If you were the Operations Manager of a large volume production operation what characteristics would you like to see in your partnership and relations with your JIT suppliers. How would you measure their performance?

The characteristics that I would like to see in the partnerships and relation with my JIT suppliers are based on the following factors

• Quality: I would like my supplier to provide me with the right and consistent quality supplies so that my production process goes smoothly. If the quality of the supplies I get from my JIT suppliers is not correct, my production process will be delayed and I might lose orders. A characteristics that I would definitely want to see in my partnerships and relations is the value for quality.
• Quantity: As I work on a large scale, the quantity of supplies that I require for my production process is high, I will like to work with suppliers that can easily help me in procuring the right quantity in a specified period of time. If my supplies not able to provide me did the ride quantity of supplies in a given period of time, that means that the particular supplier is not the most appropriate choice for my large scale operations.
• Shipping: The supplier should be able to ship the material to me in a short lead time because my inventory is managed according to the JIT system. If the supplier is not able to ship in time than that supplier is not compatible to my business model.
• Commitment to shared vision: A good team of suppliers will share my vision of providing high quality work to my business partners and will be committed towards creating better relationship with my company. A good supplier will focus on creating strategic alliance with me.

I will measure the performance of my suppliers by

• Determining the quality and consistency of the raw material that they provide me
• analyzing lead time in which the order I place for raw material reaches me
• measuring the unnecessary costs associated with the supplies that I receive from my suppliers
• calculating the number of errors or mistakes in order delivery and handling
• Pricing for inventory

For example: If the lead time is higher and errors in order delivery is high, the performance of the supplier will be poor.