Читать книгу Exploring Advanced Manufacturing Technologies - Steve Krar - Страница 14
ОглавлениеINTERNET SOURCING PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
(Steve Krar, Consultant – Kelmar Associates)
The world of manufacturing has undergone tremendous changes since the introduction of numerical control (NC) for machine tools in the late 1950s. In the past 40 years we have seen the introduction of CNC (computer numerical control) machining and turning centers, EDM (electro discharge machining), lasers, robots, and countless of other developments. These modern machines and processes increase productivity, produce high-quality goods, and lower manufacturing costs.
During the last two decades, manufacturing technology and especially advances in machine tools restored the competitive power of the United States as a world-class producer of durable goods.
MANUFACTURING COSTS
Every company must constantly work to improve product quality, increase productivity, and reduce manufacturing costs. This is a never-ending process and the manufacturing professional must apply the lessons learned through experience to develop practical solutions to keep ahead of the competition. To compete successfully, it is important to look at all phases of a manufacturing operation in order to reduce waste and lower costs. This involves departments such as product design and development, engineering, accounting, purchasing, manufacturing, and marketing.
SOURCING FOR GOODS AND SERVICES
One of the functions of a purchasing department is to provide the manufacturing operation with the raw materials, tools, and equipment required to produce a product. The critical elements in Just-In-Time (JIT) manufacturing has introduced many changes to the way purchasing departments operate. With JIT they are responsible for finding suppliers of the best quality goods and services, at the lowest price, and the reliable delivery of these as required.
High technology has brought tremendous changes to manufacturing operations, but until recently seemed to have bypassed the purchasing department. There are now a few companies that have developed computer-based technology that help a purchasing department quickly source its requirements with a wide variety of suppliers nationally and globally.
Those who recognize the tools of tomorrow and learn to use them today, assure themselves of a share in tomorrow’s prosperity.
The suppliers pay an annual fee for being listed while there is no cost for accessing this site for the purchasing department (buyer).
ManufacturingQuote, Inc.
ManufacturingQuote.com, the Web-based marketplace, is one of the leaders in the field that connects job shops with companies purchasing custom services. This easy-to-use, secure service is a Win/Win for both buyers and sellers looking to improve their bottom line, grow their business, and reduce the total bidding process to days. They are able to put the buyer in touch with a suitable supplier within the country or throughout the world. They provide web marketplaces for buying and selling custom, made-to-order, and engineered-to-order manufacturing goods and services.
Services Required
Customers at mfgquote.com do not need any special equipment or software other than a personal computer with Internet access and a modem. Even the smallest manufacturer or job shop usually has at least one computer, meaning that the initial setup to access the Web site is often very low or at no cost. Those who have used this service have found that it is fast and reduces the bidding process to days while saving money.
Two distinct business processes are addressed with the toolsets offered by ManufacturingQuote.com.
▪Buyers of manufacturing products and services receive value from the time they start their search to outsource goods and services to the point at which they decide to do business with the best supplier.
▪Suppliers optimize their sales and marketing efforts by automating traditional strategies in an online marketplace.
APPLICATION OF THE TECHNOLOGY
Both participants (buyer and supplier) in the marketplaces are in a Win/Win situation. The buyer has access to a much wider selection of suppliers in order to comparison shop for products and services. The supplier has the opportunity to expand their customer base for its products and services.
Buyer – The marketplace participant that desires to source and/or purchase manufacturing goods and services. A buyer posts Requests for Quotes (RFQs).
Buyer Advantage
ManufacturingQuote.com provides a solution to Buyers of custom manufacturing services who:
▪want to accurately source in less time.
▪have difficulty locating contract manufacturing companies (suppliers) outside their existing base of Suppliers that can perform faster and at lower cost.
▪need to reduce turn-time.
▪wish to optimize the purchasing department by streamlining comparison shopping.
▪would like to spread work over multiple Suppliers to reduce risks.
▪struggle with compatibility of engineering data between their software and their Supplier’s software (data translation).
Supplier – The marketplace participant that desires to quote or bid on a buyer’s RFQ. The supplier is typically an individual responsible for sales in a company that offers manufacturing goods and services.
Supplier Advantage
ManufacturingQuote.com provides a solution to Suppliers of custom manufacturing services who:
▪would like to expand their sales and marketing.
▪are normally dependent on a few customers.
▪are limited by geographic boundaries.
▪have recurring workloads.
