🌍➡️🇺🇸 You Have Suppliers in the U.S. You Don’t Have Anyone on the Ground.
This is a situation I encounter regularly: a European manufacturer — based in Germany, Austria, or Switzerland — has qualified one or more U.S.-based suppliers for safety-critical components. The supplier relationship is managed remotely. Audits happen once a year, if at all. When something goes wrong — a non-conformance, a delivery issue, a process deviation — the response cycle takes weeks because no one with technical authority is physically present.
I have been living and working in the United States for several years. I hold 26 years of quality management experience across aviation, automotive, and renewable energy — with deep expertise in lightweight structures and composite materials. I work as an independent contractor under U.S. tax law (W-9), which means I can be engaged directly by European companies operating in the North American market without the complexity of employment structures or local entity requirements.
What this means in practice:
Supplier Audits on your behalf. I conduct second-party audits at your U.S. suppliers — against EN9100, IATF 16949, or your own supplier quality requirements — and deliver findings in the language and format your quality team works in. German, English, your templates.
Supplier visits and technical assessments. When a new supplier needs to be evaluated, or an existing one is showing performance signals that require physical presence, I can be on-site within days — not weeks.
Integration support. When European companies establish new supplier relationships in North America, the first 12 months are critical. Process alignment, quality plan review, first article inspection support, and ongoing surveillance are all areas where local presence makes a measurable difference.
Regulatory interface. Navigating the intersection of EASA requirements and FAA regulations, from a supplier’s perspective, requires someone who understands both frameworks operationally — not just academically. That is my professional background.
Cultural and organizational bridge. European quality standards and American manufacturing culture approach conformance, documentation, and corrective action differently. I understand both sides of that gap — and I know how to close it without creating friction on either end.
If your organization has a North American supplier footprint without local quality oversight, that is a structural risk — and a solvable one.
📌 Let’s talk about what on-the-ground quality support in the U.S. could look like for your organization. 👉 Contact Sascha Kauderer → skqc.org