Low-No Cost IT Solutions For Supply Chain Quality & Performance Improvement

[qualityman46]

All,

I am currently writing an article on the use of "No cost or Low Cost”, Freeware, Shareware and Commercial off the Shelf IT solutions that can be used for the improvement of Supply Chain Quality and Performance.

The article identifies by name, application, description and website effective IT solutions and tools for small business that can be used to improve supplier quality and performance at minimal or no cost.

For example:

Skype: Can used as a no cost means to improve communications with suppliers located nationally and internationally.

FTP sites: Can be used as a low cost means of maintaining secure document control with suppliers.

MS Excel or Equivalent: Used for Gage R& R, Supplier data collection and analysis, SPC, Reliability analysis, etc………..

I was hoping that others in the forum might have ideas or experiences and would share. I have already seen some postings along these lines.

Of course when the article is finished I will post it in this forum.

Thanks in advance for your help.

[nickh - 2011]

Haved you looked on sourceforge.net?

If you're not familiar with it, it's a respository of free and open source software. They range from small tools to entire ERP + CRM packages like Compiere: http://sourceforge.net/projects/compiere/

Another source is freshmeat.net. A quick search yielded http://freshmeat.net/projects/digiqual/ - an open source quality management application.

Sometimes you can find some good applications there. Other times, you just get what you pay for. Both sites are run by by the Open Source Technology Group (which also runs slashdot and linux.com).

HTH,

Nick

[qualityman46]

Thanks Nick,

I will be sure to check them out.