What is the main purpose of supplier quality management?

The main purpose of supplier quality management is to ensure that the materials provided by suppliers meet predetermined quality standards. This involves assessing and monitoring the quality of incoming products, materials, and components to ensure they comply with specifications critical for the manufacturing process. By maintaining high-quality standards, organizations minimize defects, reduce rework, and enhance overall customer satisfaction. Effective supplier quality management fosters strong relationships with suppliers, which can lead to improvements in processes and cost efficiency over time.

The other options, while they touch upon aspects of supplier relationships and procurement, do not directly capture the core objective of supplier quality management. Increasing supplier costs is counterproductive as it could lead to higher overall expenses for the organization. Providing training to suppliers, although beneficial, is more of a supporting activity rather than the main purpose. Similarly, shortening lead time is an important goal within supply chain management but does not specifically address the quality aspect that supplier quality management is primarily concerned with.