How to extend your quality management system throughout your supply chain using EQMS (For customers with Platinum support)

The most competitive businesses rely on a complex web of suppliers. 

An issue anywhere in the value chain has consequences for all - such as delays, recalls, and risks dangerous products. 

There has been a natural evolution in how standards, regulations and directives expect organisations to manage their suppliers. 

• The European Union's General Data Protection Regulation makes both processors and controllers responsible for data protection
• ISO 14001:2015 expects some influence to be exerted on external suppliers to ensure environmental requirements established in purchasing specification will be fulfilled
• The Modern Slavery Act 2015 requires businesses which supplies goods or services in the UK to produce a slavery and human trafficking statement, including information about how the business is working with at-risk suppliers to provide training, messages and business incentives or guidance to implement anti-slavery policies. 
• ISO 9001:2015 requires the organisation to ensure monitoring and measurements activities are undertaken at appropriate points to review any provider external to the scope of the quality management system  

A secure system to manage suppliers

Rob Needham, Director of Technical at Qualsys has been working with leaders at global brands such as Sodexo, Diageo and Yazaki Europe to develop a solution which helps our customers extend the functions and controls of EQMS in a secure, supplier-only portal. He said:

After multiple workshops listening to the challenges our customers are facing when managing suppliers and the advice of our steering committee of experts, we're confident Supplier Portals are the best way to extend our customer's high internal quality standards throughout their supply chain.

Supplier Portals are available for customers who have Platinum Support.

How it works: 

1. Supplier products not fit for purpose? A change needed to a process? Or perhaps a supplier NCR has been identified? Authorised users are able to send suppliers actions directly from any module in EQMS.
2. Next, your supplier receives a notification. This action shows in their custom to-do list of actions within the Supplier Portal. The supplier uploads any documentation, writes actions and follow up message. Once they click save, the notification is then sent to the main system. 
3. You then receives all information from the supplier. You get all the data you need in your Single Source of Truth. 

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