▪are unable to focus on higher margins that could be realized from locating work that best matches their expertise, equipment, and capacity.
▪lack suitable tools to manage outstanding quotations.
▪struggle with compatibility of engineering data between their software and their customers’ software (data translation).
SUPPLIER FUNCTIONALITY
Job-Bots
The first step of the process for suppliers is to create a “Job-Bot”. The Job-Bot is a virtual representation of a supplier’s line of business, Fig. 1-4-1.
The supplier tells the Job-Bot to search for RFQs that were created by a buyer in a specific industry, for a specific area of manufacturing that fall within a range of unit quantities required to be delivered before or after a range of dates.
▪The Job-Bot begins to collect only RFQs in the marketplace that match the standard defined by the supplier.
▪This assures that suppliers will not have to sort through RFQs that are not applicable to their business.
Job-Bot – an automated search engine, created by suppliers, to find RFQs (Request For Quotations) in a ManufacturingQuote.com marketplace that best match a supplier’s expertise and capacity.
Fig. 1-4-1 The Job-Bot Wizard guides the user through the process of creating a Job-Bot. (ManufacturingQuote, Inc.)
▪The bidding process will then be organized inside the Job-Bot so that the supplier can manage related quotes associated with the Job-Bot’s line of business, obtaining sales and profitability indications.
▪Suppliers manage Job-Bots in the “Job-Bot Management List”.
•This provides a summary of the activity in each Job-Bot.
•They can sort the list by any of the column headers, have quick access to the RFQs and Quotes within each Job-Bot.
▪The Job-Bot list identifies which Job-Bots have grabbed new RFQs and new messages, as well as identifying accepted, rejected, or outstanding quotes for inside the Job-Bot.
•The list also tells the supplier if the Job-Bot is running or has been suspended.
•The supplier has the option to suspend a Job-Bot if that line of business is at full capacity and the supplier wishes to temporarily stop receiving RFQs.
Aside from offering convenient organization tools, the Job-Bot delivers valuable measures of sales and profitability. At any point in time, Suppliers can view the “Job-Bot” summary and obtain a Won/Loss analysis of their quoting. They can also see a summary of the RFQs in the Job-Bot, indicating opportunity that is imminent in the marketplace for that line of business.
VIEWING REQUEST FOR QUOTES (RFQS)
Once inside the Job-Bot, suppliers obtain a list of the RFQs the Job-Bot has collected. The list provides a snapshot view of the RFQ opportunity and offers easy access to RFQ details in a manageable interface. The list also indicates the suppliers quoting activity for each RFQ.
Request For Quote (RFQ)– an electronic document that defines what, when, where, and how a buyer wishes to purchase manufacturing goods and services. Quote - an electronic document, created by suppliers and delivered to buyers as a response to a RFQ
The supplier has one mouse click access to the RFQ Details from the RFQ list.
▪The RFQ displays all the specifications the buyer has defined, including part name, number and description, as well as payment terms, delivery information and any file attachments that further describe the job.
▪File attachments are usually in the format of generic CAD data. The RFQ details provide links to shareware CAD data viewers depending on the file format type.
▪The RFQ Details is also the point in which suppliers can cooperate in the marketplace.
SUPPLIER/BUYER COLLABORATION
Suppliers often play an important role in the design of a product for manufacturability. ManufacturingQuote.com provides a Messaging System that allows buyers and suppliers to communicate on both technical and pricing issues during the sourcing. This system is similar to an online bulletin board and captures threads of communication. Suppliers and buyers can communicate one-on-one or buyers can post messages for suppliers to read.
QUOTING
Upon reviewing the RFQ details, MfgQuote.com will guide suppliers through the quoting process.
1.The Quote Wizard, Fig. 1-4-2, is dynamically created based upon the buyer-specificied RFQ information. For example, if the buyer specifies that his company will pay for the cost of shipping, the Shipping Charges form field will not be displayed in the Quote Wizard.
2.After the quote is submitted, MfgQuote.com sends it to the buyer and email notifications are mailed out.
3.Suppliers can manage all of their outstanding quotes directly on the RFQ. If the buyer rejects the first or second quote, the supplier will have access to those quotes and can reference them for future quoting.
BUYER FUNCTIONALITY
Projects
ManufacturingQuote.com gives buyers of custom manufacturing services the ability to organize their profile using projects. Typically, a purchasing agent obtains goods and services that are associated with some activity within the company. These actvities are usally organized in projects.
