352 Process Techniques for Engineering High-Performance Materials
• Choose to work with suppliers that are appropriate for your needs.
Avoid commodity suppliers when the precision and repeatability of
a specialty product are required. Never commit to a material based
solely on a favorable price quote, if its long-term cost structure is
highly dependent on spot market conditions.
• Show the suppliers your failure samples and the drawbacks of their
offerings for your process. Graphically demonstrate what you love
and hate in the alternates. The vocabulary used across different
companies and industries may not accurately describe your require-
ments as well as tangible examples do.
• Make sure that your application is one that vendors want to ...