As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, businesses and organizations around the globe have had to look inwards when it comes to maintaining their supply chain and production lines. The transport of goods continues, but at a much-reduced capacity in some industries. We have seen the need for certain goods and services quickly change in a matter of months, which has forced many industries to quickly reassess what sorts of products they should be producing, and which ones are no longer in demand during this time. Due to this, many companies, including luxury goods retailers, have started making things like personal protective equipment, and hand sanitizer. However, these unexpected pivots in production have led to the need for new materials and other supplies which have had to be sourced. That is why quality management software is crucial when it comes to sourcing vendors, suppliers, and ensuring that compliance is maintained.
Quality Management Software and Risk
For industries that have started to produce much-needed goods domestically, securing a reliable source of the raw materials has become increasingly important. Especially as the novel coronavirus shows no signs of slowing down, and many countries are now awaiting the second wave.
To ensure that production lines are not disrupted, suppliers must quickly be examined and vetted before they begin supplying the necessary goods. Quality management software can aid in this process by easily tracking which suppliers and vendors have passed the regulatory checks, and maintaining a list updated in the system on a continual basis should one supplier or vendor fail to pass regulatory checks. That way the supply chain is maintained, and these much-needed goods can continue to make it to market.
There is always a certain amount of risk involved with working with a new supplier or vendor, and a cloud-based platform that allows for routine updates can ensure that risk is mitigated and compliance is maintained. This is done through scheduled quality checks, and in some cases sending a quality assurance team to the vendor or suppliers’ factories to ensure that production meets the industry’s and the business’s standards.
Keep Workers Working
For many businesses, downsizing or establishing a work from home model has been necessary. When it comes to maintaining the supply chain, this can be difficult as the need for non-essential workers has quickly diminished, especially with the rise of automation. Quality management software can actually help keep workers employed, as it allows them to continue working from home while using the software to perform their jobs. As everything is now moving towards automation, select workers can be established on a roster and deployed to factories for quality checks. If this software is combined with one that allows for symptom checking, then workers can also input whether or not they have experienced any COVID-19 symptoms, who they have come into contact with, and potentially perform the necessary contact tracing needed to keep the workforce safe.
The novel coronavirus offers novel challenges for manufacturing and supply chains, but with a smart plan and good tools such as quality management software, we can all get through this together.