Tracking supplier lead times and late deliveries

The problem

Lead times are guesses based on what the supplier once said. Late deliveries are noticed only when something is missing, and planning uses numbers nobody has checked.

What SI does

SI logs order dates, promised dates and received dates from purchase orders, confirmations and receiving records. It calculates each supplier's typical lead time and on-time rate over recent orders, flags open orders past their promised date, and drafts a polite chase email.

Examples

The same job looks different in different businesses. These are illustrations, not client results.

• Cabinet shop

  Hardware from one supplier now takes about twice as long as the quoted lead time; the reorder plan is updated.

• Landscaping company

  Nursery orders for a spring planting job are past their promised date; a chase email is drafted to the nursery.

• Brewery

  Can and label deliveries are tracked so production dates are set around real lead times.

What it takes to set up

Purchase order and receiving records, plus supplier emails. Setup is often a few days.

Try it yourself

Paste this into your SI tool of choice and swap the [bracketed] parts for your own details. It asks SI to stop and show you before it does anything.

From these purchase orders and receiving records [files], calculate each supplier's typical lead time and share of on-time deliveries over the last [6] months. List open orders past their promised date and draft a polite chase email for each. Pause and show me before sending, submitting, posting or changing anything.