Quality

Many vendor quality and supplier quality teams operate in constant firefighting mode. They jump from one issue to the next – blocked parts, late deliveries, missing certificates – with very little time to work on root causes.

The turning point usually comes when the team builds real vendor quality skills: planning audits, asking the right questions on‑site, analysing performance data, and following up findings in a consistent way.

In an aviation context, this is even more important. EASA Part 21G/145, EN9100 or EN9120 do not only ask for procedures – they expect that people understand how to apply them when they are at a vendor’s site or reviewing vendor documentation.

Effective vendor quality training should help your team to:

• Move from generic checklists to risk‑based audit programmes focused on what really matters.
• Translate regulatory and standard requirements into simple, practical questions for suppliers.
• Document findings in a way that supports follow‑up, corrective action, and future audits.

I support organisations by designing and delivering tailored vendor quality training – from remote sessions on audit basics up to hands‑on coaching during real supplier audits in aviation and other industries.

If you want your team to spend less time in reactive firefighting and more time on structured supplier improvement, feel free to reach out via skqc.org or contact me here on LinkedIn.

The Sarasota (SRQ) and Tampa Bay area is becoming a visible aviation hub. Many OEMs, MROs, FBOs, airport services, logistics providers, and specialist suppliers operate in a small radius.

Because of this concentration, vendor quality is not only about global sourcing. It is also about how well local partners work together every day. This includes maintenance slots, spare parts, documentation, logistics, and line support.

When you look at a regional cluster like SRQ, three vendor quality lessons become very clear:

• First, strong local partnerships can reduce lead times and risk, but only if quality expectations and communication are transparent.
• Second, even long‑term local suppliers need structured performance reviews and, when needed, formal audits. Personal relationships alone are not enough.
• Third, airport infrastructure, MROs, FBOs, and logistics providers are part of your wider vendor landscape. They should be managed with the same discipline as component manufacturers.

However, these ideas only work if they are embedded in a simple and consistent vendor quality process. Clear criteria, regular reviews, and a mature way of handling issues and improvements stay essential, whether a vendor is across town or on another continent.

With SK Quality Consulting, I help organisations map their vendor landscape, define realistic quality requirements, and build a vendor management approach that works in the real world – for both international suppliers and local SRQ‑based partners.

If you are active in the SRQ or Tampa aviation ecosystem and want to strengthen your vendor quality, feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn or visit .skqc.org.

In aviation, vendor quality is never “just purchasing”. It is a core part of how you protect airworthiness and customer trust.

Too often, organisations still treat ISO 9001 or EN9100 requirements as paperwork instead of as a practical framework to select, monitor and develop their vendors.

From my experience in supplier quality and as Certifying Staff in a Part 21G production environment, the real value of a QMS appears when you connect the clauses to daily vendor decisions – audits, approval, escalation and, if necessary, phased exit.​

For aviation OEMs and maintenance providers, three simple questions make a big difference:

• Do we have a clear, risk‑based process to approve and re‑approve vendors (not just a one‑time questionnaire)?
• Do we systematically link vendor performance (quality escapes, documentation, on‑time delivery) to our internal risk register and audit plan?
• Do we treat distributors and brokers with the same process discipline as direct manufacturers, especially regarding EN9120 and traceability?

If you recognise gaps here, it is not about blaming Purchasing. It is about building a joint vendor quality approach between Quality, Engineering and Supply Management – one that is simple enough to use and strong enough to satisfy ISO, EN and customer‑specific requirements.

At SK Quality Consulting, I support organisations that want to turn “vendor management” into a living part of their aviation QMS – from practical audit checklists to aligned procedures for vendor approval, monitoring and escalation.​

If this is relevant for your organisation, feel free to reach out via skqc.org or connect with me here on LinkedIn.