Making Suppliers Part of Your Design Team

  "Sales reps will tell you great things about their company, and they will probably be right about most of it," says Dale Rice, director of technical services at Gallo Salame, a San Francisco-based manufacturer of specialty salami. "But be wary of the supplier who says they can do it all. Check out what's being said to make sure the company's not just all talk."

  Rice recommends visiting potential supplier partners, talking with key members of their R&D teams and gauging their readiness to commit to a project. "We do quality audits," he says, "not just of ingredients, but of the entire company. Do they really want you to end up with the best product possible, or do they just want your business?"

  It is at this early stage of the game that the issue of confidentiality should be broached. Although some processors believe secrecy, or non-disclosure, agreements can stifle the creative process by restricting the flow of information, others will not operate without one. If you're up in the air as to whether such a pact is required, consider applying Rice's "acid test."

  "When talking to a company we're considering partnering with, I ask what they know about 'so-and-so' other companies they have done development work for," he says. "If they respond with all sorts of information, thinking that's what I want to hear, they're immediately out of the running. My thinking is, if they blab like that to me about other companies' new products, what's to stop them from blabbing about our projects to competitors?

  "We do require non-disclosure agreements," he continues, "but that's just to cover the legal aspects. You really need to know a supplier much better than that. You need to be able to trust them."

  Another factor to consider is a supplier's size relative to your own. If you work for a small company and approach a large supplier, believing its vast resources will skyrocket you into the product development hall of fame, be prepared for a possible rude awakening. The service you were promised and counted on might quickly evaporate if a larger, more lucrative processor comes along.

  "You need to define the technical needs and expertise of both sides," says Patrick Moeller, vice president of R&D at Hickory Specialties, Brentwood, TN. "By knowing who can do what and, conversely, knowing what they can't do, you won't have any unpleasant surprises along the way."

  The project at hand also must be clearly defined. If a specific product is the goal, its parameters should be clearly laid out. If the goal is less specific -- you want to explore other uses for a certain ingredient, for example -- make that clear, too.

  When defining goals, go the extra step and define any questionable terms. "Try to facilitate a common language," says Rick Hull, director of product development at Hickory Specialties. "We make smoke flavors that can be added to food. If a customer comes to us and says they need smoky flavor added to their chicken, that gives us a place to start. But if they define the type of smoky flavor they're looking for, we can be much more directed in our work."

  Also, don't forget to talk about time. "Suppliers realize that time lines are critical," says Hull. "Most realize that's why they've been called in -- because time is short. So be up front about your needs. Show the time line you've worked out for the project; show what the deadlines for each phase are. Then keep track of how things are proceeding. If a project starts to lag, you'll know immediately. There won't be a big crunch at the end."

  "If you've established open lines of communication during the initial phases of a project, you've done yourself a tremendous favor," Hull says. "Regular phone calls, faxes and meetings will become a natural part of the process, and information will be free flowing. If a problem arises, you'll know about it immediately. You'll also know whom to contact to find the solution."

  Gallo Salame's Rice says that weekly meetings help keep all team members up to date on the project and that it is important to invite everyone involved -- not just those who are most directly connected at the moment.

  "When we were developing the packaging for our new line of Robusto flavored salami, it was very important that we receive input from all sides -- not just the technical group, but also marketing, the outside graphics design firm, the printer. There were product-packaging issues that needed to be resolved, color selections to be made. It would have been impossible to design an effective package if even one of those groups was left out."

  "A true partner on a product design team doesn't disappear once the development work is finished," says Rice. "That partner should remain even after the product's introduction to solve any problems that might come up."

  He again cites the new Robusto packaging as an example of how a successful partnership works. "When the first printing went through for the packaging, the purple didn't pop the way it should have," he says. "We had specified which PMS colors we wanted, and those were the colors the printer used. But it just didn't work.

  "Rather than say, 'Tough luck. We did what you wanted; sorry it didn't work out,' the printer switched to color swatching, showing us how the colors we selected would look when printed. We had many late-night talks with them. They were willing to do whatever was necessary to ensure the packaging looked just as we wanted it to. They've been a team player all along. They're part of the roll-out with us."

  "You really can't shorten the period of invention," Moeller says. "A new idea is always going to need some time to get the bugs worked out. But by increasing the resources available to you through partnerships, you can help that period proceed as efficiently as possible."