An Overview of Supplier Rating, Certification and Selection Systems in the Defense Aircraft Industry

Abstract

In this paper, we report on the status of supplier rating, certification and selection systems in the US Defense Aircraft Industry. Our findings result from a range of information gathering activities over the past eighteen months including: Site visits to companies; a one day review session at Lockheed Fort Worth Company on February 7, 1994 in which 10 companies made presentations of their systems; the study of documents received from over a dozen companies pertaining to rating, certification and selection systems; and, responses to the Survey of Supplier Systems and Relationships. The purposes of this report are: • To identify and review current practices with respect to supplier rating, certification and selection systems based on our current state of knowledge; • To discuss the extent to which these systems support the process of supplier base optimization.