• Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Supplier Directory
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Logout
  • My Profile

  • CORONAVIRUS
  • LOGISTICS
    • Air Cargo
    • All Logistics
    • Express/Small Shipments
    • Facility Location Planning
    • Freight Forwarding/Customs Brokerage
    • Global Gateways
    • Global Logistics
    • Last Mile Delivery
    • Logistics Outsourcing
    • LTL/Truckload Services
    • Ocean Transportation
    • Rail & Intermodal
    • Reverse Logistics
    • Service Parts Management
    • Transportation & Distribution
  • TECHNOLOGY
    • All Technology
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cloud & On-Demand Systems
    • Data Management (Big Data/IoT/Blockchain)
    • ERP & Enterprise Systems
    • Forecasting & Demand Planning
    • Global Trade Management
    • Inventory Planning/ Optimization
    • Product Lifecycle Management
    • Sales & Operations Planning
    • SC Finance & Revenue Management
    • SC Planning & Optimization
    • Sourcing/Procurement/SRM
    • Supply Chain Visibility
    • Transportation Management
  • GENERAL SCM
    • Business Strategy Alignment
    • Education & Professional Development
    • Global Supply Chain Management
    • Global Trade & Economics
    • HR & Labor Management
    • Quality & Metrics
    • Regulation & Compliance
    • SC Security & Risk Mgmt
    • Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility
  • WAREHOUSING
    • All Warehouse Services
    • Conveyors & Sortation
    • Lift Trucks & AGVs
    • Order Fulfillment
    • Packaging
    • RFID, Barcode, Mobility & Voice
    • Robotics
    • Warehouse Management Systems
  • INDUSTRIES
    • Aerospace & Defense
    • Apparel
    • Automotive
    • Chemicals & Energy
    • Consumer Packaged Goods
    • E-Commerce/Omni-Channel
    • Food & Beverage
    • Healthcare
    • High-Tech/Electronics
    • Industrial Manufacturing
    • Pharmaceutical/Biotech
    • Retail
  • REGIONS
    • Asia Pacific
    • Canada
    • China
    • Europe
    • Latin America
    • Middle East/Africa
    • North America
  • THINK TANK
  • PODCASTS
  • VIDEOS
  • WHITEPAPERS
Home » Matching Perfect Suppliers, Buyers Doesn't Have to Be That Difficult

Matching Perfect Suppliers, Buyers Doesn't Have to Be That Difficult

December 18, 2014
SupplyChainBrain

Many companies are expanding U.S. sourcing to keep manufacturing and engineering in close proximity so as to partner more effectively and promote product innovation. At the same time, companies are also shifting to U.S. suppliers for quality, to be closer to customers for increased flexibility, to minimize supply chain disruptions and for faster time to market. However, aligning engineering and production sometimes is easier said than done.

“We’re seeing daily evidence that domestic relationships are being sought out and built,” said Robert Moakler, chief operating officer of Fabricating.com, an online sourcing platform that connects U.S. buyers and suppliers. To illustrate that, he pointed to the experience of Haag Engineering Co., forensic engineers and consultants since 1924.

Haag's engineers specialize in assessing damage and failures in a broad range of areas and disciplines, including aerial lifts, construction cranes and heavy equipment; energy; geo-technical; mechanical engineering and metallurgy; electrical engineering; and structural engineering.

“The company came to us seeking a supplier for an especially tight tolerance they needed to produce a prototype.”

Specifically, finding the perfect supplier, one that could hold a tolerance of one half of a thousandth of an inch, is what brought Haag together with Fabricating.com.

Haag assigned Erica Lee, the company's product and communications manager, the responsibility of finding a high-precision supplier with the ability to meet an extremely tight tolerance of 0.0005 of an inch. The endgame was to manufacture a prototype of their newest design – the Haag Panel and Membrane Gauge.

It quickly became clear to her that not only could Haag’s “go-to” Chinese manufacturer not able to meet the requested tolerances, neither could any of the companies she was cold-calling in the United States.

