Quality throughout the chain

Tough evaluation and good collaboration As a strategic buyer, Anna Dahl is a key player in Leine Linde's procurement processes in order to face the increasingly tough competition.

Anna Dahl works as a strategic buyer for Leine Linde. She coordinates procurement with respect to the development department and ensures that Leine Linde's demanding requirements concerning quality, environment and delivery reliability permeate not only the company's production processes but also the company's suppliers. Every supplier undergoes a thorough evaluation.

"I visit and evaluate new suppliers and review the company's structure, finances, production processes and controls concerning tools and equipment. Only once the supplier has been approved will prototypes be ordered," says Anna Dahl.

For certain critical components, delivery and quality are ensured on an ongoing basis with half-yearly evaluations. During these evaluations, the suppliers are assessed under a number of categories such as delivery precision, finance, quality, support and quality and environmental certificates.

"If the supplier's rating is too low, an action plan will be required to get the supplier back to the right level again. If that doesn't help, it may even be appropriate to discontinue the collaboration," explains Anna Dahl.

Fast delivery

As the normal delivery time for Leine Linde's pulse encoders is ten days, suppliers must be able to meet demand very quickly.

"The customer must always receive their products on time." In new agreements, shorter lead-times are an aim. This often requires the supplier to maintain a back-up store or other suitable logistical solutions, in order to fulfil an order from a customer.

As a strategic buyer at Leine Linde, it helps to have a solid background. Anna Dahl is an engineering graduate specialising in mechanical engineering and industrial economics. She has previously worked as a production and materials planner, quality manager and strategic buyer within the automotive industry. Almost three years ago, she joined the procurement department at Leine Linde, where she also works on process improvement, risk management and cost reduction.

"It is a happy and professional team. The collaboration is very important, both here within the company and with our suppliers. We have to keep a lot of balls in the air at once, work quickly and yet be very accurate at the same time. Improving and streamlining is a challenge which inspires me," says Anna Dahl.