car, automotive, yfai, interior

When it comes to managing multiple suppliers, as a manufacturer, clear and effective communication is critical to operational success. Inventory control isn’t always optimized for order fluctuations, and forecasting can be subject to constant changes. Your ERP solution is there to serve as a supplier management tool, but does it align with and help you meet your enterprise goals?

You may already have an ERP solution in place, but is it effectively managing your suppliers and rapidly responding to unexpected supply disruptions? Furthermore, how does it ensure you are consistently meeting your customers’ needs?

Communication Leads to Community

QAD customer Yanfeng Automotive Interiors (YFAI) designs, develops and manufactures automotive interior components for numerous automotive brands. In addition, as autonomous driving technologies advance and gain momentum, YFAI aspires to become a leading supplier for autonomous vehicle interiors into the future.

Headquartered in Shanghai, YFAI has manufacturing plants and technical centers around the world. The YFAI India plant started as a small operation, serving one major automotive company, and managed most of their supply chain activities manually due to a lower volume of supplier requirements. As the business grew, so did the number of suppliers along with all the accompanying supplier needs.

YFAI India began experiencing issues with inventory control overages, shortages and fluctuating customer order timeframes that led to higher freight costs. This was due to a lack of communication between YFAI India and the 22 suppliers it works with on an ongoing basis. Procurement was still performed manually as well as the management of schedules and materials. YFAI India and its community of suppliers were in need of a supply chain software management upgrade as the traditional way of doing things was no longer sufficient.

Improving Supplier Performance

It may seem daunting to have to implement a solution that alters an existing supplier management process. Though, what if that solution automatically extracted key inventory, order, shipment and related information and made it visible to your suppliers in real-time?

The QAD Supplier Portal is a cloud-based supplier collaboration and inventory visibility tool that enables manufacturers and their suppliers to exchange information. The tool facilitates real-time communication across supply chains and grants suppliers access so they can take advantage of various self-service items made available to them by the manufacturer.

One of the biggest achievements YFAI India realized was the new ability to furnish their suppliers’ forecasts and roll out plans live in real-time, which further reduced lead times, cut inventory levels and improved on-time delivery performance. As a result, YFAI India and their suppliers respond quicker to changing business conditions and avoid any confusion with regard to forecasts, scheduling or supply needs.

“The YFAI India plant and all our suppliers can now plan resources, machines, manpower, everything – based on these updatable schedules,” comments Sandeep Kulami, General Manager/CEO for YFAI India. “The QAD Supplier Portal improves our productivity, saves us money and ensures we consistently meet our customers’ needs.”

For the full story about YFAI India’s move to the QAD Supplier Portal and the benefits they realized, check out their case study.

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