Pro-Q: Services

Our Service Areas

Sourcing: this includes the definition of a commodity basket, suppliers research, suppliers audit, agreement on the terms of the supply, sampling / approval of the goods, and follow up on the regular production of the suppliers to fulfill customers’ orders;
Development: this ranges from the simple customization of commodities currently available from the suppliers, to the full development of a product and the engineering of the production line with a local manufacturing partner.
Quality Control: such controls can span from the supplier’s row material quality controls (if some material, some part or sub-assembly of the final product is of critical importance to the final product’s functionality), to in-process quality controls (on the mission critical stages of production), to quality control on the production line, to pre-shipment quality inspections;

Of course, every company has its unique procurement needs and could benefit from a specific subset of services. We in Pro-Q believe that every single client and project will have some uniqueness and we strive to capture that uniqueness and align our services to it. Profile your own organization and learn where our services can help your procurement here.

Project Flowchart

A typical project would follow the following stages:

Definition of the Supply Requirements. This stage is comprised of the first meeting where we glean the building blocks of the projects: Expectations about the project (what is the ultimate result that the client is looking for, what the deliverables), description of the commodity or basket of commodities, sourcing strategy (e.g. single vs. multiple suppliers), quality requirements, volumes, deadlines etc. We usually kick off this stage by submitting a project feasibility form to our clients (you can download an extract of our feasibility form here).
Evaluation of the Project. We evaluate the feasibility of the project and discuss an agenda to follow through. Once this is agreed, we confirm and sign upon the terms of the collaboration and kick off the execution.
Implementation of the Project. A typical project will follow the stages indicated in the diagram below:

	Definition of the supply requirements
Requirements Specification	Client provides specification of the requirements (merchandise requirements and terms of supply) Missing specifications are eventually requested. If necessary, one or more meeting(s) will facilitate finalization of the requirements.	or more, according to the materials provided

	Project evaluation
Project Proposal	Preliminary contacts with the suppliers to assess technical feasibility, quotations etc. Assessment of the feasibility of the project. Draft of the proposal and terms of service for the client.

Service Contract	Finalization of the terms of service	as necessary

	Suppliers research and audit
Suppliers Audit	Select a pool of qualified suppliers in according to the requirements defined with the client. Perform suppliers’ audits as necessary and report to the client (preliminary samples are eventually requested.)

	Client feedback / Instructions for further research / Preliminary negotiation of the supply terms	as necessary until the client is satisfied with terms of the supply

	Supplier(s) selection

	If necessary
	Product development
	If necessary, the product is developed and/or customized in accordance with the specifications of the client. Development spans from a simple customization of the color, or design, to a full engineering of a new line of product with the supplier.	as necessary according to the product

	Final product sampling

	Final approval of the product

	Quality controls
QC Reports and Uptades	Supervise incoming material QC of the ssupplier. Supervise production and in-line QC and report to the client advancement of the works. Guarantee open and effective communications between the client and the supplier.	as necessary according to the volumes

Pre-Shipment inspection report	Final pre-shipment quality inspection

	Shipment and exportation

A typical project can bring results within 2 months (sometimes even less). The first month is usually used to transfer the client’s requirements and to conduct the preliminary research and audit of the suppliers. At the end of the first month the client has already a clear idea of the potential of sourcing his products from China. The second month is used for refining the research of the suppliers, after the client’s feedback, and for further auditing and sampling, in order to arrive to the final approval of the samples and the production of the first small batches.

Look at our product specialization here.