SupplierInsight Establishes Alliance With Leading Quality Management System Registrar to Perform Supplier Facility Reviews; Registrar To Rate Suppliers for Electronic Commerce
4 January 2001
SupplierInsight Establishes Alliance With Leading Quality Management System Registrar to Perform Supplier Facility Reviews; Registrar To Rate Suppliers for Electronic Commerce
CLEVELAND--Jan. 4, 2001--SupplierInsight(TM), a leading independent online source for comprehensive qualification and ratings information on B2B suppliers, today announced an alliance with quality standards registrar National Quality Assurance, USA Inc. Under the terms of the agreement, NQA, best known for its third-party certification of companies under ISO standards, will conduct the Facility Review Rating portion of SupplierInsight's SupplierSeal. To complete the Facility Review Rating, NQA will visit a supplier's operation and inspect its quality systems, manufacturing processes and plant infrastructure."NQA is a market-leading company with a great deal of quality assurance experience. We are excited about our partnership," commented Rebecca Braun, CEO of SupplierInsight. "Together, SupplierInsight and NQA are offering a truly new and unique Facility Review product that will allow suppliers to better represent themselves in e-marketplaces."
The Facility Review Rating is one component of SupplierInsight's SupplierSeal(TM), which consists of five components:
| -- | Supplier Insights -- summarizes important supplier information such as existing certifications and association memberships. |
| -- | Reference Check Rating -- captures and rates basic buyer experiences. |
| -- | E-readiness Rating -- rates supplier's ability to engage in electronic commerce. |
| -- | Facility Review Rating -- rates supplier's manufacturing facilities using reputable, third-party ISO registrars and quality assessment companies. |
| -- | Dispute Resolution Rating -- tracks and rates a supplier's responsiveness to buyer disputes through a proprietary system. |
The SupplierSeal Solution qualifies suppliers by integrating traditional "offline" qualification methods into an online product for B2B e-marketplaces. Companies receiving the SupplierSeal may use the distinction as a qualification tool in any supporting e-marketplace or independently on the supplier's Web site.
"The SupplierInsight product for digital qualification is very complementary to NQA's offline registration product. We are excited to be involved in bringing this dynamic product to market," said Derek Coppinger, Business Development Director of NQA.
SupplierInsight allows suppliers participating in e-marketplaces to compete for business on attributes other than product price. By displaying the SupplierSeal in a supporting e-marketplace, suppliers are able to differentiate themselves and provide more information about their company.
"With the SupplierSeal, a supplier can provide the information a buyer needs to make an online purchasing decision. The product helps buyers and suppliers build an online community of quality using supplier information, such as that derived from a Facility Review," explained Braun.
About SupplierInsight
SupplierInsight is a leading independent online source for comprehensive qualification and rating information of business-to-business suppliers that are engaged in digital procurement. The company's SupplierSeal system qualifies suppliers by integrating traditional "offline" qualification methods into an online product for B2B e-marketplaces. To learn more about SupplierInsight and its SupplierSeal Solution, please visit the company's Web site at www.SupplierInsight.com or call 216-781-1100.
About National Quality Assurance, USA Inc.
NQA, USA, headquartered in Acton, Mass., with established offices in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific Rim, has clients in over 46 countries. NQA, USA is a world-renowned ISO 9000, ISO 14001, QS-9000, AS9000 and TickIT registrar. NQA counts Boeing, NASA, Graybar and Caterpillar among its more than 14,000 clients. NQA's worldwide operations are accredited to perform management systems registrations by ANSI/RAB (American National Standards Institute/Registrar Accreditation Board), UKAS (United Kingdom Accreditation Service) and RvA (Raad voor Accreditatie). NQA, USA has expertise in many diverse industries including aerospace, transportation and distribution, printing, professional services, automotive, foods, electronics, computers and software.