyota way for supplier management. Based on a long-term partnership approach to supplier relationships, this approach emphasizes mutual trust and mutual benefit as the key to gaining competitive advantage in today’s global marketplace. The quality of a company’s products depends on suppliers.
A process to repair the errors of not using it
Corrective solutions can be the answer when you don’t know how to use The Toyota Way in your company, but what are these solutions? Well in the automotive industry is pretty common to use Controlled Shipment Contentions on level 1 and 2.
And we can do those types of services and many more for the quality management and control for your company!
