This is my first posting, so thank you for reading!

As a Sourcing Specialist in manufacturing, I see a lot of different requests that buyers submit to suppliers for quotation. They range from machined parts, molding, screws, motors, high volume, low volume, brass, iron, etc. The one thing that all of these buyers have in common though is that they NEED a quote. There are different reasons why buyers outsource but I believe more often then not we have to give them the benefit of the doubt ...that they are not doing it to just exercise their sourcing legs. (Especially when they deal with me....I ask to many questions and it wouldn't be worth the trouble if they weren't serious about obtaining a quote). Here's the point....the undesirable business is still a request that the buyer NEEDS.

For example, have you ever looked at a low volume RFQ and said to yourself the tooling will cost more than the parts and it's not worth quoting. Come on....I know some of ya fellas are saying, yeah...that's me. Here's the deal....the buyer KNOWS this. And every time a supplier says he doesn't want to do it because the tooling and labor are going to cost too much, the buyer is unable to bring on a new vendor. I've had some of the biggest corporations in the world come to me with these types of jobs and they simply are going unquoted. They are not impossible to do, just not the most desirable. But, to the one supplier who is willing to build a relationship and work with them on this project, they are opening a door to new business in the future.

So, I encourage any supplier....the next time you see that low volume sand casting or molding and are ready to hit delete, give it a second look. At least look at who the buyer is and ask yourself how hard it would be to get in their preferred vendor program and is this your way to get your foot in the door.