Fig. 1-4-2 The Quote Wizard is created based on the buyer’s specifications on the RFQ information. (ManufacturingQuote, Inc.)
Project – an organization binder that Buyers createto manage and distribute related RFQs..
The first step for a buyer is to create a project by specifying a project name, budget and invitation list.
Invitation List
The invitation list, Fig. 1-4-3 allows the Buyer to specifiy a set of standards (criteria) that Suppliers must meet in order to view RFQs that are created within a project. Currently, the criteria factors are the supplier’s employee size, quality certifications, and geographic location by state and country.
Buyers can create one or more projects and simultaneously manage all of them at one time.
▪Once a project has been created, the buyer can begin creating RFQs.
▪The RFQs are managed inside the project in a list similar to what suppliers would see.
▪The list can be filtered and sorted to provide quick access to specific RFQs.
▪The list also indicates new messages and quotes, and whether or not RFQs are being looked at by suppliers.
▪If an RFQ has not been looked at or quoted on, the buyer might want to speed up the sourcing process by changing the RFQ for clarity or using offline methods.
RFQ WIZARD
RFQs are created using the RFQ Wizard. The Wizard guides the buyer through the process, confirming data and checking for conflicting information, Fig. 1-4-4. It is impossible for a buyer to create a RFQ that contains contradicting data. Table 1-4-1 lists the data that the buyer can define to eliminate errors in RFQs.
Fig. 1-4-3 The Invitation List allows the buyer to specify a set of standards that suppliers must meet. (ManufacturingQuote, Inc.)
Fig. 1-4-4 The RFQ Wizard guides the buyer through the process of posting RFQs. (ManufacturingQuote, Inc.)
BUYER COLLABORATION
Like suppliers, buyers can collaborate on MfgQuote.com using a Messaging System that is built directly on the RFQ. The messaging system looks similar to any online Bulletin Board, allowing individuals to communicate in threads. Buyers can send a message to a specific supplier or post a message for all suppliers to view.
| Information | Description |
| Part Number | The number in which the buyer references the part. |
| Part Name | The name in which the buyer references the part. |
| RFQ Close Date | The date in which quoting will automatically stop. |
| RFQ Description | Text description of the part or special instructions to the suppliers. |
| Manufacturing Discipline | Type of manufacturing process desired to manufacture the part. |
| Delivery Date | The date the job is requested to be delivered to the specified delivery location. |
| Delivery Location (Postal Code) | The location where the part must be delivered |
| Quantity | The number of parts in the job. |
| Material Provider (Buyer or Supplier) | Who provides the material. |
| CAD Format (For attached file) | What type of data the file attachments are. |
| Freight Cost (Buyeror Supplier) | Who pays for freight. |
| Certification Requirements | Any quality certifications the buyer requires of the supplier. |
| Payment Terms | Payment terms for this RFQ. |
| Down Payment | Down payment for this RFQ. |
| Target Price | The price at which the buyer defines as a target for what the buyer is willing to pay. |
| Option To Display Target Price | Option to let suppliers know what the target price is or that one has even been set |
| Option to automatically reject quotes above target price | Option to automatically rejects quote that are delivered above the target price. |
| Automatic Rejection Email Message | The message that would be delivered to the supplier upon his/her quote being automatically rejected. |
| File Attachments | The buyer can upload directly from his/her computer to ManufacturingQuote.com any data that would further define the job. |
Table 1-4-1 Buyer Information
The messaging system also addresses RFQ revisions. If a buyer attempts to edit an RFQ, certain modifications will force a retraction and create a new RFQ number based upon the old one. The messaging system will capture these changes and post a new message outlining the revisions.
Collaboration is a critical process that ManufacturingQuote.com has attempted to address. As mentioned before, suppliers play a significant role in the design of a product for manufacturability. The interaction between buyer and supplier does not necessarily begin after the check is in the mail, but during the sourcing process.
The type of dialogue that could take place using the messaging system is a buyer engaging in a price negotiation or a supplier explaining that if the buyer enlarges a certain radius, the supplier could use a different machine with less overhead to manufacture the part.
QUOTING
As suppliers begin to quote the buyer’s RFQ, a Quote List develops, Fig. 1-4-5. The Quote List is easily accessible to the buyer for a RFQ in a project. The list, which can be sorted and filtered, summarizes the quotes that have been submitted and only the buyer has access to the quotes.
▪The buyer can reject multiple quotes at one time using the batch rejection functionality, or click to view the quote details.
