We are pleased to report that our new AVL database system is now live, enabling a more efficient search function for our Sales team to use when dealing with customer’ enquiries, as well as providing up-to-date information about quality approvals and restrictions for specialist applications. In this article, we provide a brief rundown of the main benefits of the system in terms of compliance, quality assurance, and service. If you have any additional questions, please don’t hesitate to call one of our team directly.
Quality Assurance And Peace Of Mind
At Broder Metals Group, we have held our ISO 9001 certification since 2005, and gained the Aerospace version (AS 9120) in 2019. For consistency and quality assurance, we only work with suppliers who have a certified quality system, plus any other approvals requested by our customer. This means that products sourced through our AVL system all have up-to-date supplier approvals, with the system is configured to track expiry dates, and to put suppliers into our re-approval process.
Industry-Specific Approvals
Certain industries and applications, including many Aerospace components, require further quality approvals, or restrictions on who can manufacture, process or test materials. To prevent the accidental use of unapproved materials or suppliers, our AVL system is kept up to date with current approval status as related to specific industries or end-uses.
How The AVL Database Works:
- Approval search function: Sales and purchasing departments can use the AVL database’s search function to check which suppliers have the required approvals. Each search query/check is recorded in an audit trail within our Quality System, with each search query printable if physical evidence is required.
- Certification records: Each supplier record on the Quality System contains electronic copies of their certificates and approvals, with expiry dates, as well as their responses to our approval questionnaire. These records are updated when certificates are renewed, or new approvals added, meaning any future queries from our customers can be dealt with speedily and efficiently.
- Purchase order safeguards: Approval expiry dates in our ERP system are set up to block accidentally raising a purchase order from suppliers whose approvals have expired or been removed due to poor performance.
Our quality assurance search features and purchase order/sales safeguards are designed to give customers peace of mind, knowing that all materials we supply are fit for their purpose and application.
Fast And Accurate Sourcing
Our AVL system is set up not just to guarantee quality and approvals, but also to speed up the ordering process for our customers. When a customer comes to us with a purchase enquiry, we can immediately use the database to determine whether or not we hold the materials in stock, and the supplier they were sourced from, without having to trawl through past order records. This saves a massive amount of time and enables us to provide accurate responses to quote requests, and dispatch in-stock materials promptly. It also speeds up the order process for non-stock enquiries, as we can check our database and contact recommended and approved suppliers who are known to have current availability.
Next Steps
At Broder Metals Group, we stock high grade stainless steels, nickel alloys, and super-duplex in round bar, along with a growing number of other products such as industrial hoses and aerospace components, for a variety of applications in the oil and gas, petroleum, power generation, aerospace, motorsport, and precision engineering sectors. To make a purchase enquiry or to find out more, please get in touch today.
