Do you capture the supplier material numbers as a cross reference to your specifications? If you don’t capture supplier material numbers, you could start creating multiple specifications for the same material across the company. Could be pretty interesting how the same supplier material could actually have different company specifications. Even more interesting would be how many different ways people can name the same material in different parts of the company. Strong business rules for the numbering and naming of material specifications is a must. Is the naming and numbering of specifications done in the context of the ERP database to prevent confusion with what specification is for which material purchased?
What if the specifications for the same material are based upon different versions of the supplier specification? What would be the risk to your finished goods for food safety, allergen or label declarations, and functionality? Having a process as simple as “Supplier Request for Change to Specification” would open a whole new channel of communication to avoid recalls due to label declarations. How many times have there been a withdrawal or recall because information from a supplier was not cross communicated within a company? The supplier calls their contact in the Purchasing department to notify them of a change in the specification but the information is not passed on to Product Development or Food Safety.
What is the opportunity for the company to consolidate the specifications for cost saving? Depending upon the scope of the duplication of specifications, the cost savings could be quite large. It should be a simple process of verifying that the materials and specifications are the same until you have to change all the Bill of Materials in the specifications and the ERP database. Probably, the better option would be to avoid creating the multiple specifications in the first place. Preventing the problem will not have the hard savings of fixing the problem, so figure out how to justify the improvement process.
What if you were doing separate hazard analyses on each of the same new specifications? Wonder if the hazard analyses were the same? Wonder if the hazard analyses are all kept in separate databases based upon the manufacturing location. How are the databases managed in association with new or revised specifications? Seems like a “dueling banjoes” situation, let’s do it twice and but not necessarily the same.
Would all the divisions or manufacturing locations use the same processes to approve the material? If not, how can you agree to accept the approved status for a material from the other entities? Or if the material is approved, perhaps the material was approved for use in a different type of finished goods. The other location may use the material in a thermally processed finished goods and you may use it in a ready to eat finished goods.
Are the supporting documents available from the supplier to assure that the data present in the specification is correct?
A Supply Chain Quality Management program is not just a file cabinet, it should be a management program.
How do you manage your specifications? You Share-ify.