World-Class Collaboration: Building Healthy Partnerships

By Marshall Taylor

What makes a healthy relationship? Good communication — speaking, listening, and understanding. Caring about one another’s best interests. Recognizing and meeting each other’s needs.

In business and manufacturing, the idea of an excellent supplier relationship is often misunderstood. Too often, it becomes one-sided — with the supplier getting the short end of the stick. Some believe that a good supplier should sacrifice at all costs. Unfortunately, this mindset has led many business owners to burn themselves and their teams out in the process — sometimes to the point of collapse.

The three traditional metrics — quality, cost, and speed — are important, but they shouldn’t be the only ones considered when choosing a supplier. They may determine the success of a single project, but long-term partnerships and world-class supply chains require much more.

One of the first things both sides must recognize is that each party is for profit. A manufacturer doesn’t give its products away for free, and neither should a supplier. This may seem obvious, but it’s often overlooked. On the flip side, customers shouldn’t be expected to pay more unless there is genuine added value — such as reliability, responsiveness, expertise, and excellent customer service.

The strongest supplier relationships are developed over time. You absolutely have choices when selecting suppliers. There are plenty of companies capable of manufacturing parts to your specifications. Of course, you can shop around for every RFQ, squeeze pennies out of every quote, and only reach out when you’re in a bind. And yes, you’ll likely find someone willing to produce your parts with that approach.

However, the truth is that the best work with the best. You know your value. You know your product stands above the competition. Your company has invested years — and likely millions of dollars — nurturing relationships with customers who trust your excellence and return time and again because they know you deliver. Just as your company offers a superior product and focuses on loyal, high-quality customers, the same principle applies to the suppliers you choose to partner with.

We view supplier relationships the same way.

At Marvel Manufacturing, we recognize that we’re not the best fit for every project — and that’s okay. Just because we can doesn’t mean we should. We’re not trying to be everything to everyone. Instead, we strive to be the very best partner for the customers we serve.

We work with some of the most innovative companies in the world — leaders in technology and manufacturing who push boundaries every day. We’re proud to be part of their supply chain. We add value to their products and processes. We give the best manufacturers in the world our best.

We thrive when our customers thrive, and we’ll continue to grow to meet their evolving needs.

That’s what world-class collaboration looks like — People First, Parts Included.

Would Marvel Manufacturing Be a Good Partner for Your Company?

Ask yourself:

• Is your company among the best in the world or a leader in its industry?

• Does your company value long-term supplier partnerships?

• Do you require medium-volume production of precision-machined components?

• Do your components need to be ordered on a recurring basis or require weekly or monthly deliveries?

• Does your company prefer working closely with a select group of top-tier suppliers?

If so, we’d love to have a conversation to explore whether your company could become a Marvel Manufacturing customer.

We offer multi-axis turning, milling, and 5-axis machining, and we partner with a robust network of world-class approved suppliers to provide outside processes — delivering complete, finished products to our customers.