| Global Sourcing | Supplier identification, quotation comparison, technical document review, and multi-source procurement planning. | Supplier evaluation criteria | Quality, cost, capacity, compliance, lead time, and continuity risk | Creates a structured basis for supplier selection and reduces dependence on a single source. |
| Supplier Qualification | Pre-qualification of manufacturing and distribution partners before commercial engagement. | Qualification checklist | Production capability, quality system, traceability, audit records, and export experience | Improves supply visibility and supports consistent purchasing decisions across regions. |
| Request for Quotation | Standardized RFQ collection covering specifications, quantities, packaging, tooling, delivery terms, and payment conditions. | Quotation comparison structure | Unit price, tooling cost, minimum order quantity, lead time, validity, and freight basis | Enables like-for-like commercial analysis instead of comparing price alone. |
| International Trade Terms | Selection of responsibilities for transport, insurance, customs clearance, and delivery risk. | Incoterms® 2020 | 11 standardized trade rules | Clarifies which party manages costs, documents, delivery points, and risk transfer. |
| Customs Documentation | Preparation and review of commercial invoices, packing lists, certificates of origin, and transport documents. | Harmonized System classification | The first 6 HS code digits are internationally standardized; countries may add further digits | Supports more accurate customs declarations and reduces avoidable clearance delays. |
| Ocean Freight | Planning for consolidated or full-container shipments based on cargo volume, destination, and delivery urgency. | Container capacity reference | A nominal 20-foot container is approximately 33 m³; a nominal 40-foot container is approximately 67 m³, subject to equipment variation | Helps optimize shipment consolidation, freight budgeting, and loading plans. |
| Air Freight | Expedited transportation planning for samples, urgent replenishment, and time-sensitive components. | Chargeable weight | The higher of actual weight or volumetric weight; a commonly used volumetric divisor is 6,000 cm³/kg | Improves freight-cost estimates and supports urgent delivery decisions. |
| Transit Planning | Selection of transport mode according to required delivery date, shipment size, and total landed cost. | Indicative port-to-port or airport-to-airport transit window | Ocean: commonly 20–45 days; air: commonly 1–7 days, depending on route and service | Supports realistic planning while allowing additional time for origin handling, customs, and final delivery. |
| Inventory Coordination | Alignment of purchase schedules, replenishment points, production plans, and warehouse capacity. | Inventory control metrics | Stock on hand, open orders, forecast demand, safety stock, and reorder point | Reduces stockout exposure while limiting unnecessary inventory and storage costs. |
| Order Fulfillment | Order confirmation, production tracking, pre-shipment inspection coordination, and dispatch monitoring. | Order status milestones | Order received, confirmed, in production, ready to ship, dispatched, and delivered | Provides clearer visibility from purchase order placement through final receipt. |
| Delivery Performance | Monitoring of delivery reliability against confirmed quantities and dates. | OTIF: On Time In Full | Percentage of orders delivered by the agreed date and in the agreed quantity | Creates a practical performance measure for supplier and logistics reviews. |
| Quality Control | Inspection planning based on product risk, order value, specifications, and customer requirements. | Inspection stages | Pre-production, during-production, final random inspection, and container-loading checks | Helps identify quality issues before shipment and reduces downstream returns or rework. |
| Packaging and Consolidation | Coordination of protective packaging, carton labeling, palletization, and multi-order consolidation. | Shipment efficiency factors | Carton dimensions, gross weight, pallet footprint, stacking limits, and cubic utilization | Improves cargo protection and can reduce handling, storage, and transportation inefficiencies. |
| Risk Management | Assessment of supply interruption risks related to capacity, geography, compliance, logistics, and demand volatility. | Supply-risk categories | Single-source exposure, long lead time, route disruption, regulatory change, and quality variation | Supports contingency planning, alternative sourcing, and more resilient supply-chain design. |
| Landed-Cost Analysis | Evaluation of the total cost from supplier purchase through delivery to the destination. | Total landed-cost components | Product cost, packaging, tooling, freight, insurance, duties, taxes, handling, and local delivery | Provides a more accurate comparison between sourcing options and trade routes. |