The Best Way to Respond to Unresponsive Deep Draw Suppliers

The deadline looms closer. You have a reputable deep draw supplier manufacturing a critical part, but to be honest you aren’t really sure if it will be finished in time or not. It isn’t due to a lack of effort. You have sent numerous e-mails to every name on the company’s list, and you are sure the receptionist knows you by first name.

A breakdown in communication is a situation that spells big problems for any project. Professional deep draw suppliers assign specific individuals to manage your project, and typically keep a nice solid line of communication with the customer. This is good business and guarantees the best outcome for everyone involved.

Unfortunately there are exceptions to every rule. Given enough time and projects every customer finds themselves forced to manage a supplier that just does not seem to want to cooperate. It might be that the products they deliver are top notch, and they have the best prices around, but the annoying lack of any reliable response has raised the question whether the end justifies the means.

In situations like these the first response is generally to break ties with the supplier and move on. In many cases however, there may be a significant time or money investment, or a binding contract that makes departure impossible. In these cases the issue will need to be addressed, and quickly.

The most important tool that any customer has is the contract agreement. In this document, there should be listed certain milestones and time lines for the project. An e-mail or voice mail message stating to the supplier that you would like to meet as soon as possible to discuss the terms of your contract is usually enough to solicit a response. Most deep draw suppliers will be quick to reach out once there is a bit of severity, even if they have shown a serious lack of response in the past.

If the original contract did not identify milestones, create a document that does. It might require a visit to the supplier, but developing a timeline and a schedule for reporting that everyone can agree on is often enough to turn the tide.

There can be great value in even the worst communicators. Sometimes, making an effort to improve a supplier’s conduct can pay dividends in the long term.

With such incredible growth and innovation so far, just imagine what the next century will bring for the deep draw industry.