New Supplier Approval Process
To guarantee the best products to our customers we need to make sure that our suppliers meet all requirements in the areas of quality, logistics, finance and sustainability. Therefore, only released suppliers on ZF’s Approved Supplier List can be awarded new business. To become a released supplier, all potential suppliers go through our New Supplier Approval Process. A new supplier can only be added to ZF’s Approved Supplier List if all ZF requirements are fulfilled.
Supplier Assessments
There are four assessments designed to reduce the risk of a new supplier to ZF.
Quality Assessment
The quality of ZF products is significantly influenced by the quality performance of the company’s suppliers. Along with a quality management system based on IATF16949, ZF requires suppliers to adopt effective measures to ensure the quality of all products and processes.
A key element for a successful partnership with our suppliers of Production Materials is our Global Supplier Quality Directive: QD83
Every supplier of ZF has to acknowledge the content of our Quality Directive.
In addition to the quality certificates and the acknowledgement of our Quality Directive, an on-site audit according to VDA 6.3 Potential Analysis (ZF scheme) takes place at every potential supplier location for verification and evaluation of quality processes.
Logistics Assessment
In order to ensure smooth operations ZF has defined fundamental logistics requirements in the Global Supplier Logistics Directive: GLD
Every ZF supplier has to acknowledge the content of our Logistics Directive.
In addition to the acknowledgement of our logistics directive, the Global Materials Management Operational Guidelines/Logistical Evaluation (MMOG/LE) is used for verification and evaluation of logistics processes. Read more>
Financial Assessment
To ensure the financial stability, ZF performs a financial risk assessment for every potential supplier.
Sustainability Assessment
Good cooperation with all suppliers is the foundation of our value chain. ZF actively maintains these partnerships and expects its business partners to respect and promote values such as environmental protection, quality and human rights. Read more >
All potential suppliers are expected to acknowledge the ZF Business Partner Principles and to reinforce the values and principles set out therein at their companies and in their own supply chains.
In addition to the acknowledgement of our Business Partner Principles, a sustainability questionnaire is used for further evaluation within the areas of environmental protection, human rights, EHS and compliance.
We do expect our suppliers to complete the ZF Sustainability Questionnaire, which will be provided during the assessment process.