Unlike other parts sourced in the past, this complex metal fabrication required holding a tolerance of one half of a thousandth of an inch after being heat treated and plated – literally the equivalent of splitting hairs.

Here is how the Haag gauge will be used: When an adjustor or roofing professional suggests replacement roof materials during a damage assessment, they need to know the standard gauge of the original material. Sometimes that information is not readily available from the building owner, so the roofing professional will need to take a measurement of the damaged material.

The Haag Panel and Membrane Gauge includes standardized slots for measuring the widths of steel and aluminum panels as well as single-ply roofing membranes. A magnet is conveniently affixed to the gauge so that the roofing professional will be able to determine whether a metal panel is made of aluminum or steel.

Finding a supplier with the capability to meet Haag's specs was turning out to be significantly more challenging than anyone had anticipated.

After weeks of dead ends, the engineers at Haag found they needed to streamline the supplier discovery process. Finally, they discovered e-sourcing and essentially hit the buyer “easy button” when it was realized that an online marketplace was an accelerated way to expedite finding the U.S.-based supplier with the expertise and the machine assets needed to complete the project.

Within days they found well-qualified suppliers who could hold the required tolerance. The project specs were revised based on handheld guidance from the e-sourcing provider’s customer service team along with extensive feedback from the expert supplier network.

“When the engineers at Haag joined our sourcing platform, they were able to find knowledgeable U.S. contract manufacturers who were proficient in holding the tight tolerances and had the machine assets necessary to meet the precise requirements to get the job done,” Moakler said. “Once the Haag team issued the first RFQ as a registered buyer, the source of their frustrations immediately came into focus. What Haag was asking for was next to impossible, but the manufacturing experts in our network were proactively offering alternative solutions for their consideration.”

Of the many suppliers offering feedback in the e-sourcing network, Chirch Global Manufacturing stood out specifically.

Lee, Haag's project manager, said: “Chirch impressed everyone by working really hard to solve issues that we didn’t know how to manage in terms of the manufacturing. What made this experience even more positive and unusual, is that we had a customer service representative from Fabricating.com walking us through the entire process.”

Suppliers in the e-sourcing network provided samples of past work, suggestions on material and processes and answered questions from the Haag engineers. From there, based on the extensive feedback collected from the supplier network, the Haag team went back to the drawing board and emerged with a revised, more precise RFQ.

Two weeks later, Chirch Global Manufacturing, a contract manufacturer based in Cary, Ill., delivered the prototype into the hands of the Haag engineers. Swift engagement and accurate feedback resulted in Chirch Global being awarded the job.

Chirch's sales manager, Jeremy Hahn, says that a very precise heat-treating was applied to controlled areas within the tool, which ultimately was made out of mid-phos electroless nickel plate, mostly due to the uniformity of the deposit, as the littlest change could make a big difference to the tight tolerances. At a thickness of .0002 of an inch to .0003 of an inch, the metal was baked for three hours at 375 degrees for hydrogen embrittlement relief.

Haag's engineers were fortunate to work with Fabricating.com, Hahn said. “Metal stampers, laser cutters and waterjet guys would never quote this job. For buyers, utilizing this marketplace is like having a pool of resources where they can go and throw all their fish in the water and see who tries to catch it.”

In Hahn's view, the relationship between engineering and production is important: product innovation works best when the two are able to partner effectively.

When manufacturing is moved next to engineering so design engineers can work closely with manufacturers, they can improve the design, eliminate waste, improve quality, increase productivity and make the product more easily – sometimes at a lower cost.

Resilient supply chains require robust relationships between buyers and suppliers that are critical for sustainability, says Moakler. U.S.-based supplier discovery, collaboration and strong buyer/supplier partnerships will have a game-changing impact on procurement in the U.S. and foster an environment for global competitiveness. Discovery, communication and effective collaboration helped facilitate this successful U.S. buyer/supplier relationship and solve a critical issue.

