Sept 1, 2003

    

  

Michael Zimmerman
                            
  "Get An Edge On The Competition" 

 

Do You Certify Your Suppliers?

Welcome,

       Have you ever asked yourself  ... " I wonder if our suppliers are the best?"

       More importantly, how do the supplier’s you use… affect your bottom line?

                         If you're not asking, you should be!

    Do you track the rejections received from your suppliers?  Do you know what one rejected shipment cost your organization? If you do, do you really do anything to make sure that root cause analysis and corrective action are implemented? I mean the real cost... not just the cost of unloading, inspecting, rejecting. I'm referring to all the cost associated with the process after you've identified the issue. Do you know what it cost your Invoice Operations unit to stop processing the invoice that was sent when the shipment left the factory? Do you know what it cost the buyer to process the rejection and get a return material authorization ....or the cost to return the product or the cost to correct the problem in house. Do you charge these cost back to the supplier?  Does a rejected shipment affect my bottom line? What can you do to reduce your exposure to this waste of your resources .... 

Click here for more.....

Question ?

 

You sent in some really great questions from you last month, but felt that this one deserved my attention for this newsletter.

 

Mike, Where has 'Customer Service' gone in our society today? It seems as if every where I go, I have to deal with people who don't care about how they treat me.  Don't the business owners understand how this is hurting their business?


 Do you operate in the most effective method possible?

That's another question everyone should be asking. With the constant requirement for improvement we need to always be performing at our best.

  Have you ever heard of Lean Manufacturing? Lean is simply a process by which you remove waste from a process. Many books have been written and many twists have been added to the concept.  

Lean can be utilized throughout an organization, not just in manufacturing.    

 (If your not getting 100%, ask Mike if Lean may be able to help your organization's bottom line.)   

Mike's Reply
  Where is Customer Service? Darn good question .... I was recently speaking with a potential client about employee development and he indicated that he did not feel it was something he wanted to invest in. His approach is to hire only people that are up to his standards. My first reply to that was, how do you know until it's to late? He did not see the value in spending his money on an employee that may only stay with his company for a year or two. "Why should I train these people for someone else to reap the benefits from"? I pondered this question for only a second ..... because they work for you for a year or two ...

   I picked this question because a client with whom I just finished a Customer Service Development module with is struggling with  how he now evaluates the customer service gets wherever he goes. He also asks why business owners allow this to happen. 

click here for more.... 

This is Vol. III in a series of newsletters I will be offering to past, current and prospective clients. I hope you find value in the bits of information these news letters offer. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or comments.                                

 Ask yourself a question. Is your company exactly where you want it to be? If it's not, what are you doing to get there?
What's the definition of insanity ... to do the same thing over and over and expect a different result! 

 Hope to see you soon...            Mike 
 

Total Cost Solutions, Inc.

Welcome to the  'Get an Edge' Newsletter, which you can expect to receive every 4 to 6 weeks in your e-mailbox.

Michael will be participating in a panel discussion on

Lean Manufacturing

Sponsored By 

Anne Arundel Community College 

For information click here

Michael will be speaking at the American Society For Qualities, Customer/Supplier Division's Fall Conference in Anaheim CA. on Oct. 6th Click Here for info

 For Information on The American Society For Quality Click Here for info

 Michael will also be speaking on ISO-9000-2000 at the Total Quality Institutes fall quarterly development on October 15th. 

 For information on topics Mike can speak to your organization on, click here. 

Note from  Mike: Thanks,  To everyone who reads this newsletter and please feel free to forward it on to any other professional that may have an interest in keeping up to-date on current issues related to organizational development, quality management and supply chain management. 

What is Get An Edge ?
Since starting Total Cost Solutions Inc.  in  June of 2000, I have answered many questions about  supply chain and quality management, and organizational/employee development. I though I might provide customers with a vehicle to see what questions your peers are asking and what my answers are.   

 Ask A Question
If you have a question, send it to me. I can't answer every question I receive, but in each issue I'll publish a Q&A that I think everyone will find helpful. (I won't publish your name if your question is selected. 

Feedback
Did you like something you read here? Did you disagree with my advice? Is there a general topic you'd like to see covered? Have an idea about how to improve this newsletter? Please let me know.

Thank you for subscribing!

 Total Cost Solutions, Inc.   111 Hilltop Drive      Severna Park MD. 21146

 410-431-5303

 


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 Disclaimer: All information herein is offered as-is and without warranty of any kind.
 Total cost solutions, inc., nor its employees nor contributors are responsible for any loss, injury, or damage, direct or consequential, resulting from your use of any information presented here.