Integrating design metrics within the early supplier selection process

It has been found from the contemporary research in the fields of supply chain management and concurrent engineering that significant benefits can be achieved if suppliers are involved in product development. However, recent investigations in manufacturing industries have revealed that early supplier involvement in the design process is not widely practiced. One issue is the lack of an appropriate customer-supplier interface to assess the suitability of suppliers with reference to design criteria. This paper proposes a mechanism for evaluating supplier involvement during product development. The assessment tool includes four types of distinctive indices to measure supplier involvement in the design process, namely: Satisfaction Index, Flexibility Index, Risk Index, and Confidence Index. These indices measure the extent to which both the customer requirements and the supplier capabilities match or mismatch and therefore reflect the potential or risk of signing a project contract. The proposed methodology is discussed within a multinational telecommunications company and preliminary analysis indicates that the approach provides an effective mechanism for selecting suppliers involved in the product development process.