Initiative Teams

F4SS INITIATIVE TEAMS

Members have identified the most significant areas of opportunities relative to eliminating redundancy (cost savings), cost avoidance, and industry development.

CONTINOUS IMPROVEMENT (CI) NETWORK

Team Objective: To design and establish a world class. Supplier development and networking program by providing a forum for benchmarking, technical and non-technical training, and leadership development, utilizing Continuous Improvement and Lean Manufacturing as a platform.

Team Purpose: Develop a high level of trust and collaboration between Suppliers and Customers through the development of Supplier Capabilities and driving alignment with Customer’s Continuous Improvement efforts. Establish a means for Suppliers and Customers to engage resources for the mutual benefit of the Supplier/ Customer learning and relationship building. Expose the Supplier network to training and tools utilized by Customers and Suppliers for Continuous Improvement and driving out waste within their businesses to the benefit of Suppliers and Customers alike. Expose the Supplier network to training and tools utilized by Customers and Suppliers for Continuous Improvement and driving out waste within their businesses to the benefit of Suppliers and Customers alike. Equip the Supplier base within F4SS with the tools from which to become more competitive within their respective industries. Initiate a forum from which to accelerate adoption of initiatives driven by F4SS into the Customer/Supplier network (CSOP, Quality, etc).

TRUST AND COLLABORATION (TAC)

Following our Winter Conference (2008) we chartered a team to address the issue of Building Trust within the industry, as it is believed to be the root preventing us from achieving our goals.

Charter:

The F4SS Building Trust Team will define industry barriers to the establishment of trusting relationships between customers and suppliers (defined as contract manufacturers and secondary packagers). Following definition, the team will develop recommendations to foster and develop relationships built on trust.

CSOP (CUSTOMER SUPPLIER OPERATIONS PLANNING) - NO TOUCH REPLENISHMENT TEAM

The F4SS CSOP Team is responsible for developing a plan and the capabilities to ultimately achieve no-touch replenishment. Activities include benchmarking CPG industry CSOP processes between and within customers and suppliers, analyzing those processes and identifying best practices; facilitating the sharing of best practices among members; establishing recommended metrics template and developing a detailed recommendation on an industry standard process.

No Touch Replenishment Vision

No human "touch" or intervention required from the demand signal through to payment, globally.

Begins at consumer point of purchase, or in the case of a promotion or new product, with a forecast.

Flows through to raw material suppliers.

Continues through to payment

QAI (QUALITY ASSURANCE INITIATIVE) TEAM

The F4SS QAI Team will add value and eliminate losses in the Quality Assurance relationships and work processes between branded marketers (customers) and suppliers. Specific outcomes include the following: Industry benchmarking, a Community of Practice for QA leaders, agreed-to industry standards & practices, minimize audits/inspections and rigorous elimination of waste and redundancy. Our approach will use the Lean Management process of Continuous Improvement.

SUSTAINABILITY TEAM