Study
Success in Securing New Business in the Supplier Industry Through Quality and Reliability in 2012
Initial situation
Reliability management in the supplier industry (automotive, commercial vehicles, and agricultural machinery) faces a wide range of challenges in today’s economic climate. Increasing demands on the safety and reliability of end products stem from rising customer expectations. Complex designs, a wide variety of products, and shorter development and production cycles are the key factors influencing product quality in the supplier industry. Consequently, companies must calculate risks such as warranty and guarantee costs. In times of increasing competition in the supplier industry, the sales department in particular is called upon to identify the right levers for successful business development with OEMs. Quality and reliability play a key role in customer perception.
Objective
The aim of the study is to identify differences and best practices that are critical to quality assurance within the value chain of the surveyed companies. The study seeks to identify key differences between supplier companies and cross-industry opportunities for optimization that can improve their market positioning and increase their success in winning contracts with OEMs.
The focus here is on examining the extent to which sales activities (B2B) can be supported by professional quality assurance. In addition, specific differences among OEMs with regard to suppliers can be identified.
