Slvr surfr

iTrader: (1)

As we all know, car companies use suppliers for a lot of parts such as rubber and plastic trims, nuts and bolts, fabrics, seals etc. Most outsource to these companies for assembly of certain items and even interior body panels. My question is: When these parts and supplies become defective, have faulty assembly techniques or have engineering defects from the beginning, is there any form of accountability on the part of the supplier/assembler? A simple slap on the wrist or is it more severe? Example: Im sure AC delco has more than it's fair share of complaints from GM over time about P/S pump not being reliable or performing as advertised. What do they tell them? What's the repercussions? Is there any at all? What do you guys think?

Sulu

I suspect the accountability and repercussions differ among the different manufacturers, and would be spelled out in detail in the formal legal contracts manufacturers have with their suppliers. It is no secret that the suppliers (at least here in North America) prefer to work with the transplants, like Toyota and Honda, more than they like to work with the domestics; the transplants treat suppliers with more respect and cooperation.

Respect of suppliers and close cooperation with them to design, develop and manufacture product is a key to developing high-quality products, according to W. Edwards Deming, an American engineer and statistician who the Japanese automakers consider to be a quality guru but not so considered by the American auto manufacturers. The Japanese manufacturers work with their suppliers over the long term to design, develop, manufacture and maintain components that meet the level of quality expected by the manufacturer.

Failure of a component supplied by an outside supplier is not automatically the fault of the supplier; it may just as well be the fault of the auto manufacturer (buyer) that did not specify in great enough detail what they wanted the part to do, how it should operate or how reliable it should be (how long it is should be expected to last before failure).

GM is just as much -- or more -- at fault for the poor ignition switches that would unexpectedly turn off. GM merely wanted a switch for the lowest price. If a buyer goes out shopping for something and is not willing to spend money, it is very likely that the supplier is going to sell a shoddy product; that is not the fault of the supplier.

jadu

iTrader: (42)

^^^ I agree it is not usually the fault of the supplier or the manufacturer of the component for a defective component, but I believe it may be a combination of both. It basically comes down to the level engineering and testing the part and the level quality control. The supplier can build the part exactly as instructed, test it, and mass produce it. However, if the level of engineering or testing or quality control is not adequate, less reliable products may make it out the production floor instead of failing it at the supplier's assembly line resulting in failures out on the field.