How to get suppliers to confirm their PO dates
Most late jobs in a small job shop aren't late on your machines. They're late at the plater, the heat treater or the material supplier, and you find out when the parts don't show up. The fix is a rhythm: a confirmed date on every PO line, a check-in before the date instead of on it, and one list of every line that's unconfirmed or moved, next to the job it holds up.
The rhythm that works
- Confirmed date on every line. Not "2 weeks". A date, per PO line, from the supplier.
- Know which job each line feeds. A late anodize lot matters when it holds up a PO due Friday.
- Check in before the date. Two working days ahead. "Still good for Thursday?" gets a straight answer; "Where are my parts?" on Friday doesn't help.
- When a date moves, call your customer the same day. See the email for a date at risk.
- Keep score. On-time against the confirmed date, per supplier, every month.
Copy-paste follow-up emails
Asking for a confirmed date
Subject: PO P3500: please confirm dates
Hi Dave,
PO P3500 attached: 25 × SMD-0722 passivate per ASTM A967, certs with the parts. Can you confirm a date for each line? We need them back by Oct 30 to make our customer's date.
Thanks, Alex
Two days before
Subject: PO P3500: still good for Thursday?
Hi Dave,
Checking that the 25 SMD-0722 are still on for Thursday. If anything moved, a new date today lets me warn our customer in time.
Alex
When it's late
Subject: PO P3500 is past due: new date?
Hi Dave,
The 25 SMD-0722 were due back yesterday and our customer is waiting on them. What date can you commit to? If part of the lot is ready, we'll take a partial.
Alex
On-time delivery, worked example
| Supplier | Lines received | On or before confirmed date | On time | Moved with warning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plater | 20 | 15 | 75% | 3 of the 5 late lines |
| Heat treater | 12 | 11 | 92% | 1 of 1 |
| Material supplier | 30 | 27 | 90% | 0 of 3 |
Example numbers. The last column is the one to talk about with each supplier: a vendor who warns you three days early is easier to live with than one who's on time more often but goes silent when late.
A link suppliers answer in one tap
The emails above work, but someone has to send them and read the answers. In Tehdo, each supplier gets a link to their open lines with no login. They confirm a date, or move it and say why. Silent lines get a reminder, and you get one list of what's unconfirmed or late, next to the job it hits.
Watch a supplier confirm and move a date (38 seconds).
Will suppliers really click? They don't sign up or remember a password, and confirming takes less time than answering your email. For the ones who never click, you still see every line that's unconfirmed, so you know who to call.
Questions
When should I follow up on a purchase order?
Ask for a confirmed date the day you send the PO. Check in two working days before the promised date, sooner if the job behind it is tight. If there's no confirmation within a day, call.
How do I calculate supplier on-time delivery?
Lines received on or before the confirmed date, divided by all lines received in the period. Use the date the supplier confirmed, not the date you asked for, and keep moved dates separate so you can see who warns you early.