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Managing Supplier Relationships beyond Strategic Sourcing

for Manufacturing Business Technology

7/21/2009

High profile news stories about tainted or unsafe toys, food, computers, and pharmaceuticals point to a  problem every manufacturer faces: managing suppliers. Companies can suffer immeasurable brand damage when a supplier's quality slips, not to mention the more concrete costs of recalls, customer alerts, and lawsuits.

As industry networks stretch beyond traditional regional boundaries and companies seek to limit travel, differences in communication styles and culture will only increase these risks. Strategic sourcing is a critical start to a supplier relationship, but it is not nearly sufficient. Once a supplier is selected, the ongoing work of monitoring and helping improve their performance and practices begins.


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