Boeing Finds Value in Supplier Assist

Inside Supply Management (Flore) - No matter the size of the organization, supporting a supplier in need is the epitome of being a supply chain partner.

 Service bottlenecks, material availability, engineering, tooling and skilled labor are a few of the many factors that can put a supply chain at risk. Even the most valuable and successful supply streams can experience issues that threaten the build effort at a manufacturing company. Typically, this occurs because a decision is made to change something: Alter the engineering, increase the demand, cut cost or introduce a new system. With hopes of something great, there can be negative results. In extreme situations, change can put such a strain on a supply management organization and its partners that the organization must get involved to maintain the product schedule and support its core business. At The Boeing Company, we call this supplier assist...

The objective of the supplier-assist function is to reduce risk to the critical-path schedule by identifying the root cause of supply interruption, participating in resolution planning and supporting execution with skilled resources to the supplier. Industries besides manufacturing can find value in supplier assist, as well. It is a tool used to resolve supply chain bottlenecks, whether it be a piece of a jet or software for a financial institution. Hat Tip: Supply Chain Brain