Most quality, delivery and launch risk is decided in the supply chain, long before the first part ships. Quality and purchasing teams are managing larger supplier bases, new technologies and new regions on tight timelines, and a single supplier without stable processes can put a vehicle program at risk.

Our automotive supplier quality and development services give you the audits, assessments and hands-on support to approve, monitor and improve suppliers, from the first evaluation to stable series production.

In the automotive industry, a large share of product quality, delivery performance and launch risk is decided in the supply chain. A supplier that is selected without a clear view of its capabilities, or that reaches production without stable processes, can put an entire vehicle program at risk.

At the same time, supplier quality teams face growing supply bases, new technologies, new regions and tight program timelines. Organizations need qualified auditors and quality engineers who can assess suppliers objectively, react quickly when problems appear and support suppliers until their performance is sustainable.

Our supplier quality services cover every stage where supplier performance is decided: supplier selection, potential assessment and qualification before award; process audits, APQP, PPAP, industrialization and launch during development; and performance monitoring, corrective actions and supplier development once the supplier is in series production.

Customers can engage us for a single activity, such as a VDA 6.3 process audit, or for continuous support across several suppliers and program phases. In every case, our role is to support the customer’s supplier management and approval process. Final decisions on supplier approval always remain with the customer.

Supplier audits give customers an objective view of how a supplier’s processes perform and where the risks are. We carry out second-party audits on behalf of OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers, based on the customer’s requirements and on recognized automotive methods.

Our work includes VDA 6.3 process audits covering project management, product and process development, supplier management, production, and customer care and satisfaction, as well as product audits, system audits and audits against customer-specific requirements. Every audit results in a structured report with a clear evaluation, prioritized findings and the follow-up of corrective actions until their effectiveness is verified.

A Potential Analysis, also known as a pre-award supplier assessment, evaluates whether a new supplier, a new site or a new technology is capable of meeting the customer’s requirements before a contract is awarded. It is predictive: it assesses the supplier’s potential to deliver, rather than the performance of processes that already exist.

Using the Potential Analysis approach defined in VDA 6.3, we evaluate the supplier’s manufacturing and process capability, quality management, development and industrialization capacity, supply chain control and readiness for the planned volumes. The result gives purchasing and supplier quality teams an objective basis for their sourcing decision and a clear view of the quality risks to manage if the supplier is selected. A Potential Analysis does not replace a process audit; it comes before it.

Approving a new supplier involves several steps and several teams, often under tight program timelines. We support the customer’s supplier approval process from end to end, ensuring that each step is carried out consistently and on time.

Our support can cover supplier assessment and qualification, Potential Analysis, process audits, follow-up of APQP and PPAP activities, industrialization and production readiness reviews, and support until the supplier’s launch. This is especially relevant for organizations that are localizing their supply base, entering new markets or onboarding many suppliers at the same time. Approval decisions remain with the customer; we provide the evidence and the expert evaluation behind them.

When a supplier puts quality, delivery or a vehicle launch at risk, customers need fast, structured action. We support customers in identifying critical suppliers, assessing the root causes of their problems and managing the actions needed to stabilize them.

Our support includes supplier risk identification and assessment, on-site analysis, containment and corrective action follow-up, improvement plans with clear responsibilities and deadlines, and support during escalation processes. We stay close to the supplier until performance is stable and report objectively to the customer at every step.

Some suppliers need more than an audit: they need structured support to reach the level their customers expect. Supplier development focuses on building lasting capability, so that performance improvements are sustained after our involvement ends.

We work with suppliers on quality performance, process performance and stability, delivery performance, manufacturing capability, the effectiveness of corrective actions and continuous improvement. Development programs are agreed with the customer, based on measurable objectives, and can cover a single supplier or a group of suppliers over the long term.

Supplier quality workloads are rarely stable. Launches, new sourcing decisions and supplier issues create peaks that internal teams cannot always absorb. We provide supplier quality specialists who integrate with the customer’s team, on-site or remotely, for as long as they are needed.

Engagements can be on demand, for a specific audit or issue, or long term, supporting a supplier portfolio across several programs. Our goal is to give customers short reaction times and the continuity that supplier relationships require.

Our supplier quality services are aligned with the methods used across the global automotive supply chain: VDA 6.3 for process audits and Potential Analysis, the supplier management requirements of IATF 16949, the AIAG Core Tools, including APQP and PPAP, and VDA-based product and process approval methods.

Above all, we work with the customer-specific requirements of each OEM and Tier 1 supplier. Our audits and assessments follow the customer’s own criteria, templates and escalation rules, wherever the customer or supplier is located.