•The details show the buyer exactly how the supplier has constructed the quote.
•It itemizes information such as material costs, engineering costs and tooling costs.
▪The buyer can send a message to the supplier directly from the quote.
•The message will only be delivered to the supplier who submitted the quote.
▪At this point, the buyer can either accept or reject the quote.
•If the buyer accepts the quote, the RFQ will automatically close and all other quotes will be automatically rejected.
•In both senarios, the buyer can send a message to the supplier indicating the next step.
Fig. 1-4-5 Buyers can quickly compare incoming quotes in the Quote List. (ManufacturingQuote, Inc.)
NDA FUNCTIONALITY
New to MfgQuote.com is NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement) functionality. Buyers have the ability to upload their company’s NDA to MfgQuote.com. The NDA becomes an essential part of their profile, which they can change at any time.
While completing the RFQ wizard, the buyer is asked if they want to enable the NDA for that particular RFQ. If the buyer chooses YES, suppliers must read and accept the NDA before they have access to the RFQ’s file attachments. A red padlock illustrates that the file attachments are inaccessible until the NDA is agreed to, and once agreed to, the padlock turns green.
ManufacturingQuote.com has the ability to track the suppliers who have accepted NDAs. If there is a concern or dispute, users can call ManufacturingQuote.com to obtain more information on the history of the RFQ in the system.
PROJECT SUMMARY
A benefit of organizing RFQs in projects is realized in the Project Summary.
1.The summary calculates high-level information with regards to the status of the project, Fig. 1-4-6.
2.The buyer has access to real-time measurement of when the project will close, what the variance from target budget is, estimated completion, and an overview of how many RFQs are outstanding.
3.The information supplied in the summary is the type of data that purchasing managers are requiring of their agents.
Fig. 1-4-6 The Project Summary calculates high-level information for the buyers and managers. (ManufacturingQuote, Inc.)
The ManufacturingQuote.com MARKETPLACE
One line of business for ManufacturingQuote.com is ManufacturingQuote.com’s own marketplace. The proprietary (exclusive) technology has been applied to a marketplace that is branded with www.MfgQuote.com.
This marketplace, created around a subscription based revenue model, has two levels of service: Basic and Premium. Basic service is a separation of the functions offered in Premium, allowing buyers to post RFQs, but not manage them with projects or set target prices. With this model, Buyers can post RFQs for free and suppliers pay for an annual subscription.
PRIVATE LABELED MARKETPLACES
ManufacturingQuote.com has a second line of business where other companies and organizations can co-brand the technology to offer value to their own customer base. The functions work exactly the same and the private labeled version is a doorway into the Global Marketplace.
Global Marketplace – The marketplace that all the ManufacturingQuote.com powered marketplaces tie into.
To the user (buyer and supplier) it is clear what door they came from into the global marketplace. For example, buyers who post a RFQ in the MfgQuote.com marketplace could receive quotes from suppliers that are using a private-labeled version such as the Thomas Regional Directory (www.thomasregional.com).
CORPORATE IMPLEMENTATIONS
A third line of business of ManufacturingQuote.com includes corporate implementations of the technology. The functionality can be used in a stand-alone marketplace, or with access to the Global Marketplace for use by a corporation and its supply chain.
Corporate implementations can be customized to meet specific needs such as reverse auction functionality or unique reporting tools. ManufacturingQuote.com is an ideal solution for a corporation that is experiencing a rapid expansion. A user friendly, Web-based technology eliminates the need to combine different systems and platforms that a company might experience with its purchases.
Corporations will certainly reduce direct and indirect purchasing costs with a ManufacturingQuote.com solution, but will also obtain more control on spending and stronger leverage in sourcing for supply. One corporate customer has already documented a 41% decrease in purchasing costs with ManufacturingQuote.com.
CONCLUSION
▪ManufacturingQuote.com automates business processes, creating a more cost effective and efficient solution for today’s real business problems.
▪Using the correct technology to reduce costs and improve the performance of manufacturing operations is the responsibility of all departments.
▪Helping buyers of custom manufacturing goods and services reduce purchasing costs and providing a forum for suppliers of custom manufacturing goods and services to find new customers is the foundation for the ManufacturingQuote.com business.
▪With private-labeled partners, corporate implementations and its own marketplace, ManufacturingQuote.com will continue to add value to the manufacturing community.
For more information on Internet Sourcing see the Website: www.manufacturingquote.com
