Abstract: This paper analyzes the quality components in the transformer procurement process and interprets the quality of each component.
Keywords: Transformer procurement quality
1. Introduction
A transformer, relative to a large power system or a local power system, is merely an indispensable and crucial intermediate energy conversion and transmission component. However, a transformer itself is composed of many effective and useful elements. The essence of transformer manufacturing is to effectively transform and combine the various effective and useful elements that make up the transformer according to relevant requirements. Therefore, in the transformer manufacturing process, the transformer manufacturer is merely the final assembly production unit that forms the transformer entity, not the manufacturing unit for all the effective and useful elements that make up the transformer. Some effective and useful elements need to be purchased externally. This leads to another process in the transformer manufacturing process after the sales and design processes—the transformer procurement process.
2. Definition of the Transformer Procurement Process
The transformer procurement process in this article refers to all procurement activities undertaken by transformer manufacturers in the market when they have one or more needs during the production and manufacturing of transformers.
The market economy demands rapid response and the pursuit of the highest quality from all parties involved in the production of a project, leading to a highly specialized division of labor. The complexity of product functions and structural requirements results in a high degree of integration in the production of large-scale industrial products. This is one of the characteristics of the manufacturing of all large-scale industrial products in the modern era. It is difficult for a factory or company to complete everything from the production and supply of raw materials to the final product manufacturing and sales. It is necessary to procure some effective and useful elements that make up the product from external sources. Only in this way can product quality be improved in a short period of time, each production unit be specialized, resources be allocated precisely, customer requirements be met in the shortest possible time, social benefits be maximized, and corporate risks be minimized. The manufacturing process of transformers is an example of this.
Traditional commercial trade procurement involves purchasing all goods flowing from point A to point B, then re-sorting, packaging, and selling them, resulting in economic appreciation. This is the case with the purchase and sale of daily necessities. The procurement process for transformers, on the other hand, is when transformer manufacturers, unable to meet certain effective and useful elements required to compose transformers within their own capabilities and scope, must resort to external procurement. The scope of procurement includes two aspects: ① physical procurement when the manufacturer cannot produce the goods or the quantity or time required to produce them cannot meet production needs; ② intellectual procurement of technologies (including management technologies) that the manufacturer lacks. The specific process of implementing this procurement is the transformer procurement process.
3. Quality breakdown of the transformer procurement process
The quality of transformer procurement encompasses five aspects: first, the quality of the technical contracts (agreements) signed between the main transformer manufacturer and various suppliers regarding the specific procured items; second, the quality of the specific procured items themselves; third, the quality of the logistics process (including packaging quality); fourth, the time quality of the procurement process (delivery quality); and fifth, the quality of after-sales service.
Everything has rules, and everything should be done in accordance with those rules. This is an important characteristic of a society governed by law, and the procurement process for transformers is no exception. The first priority at the outset of the transformer procurement process is for the transformer manufacturer and supplier to sign corresponding technical contracts (agreements) and commercial contracts for the specific product. Technical contracts (agreements) can use either standard or non-standard clauses, but should respect the facts and avoid excessive demands for multiple functions and high quality/standards. Applicability, durability, economy, and safety are the basic balance points. The content should be appropriately detailed, neither too many nor too few items, focusing on the present while also considering the future to a certain extent. Commercial contracts can also use either standard or non-standard clauses, adhering to the principle of fair trade, correctly quantifying the economic value of the product, and avoiding excessively compressing the contract price. The goal is to ensure that quality is commensurate with market value, striving to achieve a win-win situation for society, both parties (the manufacturers and suppliers).
Specific purchased items can be divided into two main categories: general materials and customized materials. General materials refer to standardized, serialized, and mass-produced transformer components and accessories, such as various butterfly valves, bushings, and coolers, for which the specific manufacturer's company nature, name, address, contact information, product catalog, product appearance, product structure, product use, product function, product usage method, product material, product implementation standard, and product installation method can be found through various mass media. These components do not require secondary processing and can be directly assembled according to the instruction manual. Customized materials refer to special-purpose items that must be specially designed and manufactured or manufactured in small batches according to the specific drawings and special technical requirements (including inspection and testing methods, special agreement quality standards, etc.) provided by the buyer to achieve a certain function agreed upon by both parties in advance.
