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How do OEM buyers score their suppliers?
OEM buyers score suppliers mainly on on-time delivery and quality, measured as defective parts per million shipped, then on responsiveness: quote turnaround and how fast corrective actions close. Automotive programs commonly expect 98% or better on-time delivery and under 50 PPM. Suppliers below the line are put on watch and get fewer new parts.
Where would your shop land on a buyer's scorecard?
Set each number to your last twelve months. Thresholds are typical; every customer writes its own into a supplier quality manual.
Score against
Meets ≥ 95% · watch ≥ 90%
WatchQuote lead times from the schedule, not from hope, and tell the buyer a date slip the day you know it.
Meets ≤ 250 ppm · watch ≤ 1,000 ppm
WatchFind the top two defect modes in your rejects and put a check at the operation that makes them.
Meets ≤ 2 business days · watch ≤ 5 business days
WatchTriage RFQs the day they arrive: quote, ask or decline. Template the parts of a quote that repeat.
Meets ≤ 30 days · watch ≤ 60 days
WatchContain first, same day. Then one owner per action with a date, and verify the fix on the next lots.
Meets ≥ 75% · watch ≥ 60%
WatchLog every stop on one machine for two weeks. Changeovers and waiting for material are usually the first finds.
0 meet · 5 watch · 0 below
Start with on-time delivery. Quote lead times from the schedule, not from hope, and tell the buyer a date slip the day you know it.
Which numbers go on a supplier scorecard?
The common ones, how they're calculated, and where buyers tend to draw the line.
MetricHow it's calculatedTypical target
On-time delivery
How it's calculatedLines received in the window ÷ lines due
Typical target95% general, 98%+ automotive
Quality (PPM)
How it's calculatedRejected parts ÷ parts shipped × 1,000,000
Typical targetUnder 50 for automotive production
Corrective action
How it's calculatedDays from SCAR to verified closure
Typical targetContainment in 24 h, closure in about 30 days
Quote turnaround
How it's calculatedBusiness days from RFQ to quote
Typical target2–5 days for typical parts
Premium freight
How it's calculatedExpedites you paid to recover a date
Typical targetZero, and reported when it happens
PPAP and first article
How it's calculatedSubmissions accepted first time
Typical targetFirst-time approval
Questions about scorecards
How is on-time delivery measured?
Usually lines or shipments received inside the customer's window, divided by all lines due. Windows are often a few days early to zero days late. Early can count as a miss, so read the supplier manual.
How do you calculate PPM?
Rejected parts divided by parts shipped, times 1,000,000. 12 rejects in 60,000 shipped is 200 PPM. Customers usually count every part in a rejected lot unless you sort it.
What is a supplier corrective action request?
A SCAR asks you to contain a quality problem, find its root cause and prove the fix, often in the 8D format. Containment is expected within about a day, closure in about 30.
Do small shops get scorecards?
Larger OEMs send them to every production supplier, often quarterly. Smaller buyers keep the same numbers informally. Either way, tracking your own lets you show them before you're asked.
Get RFQs matched to your shop
Apply with your processes, materials, certifications and open capacity. SSG routes matching RFQs to you with drawings and a DFM check attached, and is paid only as commission on orders you invoice.