Take: Proximity is important to us
90% European suppliers
Who we work with, and how, is of real strategic importance to us. The suppliers whose products we use in our household appliances play a key role in our strategy. Around 60 per cent of our suppliers are domiciled in Switzerland, with around 30 per cent based in the surrounding European countries. We source most of our electronic parts from highly specialised markets in Asia. Our local procurement departments in Shanghai work closely with the relevant suppliers.
Our supplier management is based on our procurement strategy, which adheres to clear quality and sustainability standards. Selection, qualification and integration are the first steps of every supplier relationship. Self-assessments, confidentiality agreements, collecting financial information and, if necessary, pre-audits, are all part of our onboarding process. Only when all steps have been successfully completed is a company ready to join our supplier portfolio. Procurement always takes place via official channels and we take care to purchase as directly as possible from the manufacturer or via official distributors.
Personal connections create trust
Site visits and regular communication strengthen our cooperation, mutual trust and understanding. And with reliable forecasting for procurement volumes, we build a solid and trusting foundation. We mainly carry out audits ourselves, covering both environmental and social factors, as well as looking at aspects of ethical management. If any of our specifications are not met, we work with our partners to draw up an action plan. This helps us create long-term, sustainable partnerships.
Integrating a new supplier is an investment, so we always keep expenditure and gain in mind. We consider social and environmental factors, such as working conditions or using re-usable packaging, alongside physical distance from the supplier and supply frequency. We also want to deepen our relationship with a smaller portion of our suppliers. This process goes hand-in-hand with the modularisation of our products.