Transformer technology procurement covers three main aspects: first, procuring certain key technologies used in the transformer manufacturing process that the company does not possess or is not yet mature in, especially proprietary and patented technologies; second, procuring certain management technologies used in the transformer manufacturing process that the company does not possess or is not yet mature in; and third, procuring relevant national standards (Chinese national standards, international standards, foreign standards), local standards, industry standards, and upgraded versions of national standards (Chinese national standards, international standards, foreign standards), local standards, and industry standards used in the transformer manufacturing process.
The quality of general-purpose purchased materials includes the following aspects: ① consistency between shape and published drawings; ② consistency between dimensional constraints and published drawings; ③ consistency between actual materials and published quality specifications; ④ conformity of actual function with relevant published specifications; ⑤ consistency of applicability and safety with published specifications; ⑥ conformity with relevant national standards, departmental standards (including enterprise standards), industry standards, and local standards; and ⑦ the standardization, accuracy, and applicability of user manuals and certificates of conformity.
The quality of customized materials purchased must meet the following criteria: ① Consistency between the shape and the specific drawings provided by the buyer; ② Consistency between the dimensional constraints and the specific drawings provided by the buyer; ③ Consistency between the actual materials and the buyer's special quality requirements; ④ Achievement of the actual function in accordance with the specific technical requirements agreed upon by both parties; ⑤ Rationality of the installation, assembly, and disassembly schemes; ⑥ Suitability and safety in accordance with the agreement; ⑦ Practicality of the surface treatment results; ⑧ Conformity to relevant national standards, departmental standards (including enterprise standards), industry standards, local standards, and other specific quality standards agreed upon in the agreement; ⑨ Standardization, accuracy, and applicability of the instruction manual and certificate of conformity.
The following principles should be followed in the procurement of physical materials (including customized materials and general materials): ① Purchase products from well-known brands; ② Purchase well-known brands; ③ Purchase from companies with high integrity and reputation; ④ Purchase from companies with a history of manufacturing similar products and multiple successful operating results; ⑤ Purchase from companies with stable product quality; ⑥ Under the same constraints, try to purchase from nearby companies.
The following principles should be followed in the technology procurement process: ① Procuring technologies that one does not possess; ② Procuring technologies that are not yet mature; ③ Procuring technologies that are in sync with the times; ④ Procuring technologies that are at a certain leading level; ⑤ Procuring technologies that can be integrated with or embedded in one's own capabilities; ⑥ Procuring usable, applicable, safe, and mature technologies; ⑦ Procuring technologies that are highly profitable; ⑧ Procuring technologies that can improve one's own capabilities and enhance them in some aspect or to some extent; ⑨ Procuring technologies that have a legal basis and are protected by law.
The technologies procured externally include the following aspects: ① Procurement of transformer calculation technology, such as calculation sheets for transformers with a specific capacity, voltage level, or special structure; ② Procurement of transformer inspection and testing technology, such as when upgrading the voltage level of one's own products or adding a previously untested inspection and testing item, requiring the expenditure of sending relevant personnel to other locations for training or hiring relevant experts for practical training and guidance; ③ Procurement of proprietary design technology, such as when lacking or not fully possessing the design capabilities for transformers of a certain voltage level or with a special structure, requiring the expenditure of expenditure to procure a complete set of engineering drawings or partial general plans from external suppliers; ④ Procurement of process technology, such as introducing processes that exceed the limits of one's past manufacturing capabilities, such as the drying time and temperature curve of the transformer body and the pressure of the coil compression. —Force area curve, transformer body finishing curve, overall assembly process of large transformer coils and core stacking process, etc. ⑤ Procurement of operational technology, such as for a new type of coil structure that has not been wound before or the operation method of a newly introduced equipment, it is necessary to spend a certain amount of money to send relevant personnel to other places for learning or to hire relevant experts to provide practical training and guidance to the enterprise. ⑥ Send relevant personnel, especially technical personnel, to relevant professional colleges and universities for post-graduate studies (including MBA and other management studies), or to professional research institutes and similar enterprises for special training and study. ⑦ Entrust relevant research institutions to conduct special technical research and development. ⑧ Participate in industry associations or join professional technical networks. ⑨ Jointly establish a postdoctoral research station with a university or a research institute with degree-granting authority to share scientific research results.
