Services

At acQuire we can offer a wide range of services tailored to your requirements.  Our focus is always on understanding your requirements and the Total Cost of Ownership, and how we can maximise the benefit our supply network can offer you to improve your competitive advantage that differentiates you from your competitors.

We can have as much or as little direct involvement as you would like.  Ranging from just the simple identification of alternative sources and going right through to full end-to-end Supply Chain Management.

The services offered by acQuire include;

Cost Reduction

Carrying out a spend analysis on all or any part of your supply chain will identify the cost drivers and allow for the development of a cost reduction strategy including proposed goals and objectives.  All items are considered including custom-made items unique to your organisation, and commodity items already available from one or more manufacturers.

Benchmarking one supply chain against other options available will give a tangible measurement of its cost-effectiveness.  This exercise also identifies areas of opportunity for improvement.

Successful cost reduction programmes directly impact cash flow as upstream supply chain savings go straight on the bottom line.  For an organisation operating on low margins to the end customer then these saving can have significantly more impact than the profit generated from your sales revenue.

In our experience, many customers of Electronic Manufacturing Services (EMS) Providers are contractually bound to offer on-going cost reductions.  This is something acQuire are experienced in working on in the background as one of your non-core activities.  We can carry this out at single component level or at the higher Finished Product level.

Sourcing

The reasons for engaging in sourcing are numerous;

  • One of the steps in your Cost Reduction Programme
  • Single event for one off item
  • Strategic contingency to dual source critical supply items
  • Cost reduction to improve margins or to achieve contracted customer reductions.

Outsourcing

Most organisations have one or more core competencies that form the backbone of their business. At acQuire we can help you focus on developing these competencies by taking on the other areas that you may consider lower priority, or you lack experience in.

We can remove these from your environment and place with one of our network of established sources who specialise in the chosen area, based on your specification and requirements.

Once acQuire establishes this new supply chain you will have the choice to take them on as an approved vendor, or you can let acQuire continue to manage them on your behalf.

We have considerable experience in transferring production to low-cost regions and also within other low-cost regions.

Supply Chain Management

Like in the Outsourcing activity, acQuire relocates the manufacture of one or more of your products.  With the full supply chain management activity, acQuire manages the upstream and downstream supply chain on your behalf.  You can view acQuire as an addition to your own supply chain but with none of the overhead of managing it.

We can manage the End-to-end process from enquiry through to delivery to you or directly to your end customer.  In our experience, understanding your customer’s requirements means we can offer you the most efficient and effective solution.

Hard to Find or Obsolete Components

From time to time we have all experienced unplanned shortages that jeopardise your ability to fulfil downstream customer requirements. 

The sooner this shortage can be identified and resolved the lower the cost implications to you, your customer’s supplier.  At acQuire we have considerable experience in presenting innovative solutions to resolve these shortages in the most cost effective manner.

Equally frustrating is when manufacturers take the decision to either change a component specification or, worse still, discontinue the supply, usually for commercial reasons, you need to take action.

Your choices typically include;

  • Assuming the manufacturer has given sufficient notice for a Last-Time-Buy opportunity, a commitment can be made to place a non-cancellable non-returnable order to cover a sufficient quantity to fulfil all future demand for your product.
  • Allocate the required resources necessary to approve the alternative that the manufacturer may recommend, assuming they are not exiting the market.
  • Allocate the required resources necessary to find, evaluate and approve a component from an alternative manufacturer.

Supplier Audits / Vendor Evaluations

Identification and evaluation of potential suppliers who can offer the skills and capabilities required for your organisation.  As one of the many steps involved in any cost reduction program or sourcing activity, we have extensive experience and an invaluable network of contacts to ensure we propose the perfect supplier for you.

Once we engage with you in identifying your critical requirements we can quickly shortlist a number of suppliers for your consideration.  Should you need acQuire to arrange evaluation samples through your approval process, we are happy to manage this.

Pre-Shipment Inspections

Introducing a new supplier in to your supply chain is not without risk.  While you can take every possible precaution to mitigate any risks, the old adage “the proof is in the pudding” always holds true. 

We have significant experience in carrying out inspections on goods prior to despatch thus ensuring only a high quality product enters your supply chain.  All key inspection criteria points are determined in advance through consultation with your Quality Management Teams.

To discuss any projects you may have please contact us for an initial discussion about your requirements.