supplier quality assurance

Definition

Confidence in a supplier's ability to deliver a good or service that will satisfy the customer's needs. Achievable through interactive relationship between the customer and the supplier, it aims at ensuring the product's 'fit' to the customer's requirements with little or no adjustment or inspection. The US quality guru Joseph Moses Juran (born 1904 in Romania ) divides the supplier quality assurance process into nine steps: (1) definition of the product's quality requirements, (2) evaluation of alternative suppliers. (3) selection of the most appropriate supplier, (4) conduction of joint quality planning, (5) cooperation during relationship period, (6) validation of conformance to requirements, (7) certification of qualified suppliers, (8) conduction of quality improvement plans, (9) creation and use of supplier ratings.