From the last simulation, the project had an issue because of limited backup vendors, we have touched on the same issue on the forth mini-simulation as well. Even though the pouch met the required dimensions for the device. Some of the chemical components was causing a odor problem. Such an issue might not be mentioned in the material list of the product.
My question is what are the ways you learned to avoid buying a product that does not meet the specifications of your project.
This is an interesting question that I've had some personal experience with. As you said, backup vendors are the best solution for having a redundant system with minimal downtime. However, not all vendors provide an SDS or some other sort of documentation for their products. As such, I often ask for samples from our vendors, sometimes even from our customers. These customer samples are used for our personal testing purposes, so a little tangential.
Regardless, samples are the best way to test the quality of whatever product you wish to use. You wouldn't buy a car without a test drive, right?
When dealing with vendors I think the best shot is to have multiple options with the same or similar specifications, that way you will have various ways to fix an issue that might happen in the manufacturing process. Whenever we receive the vendor's products, our Quality team can test them against our specifications before using them on the production floor. In case one of the vendor's products fails our specifications, we can try a different product from a different vendor so we don't delay our project.
I believe that in order to avoid buying a product that does not meet the specifications of a project, it is important to first define the project requirements and specifications clearly. Once this is done, I would research and compare products that meet those requirements and check product reviews and ratings to ensure that the product has the necessary quality and performance. Additionally, I would request product samples or demos from the supplier to make a more informed decision before making a purchase. Finally, before buying the product, I would verify that it meets the project's requirements by either checking with the supplier or conducting tests. By following these steps, I believe that one can increase the chances of buying a product that meets the project's requirements and avoid wasting time and resources on a product that does not meet the necessary specifications.
For the fourth simulation, I think that the company took the right steps by finding products that fit their specifications, finding more than one vendor that can closely meet specifications, and requesting samples from these vendors. The issue that the company made was, unfortunately, 'jumping the gun' and committing to a vendor before all investigations were completed thoroughly. In the simulation, after already purchasing the product, nothing could be done to salvage the product and the product was completely scrapped. I think one thing to look for when looking at products to meet specifications that is overlooked is the vendors warranties and return policies. These policies can be a good indication for how confident the manufacturer is in the quality of their product and whether you can return the product if it does not meet your expectations. Knowing this before purchasing the product in the simulation could have been a good indicator for the product the company was receiving and settle any back up plans if the product did not meet the desired specifications.
