Although the automotive industry is currently booming—and most automotive companies are either foreign-owned or joint ventures with relatively timely payments—it has become an attractive target for many small and medium-sized enterprises in China. However, many companies remain puzzled about how to enter this industry and what it actually requires. This article provides a brief introduction to these topics. 。 Each individual enterprise may have minor adjustments, but the overall process is similar because they are all based on... This quality standard, TS16949, and Come. carrying out the work. This process is stricter and more cumbersome than that of most companies; generally speaking, an increasing number of companies now require obtaining... TS16949 certification—thus, TS16949 will become the threshold for entering the automotive industry. Currently, obtaining ISO9001 is the most basic requirement.

1. Selection of potential suppliers

Generally speaking, purchasers will select three to four suppliers based on their needs and obtain initial quotations as well as relevant company information, such as production capacity, quality management practices, main products, production equipment, and measurement devices. The initial quotations are primarily used to identify a few suppliers from among many for comparison purposes, while the other information is mainly intended to help the suppliers’ engineering teams gain a better understanding.

   2. Potential Supplier Assessment

Once potential suppliers have been selected, the supplier quality engineer will work together with procurement to evaluate the suppliers. (Some companies may involve engineering personnel in this process, but the primary responsibility still rests with the supplier development engineer. At this stage, We Just pay close attention—your goal is to satisfy the supplier’s quality engineer, because in this step, he holds your fate in his hands! Generally speaking, different companies have different review forms. Customers will send you these review forms and their schedule in advance. Professional companies will do it this way; newer supplier quality engineers might not. Or maybe the company is more casual—but you can always ask ahead of time to find out. Although the forms vary from one company to another, the content is broadly similar. Some are more general, some place greater emphasis on the process itself, and others focus more on procedures. The basic requirements for meeting the standard are: 70 points—some companies even score higher. After the review is completed, the supplier’s quality engineer will typically send you the evaluation report and results within one week. Some may also include requirements for improvement projects.

3. Technical Talks

After the review is completed, if the customer has a preliminary intention, a technical meeting is typically held. The supplier’s quality engineer will chair the meeting. Some companies, to avoid wasting resources, postpone the technical meeting until the supplier has been confirmed. The main topics of the technical meeting include clarifying the drawings and asking the supplier whether it can meet the requirements—such as defining specific dimension-measuring instruments or specifying critical dimensions. Some companies provide relevant documentation and require completion of detailed forms.

  4. Internal Approval

This step is primarily a decision made based on a comprehensive assessment of quotations, evaluations, and technical discussions. It involves making a preliminary selection from among the several suppliers initially chosen, and the customer’s internal department will issue an official form to notify the relevant departments. This step marks the company’s final decision.