Generally, transformer manufacturers and their suppliers are geographically distant, sometimes thousands of kilometers away or even located overseas. All materials procured by transformer manufacturers must be transported through logistics channels to reach their intended destinations. Various factors during the logistics process can cause products manufactured by subcontractors to meet quality requirements to remain substandard upon arrival at the transformer manufacturer. Therefore, it is crucial to prioritize, strengthen, and control quality during the logistics process. Specifically, targeted management, technical, economic, and legal measures should be implemented to ensure quality throughout the logistics process. Management measures ensure that relevant organizations and personnel fulfill their responsibilities, with accountability assigned to specific positions and individuals. Technical measures ensure that products are not deformed, misaligned, or damaged during logistics. Economic measures ensure that organizations and individuals involved in the logistics process have clear objectives regarding economic gains and losses. Legal measures clarify the legal responsibilities of organizations and individuals involved in the logistics process. For transformer suppliers, producing materials that meet the transformer manufacturer's quality requirements is a fundamental prerequisite. A fast, convenient, safe, and reliable logistics process is the reliable guarantee that these procured materials will meet the transformer manufacturer's quality requirements; neither can be sacrificed.
The time quality (delivery quality) of the transformer procurement process refers to the achievement of the ultimate goal of the transformer manufacturer's procurement activities within the time agreed upon by both parties (commercial contract). There are two quality outcomes: on-time delivery and off-time delivery. From a management perspective, analyzing the time quality (delivery quality) of the transformer procurement process can reveal the supplier's (subcontractor's) responsiveness to the market, service philosophy, cooperative attitude, team spirit, integrity index, value orientation, manufacturing capabilities, and compliance with laws and regulations.
The quality of after-sales service in the transformer procurement process refers to the quality of after-sales service provided by suppliers to transformer manufacturers, including on-site technical support and accident handling, after their products arrive at the transformer manufacturer's work site, become a useful element of the overall transformer, or arrive at the final work site with the transformer. The quality of after-sales service in the transformer procurement process can be analyzed and evaluated from the following aspects: ① speed of providing after-sales service, ② effectiveness of providing after-sales service, ③ timeliness of providing after-sales service, and ④ attitude towards providing after-sales service. Based on the principle that quality permeates the entire product lifecycle, after-sales service quality is an effective component of product quality. A product with poor after-sales service quality is not a good product. After-sales service is not only the responsibility and obligation of the main equipment manufacturer, but also that of subcontractors. All products require after-sales service, and all products must provide after-sales service; after-sales service is inherent in every stage of all product development.
4. Conclusion
The transformer procurement process has two main characteristics: First, the transformer manufacturer does not participate in the specific work during this period. The manufacturing process of the target product is entirely completed outside the transformer manufacturer, and therefore the quality of the target product is also entirely determined outside the transformer manufacturer. The transformer manufacturer can only ensure the quality of the target product during the transformer procurement process through indirect means such as pre-agreement, in-process supervision and inspection, and post-acceptance, through multiple controls. Pre-agreement is the foundation, in-process supervision and inspection and post-acceptance are the means, and fulfilling the agreement is the goal. Second, this is the stage where the transformer manufacturer spends the most money externally. Following a process-oriented approach to problem analysis, everything that happens and develops has a certain process. Every work and project has its own process. The preceding process is the input for the following process, and the following process is the reprocessing of the preceding process. The quality of the preceding process directly affects the quality of the following process. From the perspective of the transformer manufacturer, a transformer goes through multiple stages from the time it is sold to the customer's grid connection. All processes are connected in a fixed order within a large framework, forming a negative feedback closed-loop AND gate system within a certain range. Damaging one part will inevitably affect the whole.
Borrowing from the economic principle of the barrel, if any stage of the process leading to transformer quality is flawed or substandard, it will result in varying degrees of flaws or substandard quality in that aspect of the transformer, and sometimes even lead to the overall substandard quality of the transformer. This requires suppliers to first establish a strong customer-centric mindset, keeping product quality at the forefront of their minds, treating the product quality line as their lifeline. It also requires transformer manufacturers to act diligently, prudently, and principledly, firmly establishing the idea that quality comes first and is paramount. They must adhere to principles on quality issues, upholding the bottom line of quality control at the very last mile, leaving no room for substandard quality. During cooperation with suppliers, they must act as truly qualified clients, strengthening and controlling the quality of the transformer procurement process, and doing everything possible to ensure quality throughout the procurement process.
