Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1521713
12 SMT007 MAGAZINE I JUNE 2024 The truth is that the largest customer accounts may not be the "best" customers. continue to be more frequent than ever before, so a supplier who makes the EMS company's job easier is likely to receive the first chance at parts orders. Conversely, under these con- ditions, suppliers can be more selective about which customers receive the most responsive service. ese customers are the accounts that exhibit the "best" long-term opportunities for the supplier. So, how do you become the first order they ship? Reliability Just as you need reliable service from your supplier, your supplier will turn first to their most reliable customers. e truth is that the largest customer accounts may not be the "best" custom- ers. To develop a favorable rep- utation with your suppliers, you may need to "sell" your company's story: Help the supplier understand who you are and your mission in business. It's true that rela- tionships matter more than ever before, especially when the unexpected happens. An unexpected event can occur in so many new and surprising ways in the current market. Geopolitical risks, ecological disruptions, and the growing supply chain complexity and dependencies are just some of the ones you cannot control or pre- dict, but to which we must be able to respond. Merely survival has taught us to expect and plan for the unexpected. It all comes down to resiliency and agility. Predictability ere are factors in the supply chain that are not within your control as an EMS com- pany. Component shortages, sudden alloca- tions, or end-of-life announcements are out- side your reach of influence. at doesn't mean you don't have control. What you can control, for example, is sharing detailed demand fore- casts with your suppliers. When your suppli- ers can map shipments to your manufacturing needs, they have the potential ability to serve not only your needs on schedule, but perhaps better serve some other customers as well. As timing changes, your supplier—if they're trust- worthy—will notify you of availability changes that might affect product on your schedule, and work with you to find a workaround. In short, if you want advanced notice of parts issues because you're tired of short shipments to your receiving dock, then share as much accurate forecast data with your account man- ager as you possibly can. Resiliency Resiliency and agility mat- ter more than ever before. Resiliency is the ability to recover from adversity or change. Agility is the abil- ity to move quickly and easily. ere was a time when the default solution to supply issues was to stock the inventory needed to get from one shipment date to the next. It was simple, and it worked. But "sim- ple solutions" are not necessarily afford- able now; occasionally, this solution isn't even possible. Nevertheless, the ability to respond in a nim- ble, agile manner is necessary in our new era if we wish to compete and meet evolving cus- tomer needs in the new normal. Let's Talk About Surviving Survival is realistically what every one of us has been doing to some degree in the cur- rent supply environment. Our survival mode resembles a game of "Whack a Mole," the arcade game where a little mole pops up, and we hit it back down with a mallet, then wait for the next one to pop up randomly in a new location. It's exhausting. So naturally, every- one wants to change the game somehow.