Strategic Sourcing &
Supplier Selection
Supplier Identification: Research and identify potential global and local suppliers capable of manufacturing specialized automotive components.
Request for Quotation (RFQ): Issue RFQs based on engineering drawings, Material Specifications, and Statement of Work (SOW).
Cost Negotiation: Conduct cost breakdowns (material, labor, overheads, margins) to negotiate optimal piece prices and tooling costs.
Supplier Onboarding: Evaluate supplier financial stability, manufacturing capacity, and technical capability alongside Quality teams.
Product Development &
Launch (APQP)
APQP Integration: Participate in the Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) process for current vehicle programs to ensure BOP parts hit target timelines.
Tooling Management: Monitor the fabrication, trial, and approval of supplier-owned tooling and molds.
PPAP Approval Tracking: Coordinate with Supplier Quality Assurance (SQA) to ensure the supplier submits and clears the Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) before mass production.
Supplier Performance &
Relationship Management (SRM)
Performance Monitoring: Review monthly supplier scorecards focusing on OTIF (On-Time In-Full)
delivery and PPM (Parts Per Million) defect rates.
Risk Mitigation: Identify bottleneck suppliers or single-source risks and develop dual-sourcing strategies.
Capacity Audits: Ensure suppliers scale up their production capacity to meet sudden spikes in original equipment manufacturer (OEM) volume forecasts.
Cost Optimization &
Value Engineering
VAVE (Value Analysis/Value Engineering): Collaborate with R&D; and suppliers to redesign components, switch materials, or optimize manufacturing processes to reduce costs without sacrificing quality.
Localization: Transition from imported BOP parts to domestic suppliers to save on logistics costs, tariffs, and lead times.
Contract &
Compliance Management
Long-Term Agreements (LTAs): Formulate and sign LTAs ensuring annual price reduction clauses (productivity givebacks).
Regulatory Compliance: Verify that suppliers adhere to automotive standards like IATF 16949, ISO 14001, and environmental regulations (e.g., REACH/RoHS or IMDS tracking).