Trade & Supply Chain
Supplier
Supplier management continues after sourcing and contract signature. The company needs evidence of identity, capability, capacity and control, followed by clear onboarding, performance measures, change notification, corrective action and contingency planning.
Building an Accountable Supplier Portfolio
01
Qualify the supplier for the exact scope
Approval should refer to the products, sites, processes and volumes that were assessed. A supplier name alone does not define what the business has accepted.
Approval scope: Entity / Site / Product / Process / Volume
02
Set responsibilities at onboarding
Confirm contacts, specifications, forecasts, orders, quality records, delivery communication, invoice requirements and escalation routes before routine work begins.
Onboarding record: Commercial / Technical / Quality / Logistics / Finance
From Qualification to Performance Management
03
Measure performance with decision value
Track quality, delivery, responsiveness, cost commitments, changes and corrective actions. Measures should lead to action rather than produce a scorecard with no owner.
Performance review: Quality / Delivery / Cost / Response / Corrective action
04
Control dependence and continuity
Identify sole-source exposure, critical tools, capacity constraints, financial or ownership changes and alternative options. Contingency work should reflect the time needed to qualify a replacement.
Continuity record: Dependency / Trigger / Alternative / Lead time / Owner
Supplier Decisions Before Commercial Dependence
Guide
Guidance on supplier qualification, onboarding, contracts, performance, change control, corrective action and continuity planning.
Comparison
Comparisons of supplier roles and capabilities across technical fit, capacity, control, cost, responsiveness and strategic dependence.
Review
Reviews of performance trends, capacity evidence, ownership changes, subcontracting, corrective action and continuity exposure.
FAQ
Answers to management questions on approval scope, onboarding, scorecards, contracts, changes, underperformance and replacement.
Resources
Supplier registers, approval records, onboarding plans, scorecards, change notices, corrective actions and contingency files.
Tool
Tools for qualification, capability comparison, performance review, dependency mapping and supplier escalation.
Case
Examples of how companies strengthened China supplier governance, corrected performance and reduced single-source exposure.
News
Developments affecting supplier markets, manufacturing capacity, commercial stability and supply continuity.
How to Use the China Supplier Management Hub
Use Guide to frame the work, Comparison and Review to test alternatives and risk, and FAQ and Resources to prepare the working file. Tool and Case support the management recommendation; News confirms whether the underlying assumptions remain current.
Management should approve suppliers for a defined scope and assign owners for commercial, quality and delivery performance. Reviews should connect evidence to decisions on development, restriction, contingency or replacement.