Resource Links:
Haag Engineering
Chirch Global Manufacturing
Fabricating.com

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED VIDEOS

Technology Sourcing/Procurement/SRM Global Supply Chain Management Quality & Metrics Food & Beverage Industrial Manufacturing
KEYWORDS Chirch Global Manufacturing Fabricating.com Food and Beverage Global Supply Chain Management Haag Engineering Industrial Manufacturing online sales Procurement Quality & Metrics sourcing portal Sourcing/Procurement/SCM Supplier Management Supply Chain Management supply chain management: sourcing and procurement solutions supply chain solution Technology
  • Related Articles

    B2B Purchasers Want Their Online Experience to Be Like That of B2C Buyers

    You Have a Contract, But That Doesn't Necessarily protect You from Procurement Fraud

    Time to Recognize that Suppliers Can Help You Be Innovative

  • Related Events

    Post-Pandemic Impacts on Food & Beverage Businesses and How to Ensure Resiliency

SupplyChainBrain

100 Great Supply Chain Partners Issue 2009

More from this author

Wake up to Coronavirus Updates and the latest Supply Chain News!

Subscribe to our Daily Newsletter

Timely, incisive articles delivered directly to your inbox.

Popular Stories

  • Coronavirus-watch-Armada

    Virus Update: Pfizer Plant Cited for Quality Issues; Vaccine Maker Warns of Raw Materials Shortage

    Coronavirus
  • China

    China’s Tech Revolution Aims to Cut Dependence on West

    Technology
  • Walmart

    Walmart Embraces a Local Fulfillment Model for Grocery

    Logistics
  • Shipping Logjam

    U.S. Retailers See Millions in Sales Delays Amid Shipping Logjam

    Coronavirus
  • How Can E-Commerce Retailers Compete?

    Smaller E-Tailers Weigh Pros and Cons of Fulfillment by Amazon

    Logistics

Digital Edition

Scb feb 2021 lg

2021 Supply Chain Management Resource Guide

VIEW THE LATEST ISSUE

Case Studies

  • Remote Implementation: A Dose of the Right Medicine for B2B Pharmacy

  • LSP Saves Customer $1.5 Million a Year With MPO Global Inbound Management

  • Auto Supplier Wows Key Client Using riskmethods Supply Chain Savvy

  • Integrating Shipping and Compliance Saves Conglomerate Millions

  • How a Consumer Goods Giant Upped Its On-Time Delivery Performance

Visit Our Sponsors

6 River Systems ArcBest Armada
aThingz BluJay Burris Logistics
DSC Logistics DCSA (Digital Container Shipping Association) DHL Resilience360
Genpact Geodis GEP
GreyOrange Honeywell Intelligrated Infor
Inmar Kibo Commerce Logility
Magnitude Software MPO Old Dominion
Oliver Wight OpenSky Paccurate
Ports America Purolator QAD Precision
Red Classic Riskmethods Snapfulfil
TGW Systems Tradepoint Atlantic Transportation Insights
Watson Land Company Westfalia Technologies Workjam
Yang Ming    
  • More From SCB
    • Featured Content
    • Video Library
    • Think Tank Blog
    • SupplyChainBrain Podcast
    • Whitepapers
    • Webinars
  • Digital Offerings
    • Digital Issue
    • Subscribe
    • Manage Your Subscription
    • Newsletters
  • Resources
    • Events Calendar
    • SCB's Great Supply Chain Partners
    • Supplier Directory
    • Case Study Showcase
    • Supply Chain Innovation Awards
    • 100 Great Partners Form
  • SCB Corporate
    • Advertise on SCB.COM
    • About Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact Us
    • Data Sharing Opt-Out

All content copyright ©2021 Keller International Publishing Corp All rights reserved. No reproduction, transmission or display is permitted without the written permissions of Keller International Publishing Corp

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing