Research on the supplier promise management based on the lean six sigma

Abstract

In the supplier management, the supplier promise management is one important area. The scope of the supplier promise is very widespread, such as the promise of HSE (health environmental safety), the promise of quality, the promise of price, and the promise of delivery performance etc. As one character of one enterprise the promise has become the most significant evaluation factor which was used to select the supplier for the upstream firm. So during the modern production and management, how to help suppliers to improve their performance to promise has become one key problem. Evidently the nature of this problem is usually complex and unstructured. The paper tried to utilize Lean Six Sigma to solve the problem of the supplier promise management. Such creates a new point of view to study and control the supplier promise management. Lean Six Sigma is an new advanced and high efficient method of management which combined the virtues of Lean production and Six Sigma Management. It focus on the subtle production and the strategic management simultaneously. The three key elements which were attach importance of the modern companies are velocity, cost and benefits, as well as the modern supplier promise management. To use the thinking of the lean Six Sigma in the supplier promise management will bring greater economical benefits than before. In this paper one example which is about the supplier performance to promise date is discussed. The results show that to apply the Lean Six Sigma into the supplier promise management is more practical and effective than the other managing ways. © 2009 Springer Berlin Heidelberg.