7.4 Purchasing

The Purchasing process plays a strategic importance for any organization, for the creation and development of projects ranging from the efficiency of the office until you get to implement real strategies of supply.

” Let us reflect carefully before you move, the player who first knows the strategies ” ( Sun Tzu , IV century BC)

Primary importance for a fluid of the project and the relationship with suppliers, through their actions they will compete for the line with the expectations of the end customer , while maintaining the highest levels of quality expected in a cost / benefit cost for both.

Nowadays business organizations tend to give out the prevalence of non-strategic assets that were previously carried out in order to increasing competition and a reduction in operating costs.

Then through a careful selection of suppliers the organization tends to achieve even better performance in terms of new technologies, more and more competitive prices but maintaining if not improving the intrinsic quality of the product / service always aiming to a greater reduction in lead time order / delivery and material lying in stock in a synthesis optimization at 360 ° of the entire warehouse logistics ; exceedingly can be understood as ” providers ” also some internal processes of the organization , such as engineering, manufacturing , or any other department commitments organizational resources .

But then what is the critical phase in the Purchasing process?

The planning

This activity aims to optimize all phases of minimum stocks , prices and deliveries so on.

But then what is the main objective to pursue the Buyer with a capital ……..

Quality, quality of purchased product that has always , however, a relapse is directly proportional to the quality of the finished product .

” Consumers are looking for quality and value , set standards of acceptability of products and services , expressing an opinion to the sound of dollars”Ronald Reagan ( former U.S. President )

No supplier is identical to one another and to price that is often seen as the only reference of the evaluation, but in reality there are skills and abilities that ARE the delta which is the difference in price.

The excessive reduction in cost of material supplied can expose problems in the client who may have been underestimated in the process of risk analysis ……… loss of loyalty , suits for damages and anything more pessimistic way to go to thinking.

“Sometimes you can improve the quality by cutting costs but often you can cut costs by improving the quality “Karl Albrecht

But which path then the organization must take in order to avoid all these possible problems ?

Carefully evaluate suppliers that are going to select for the realization of the project.

a) Approval of the asset , procedures , processes and resources;

b ) Qualification of personnel processes and formats ;

c ) requirements of the quality management system of the organization.

Nothing must be left to chance ; planning strategy will be crucial to be able to control any risks.