Chemical supplier quality management: the changes and challenges

Over the years the semiconductor industry has undergone tremendous change. The changes in technology are obvious but in addition to these, there have also been significant changes in the supplier quality management system. Some were driven by various quality programs, but others were necessary due to other issues such as container sizes (bottles to bulk containers), inventory control (high inventory levels to a just-in-time (JIT) approach), more stringent specifications (parts/million (ppm) impurities to parts/trillion (ppt) impurities), and resource issues (re-engineering, alternate suppliers). Many of these factors have necessitated changes and created challenges for companies in handling their supplier quality management programs. The goal of any supplier quality management program is to provide defective-free material to manufacturing. The impact of these factors on the supplier quality management program is discussed.