Alexander Dennis Ltd drive improved supplier performance

Introduction

Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL) employs around 2,000 people at facilities in the UK, continental Asia, and North America. The company provides vehicles to major operators such as Stagecoach, First Group, and Abellio, and is the fastest-growing bus and coach builder in Western Europe. 

The challenge

• Disparate supplier management systems across different sites
• Lack of centralized data for supplier performance evaluation
• Need for a scalable solution to manage business and compliance requirements

The solution

ADL selected Ideagen Quality Management for its:

• Centralized platform to manage all supplier issues group-wide
• Reporting functionality to evaluate supplier performance and drive root cause analysis
• Ability to integrate and streamline various business management processes

Implementation and impact

Before, ADL faced challenges with managing suppliers due to disparate systems across different sites. The transition to Ideagen provided a centralized, scalable solution that enhanced supplier performance, improved data visibility, and standardized processes.

This transformation enabled ADL to drive continuous improvement and maintain high-quality standards:

• Replaced previous versions with a centralized system, providing several databases for business and compliance requirements
• Implemented a dedicated Supplier Quality Assurance (SQA) database, applying a common approach to supplier-related quality issues
• Enabled 400 suppliers to access the reporting portal, expediting issue resolution and communication
• Established group-wide KPIs, providing visibility of supplier performance and helping to drive continuous improvement
• Standardized supplier management processes across all sites, ensuring consistent quality and performance