Automotive
Who actually decides adhesive purchases at an automotive Tier 1 plant?
No single person. For production adhesives, engineering chooses the product, quality approves it, purchase negotiates the price, and the vehicle maker often has to approve any change. For maintenance adhesives, the maintenance head usually decides and the plant's regular dealer supplies.
By S. Sakthi Kumar, industrial adhesives & sealants consultant · · 3 min read
Two buying streams
| Production adhesives | Maintenance adhesives | |
|---|---|---|
| Used in | The product the plant ships | Keeping the plant's machines running |
| Chosen by | Product or process engineering | Maintenance head and engineers |
| Approved by | Quality, and often the vehicle maker | Maintenance head |
| Bought through | Direct from the manufacturer or an approved distributor | Usually the plant's regular MRO dealer |
| Time to change | Often several months | Often weeks |
Who does what, and what each person needs
- Product or design engineering: the specification, technical data and test results.
- Process or manufacturing engineering: fit with the line, dispensing, cycle time and operator safety.
- Quality: batch consistency, certificates, shelf life, traceability and the approval documents.
- Purchase: price, payment terms, vendor registration and reliable supply.
- Maintenance: less downtime, and products that are easy to use.
- Plant head: cost and risk.
- The vehicle maker: approval of changes to parts and processes it has already approved.
Approach them in the right order
Start with the person who has the problem: usually a process or maintenance engineer. Make that engineer your champion, run a trial that solves the problem, and bring quality in early so their requirements shape the trial. Keep purchase informed throughout, and negotiate price once engineering is convinced.
The most common mistake is going to purchase first with a lower price. Purchase cannot change a product engineering has approved, so the answer is "send it to engineering", and you start again with less goodwill.
How a production change happens
- 1Problem or savingSomeone identifies a quality problem, a cost saving or a process improvement.
- 2TrialRun with agreed success criteria. See why plant trials stall.
- 3ValidationTests that prove the part still meets its specification.
- 4DocumentationApproval documents for the plant's quality system and, where needed, its customer.
- 5Customer approvalThe vehicle maker reviews and approves the change where required.
- 6First orderVendor registration, part number, and the first purchase order.
This is why production approvals take months, and why a supplier who helps with each step wins.
Practical tips
- Sell the solution to a problem, not a cheaper bottle.
- Bring data in the engineer's language: test results, not adjectives.
- Help with the paperwork. It is where most approvals slow down.
- Keep your champion visible inside the plant: share results they can present.
- Respect the process. Trying to shortcut quality loses trust permanently.
Questions people ask
Can purchase approve a cheaper adhesive on its own?
For production adhesives, rarely. A change to a material in the product normally goes through engineering, quality and often the vehicle maker. For maintenance adhesives, purchase has more freedom, but usually follows the maintenance head.
What is PPAP, and does it affect adhesive suppliers?
PPAP, the Production Part Approval Process, is the documented evidence an automotive supplier gives its customer that a part or process meets requirements. Changing an adhesive used in a part can trigger it, so adhesive suppliers are often asked for data that feeds into it.
What is the fastest way into an automotive plant for a new adhesive brand?
Usually through maintenance: a hands-on demonstration with the maintenance team and supply through the plant's MRO dealer. Production approvals can follow once the plant trusts the brand.