Challenges in practice
Collaboration with suppliers, customers, and internal staff is more complex than ever. Quality-relevant information is sent via email, documents are stored multiple times, queries are clarified by phone, and status updates are tracked manually.
This leads to typical problems:
- Time wasted due to queries and a lack of transparency
- Unclear responsibilities
- Communication gaps between companies
- Incomplete or delayed documentation
- Lack of traceability in the event of an audit
However, structured, documented, and traceable communication is crucial, especially in quality-critical processes such as incoming goods inspections, complaints, or initial sample inspections.
Companies today need a solution that integrates external partners directly into their quality processes – securely, transparently, and without redundant data collection.
Solution QS1
With the QS1 portal modules, you integrate suppliers, customers, and internal employees directly into your quality-related processes – in a structured, secure, and seamless manner.
The portals are designed as simplified browser applications. No installation is required. Your partners simply access the respective portal via a link and log in with their credentials. The user interface is intentionally streamlined and intuitive, enabling even those without in-depth QS system knowledge to work efficiently.
This allows you to open your quality processes to external stakeholders in a controlled way – without introducing complexity.
Information is captured where it originates – directly with suppliers, customers, or employees. Documents are uploaded in a structured manner, actions are processed, and status updates are automatically documented. Email threads, manual data transfers, and parallel Excel spreadsheets are thus a thing of the past.
At the same time, you retain complete control: Processes, workflows, approvals, and permissions are defined centrally in QS1. External partners contribute within this clearly defined framework.
The result is transparent, documented, and efficient collaboration across company boundaries – with clear allocation of responsibilities, significant time savings, and complete traceability in the event of an audit.
Overview of the QS1 portal modules
Supplier Outgoing Inspection
Suppliers can perform their outgoing goods inspection before shipping, record the results, and upload documents such as acceptance certificates or test reports. This information is then immediately available in your incoming goods inspection and simply needs to be reviewed and confirmed. This significantly speeds up the inspection process.
To Supplier Outgoing Inspection
Supplier evaluation
Your suppliers gain transparency regarding their current rating. Key figures and assessments can be viewed, thereby promoting open, traceable and collaborative partnerships.
To Supplier evaluation
Initial Sample Inspection Report - Supplier
As part of the initial sample inspection, the supplier can upload all required documents, test reports, and measurement results directly to the portal. This structured handover integrates seamlessly into your internal initial sample inspection process.
To Initial Sample Inspection Report - Supplier
Complaints Supplier
Suppliers are actively involved in complaint processes. They can view complaints, process corrective actions, and—if necessary—complete the structured 8D process within the portal. Status and progress remain transparent at all times.
To Complaints Supplier
Supplier-Audit
Suppliers can complete self-assessments and preliminary evaluations digitally – for example, as part of a selection process or in preparation for an audit. This makes the audit process more efficient and easier to plan.
Zu Supplier-Audit
Complaints Customer
Your customers can submit complaints directly through the portal and view the processing status at any time. This structured approach improves response times and creates transparency in customer communication.
To Complaints Customer
Initial Sample Inspection Report - Customer
As a supplier, you provide your customers with all documents and test reports for initial sample inspection in a structured format via the portal. This enables professional, transparent communication on equal terms.
To Initial Sample Inspection Report - Customer
Intranet-Portal
Internal employees are also actively involved. Qualifications can be viewed, e-learning courses completed, processes accessed, and measures from various QS1 areas processed via the intranet portal. This creates a company-wide, digital platform for quality and collaboration.
To Intranet-Portal
- Browser-based portal access – no installation required, simple login via link
- Intuitive, streamlined user interfaces for external partners and employees
- Direct integration of suppliers and customers into quality-relevant processes
- Structured recording of inspections, complaints, EMPB documents, and audit data
- Transparent, real-time status tracking
- Workflow-driven action processing, including the 8D process
- Audit-proof documentation of all activities
- Clear role and authorization concepts for controlled access
- Seamless integration into central QS1 workflows
- End-to-end traceability along the entire value chain
Does this sound familiar?
- Quality-related communication takes place via email, telephone, and files: documents are duplicated, queries are time-consuming, and unclear statuses must be manually tracked.
- External partners are not properly integrated into quality assurance processes: goods receipt, complaints, initial delivery receipts, or audits only begin internally once information eventually "arrives"—often incomplete or late.
- Media breaks create errors and duplication of effort: data is transferred from PDFs/Excel, versions diverge, and documentation is scattered—making traceability difficult during audits.
- Responsibilities remain unclear: who has to deliver, who checks, who approves—and by when? Without a clear framework, actions and feedback are lost.
- You want to open up processes in a controlled manner, but without externalizing complexity: external partners should be able to contribute without requiring them to access your entire quality assurance system.
This should be achieved through a robust process
- Structured integration of external partners into defined quality assurance processes: Suppliers, customers, and internal staff must be able to contribute, provide feedback, and process actions within clear workflows.
- Capture at the source instead of subsequent documentation: Data and documents must be created where they are generated – including clear assignment to the process (delivery, batch, complaint, EMPB, audit).
- Real-time transparency regarding status and responsibilities: Who is working on what, what is open, what is overdue, what has been released – without manual lists.
- Audit-proof, tamper-proof history: Every piece of feedback, every document, every release, and every status change must be traceably logged.
- Controlled access with governance: Roles, rights, and release concepts must be centrally managed; external partners contribute within a defined framework.
Coverage in QS1
- Integrates suppliers, customers, and internal staff directly into quality-relevant QS1 processes – in a structured, secure, and seamless manner – via browser-based portals requiring no installation.
- Provides deliberately streamlined, intuitive user interfaces, enabling external partners to work efficiently without in-depth QS system knowledge; access is granted via a link and login with defined permissions.
- Enables structured data capture and document transfer in key use cases: outgoing and incoming goods, complaints (including corrective actions and the 8D process), EMPB documentation, audits/self-assessments, and evaluation and status information.
- Centrally manages all processes within QS1: Workflows, approvals, roles, and rules are defined internally; external partners contribute within this framework, including automatic status tracking and documented communication.
- Ensures end-to-end traceability along the value chain: Uploads, feedback, action processing and approvals are logged in an audit-proof manner and can be verified in the event of an audit without detective work.
Your result: Significantly fewer queries and coordination efforts, higher data quality through source-level data collection, faster review and approval processes, clear responsibilities across company boundaries, and audit-proof, transparent collaboration – without email and Excel side hustles.
Your advantages
- Significant time savings through the elimination of email communication and manual data entry
- Reduction of error sources through structured data input
- Clear allocation of responsibilities to suppliers, customers, and internal stakeholders
- Faster review and approval processes
- Improved transparency regarding status and processing stages
- Higher data quality through direct capture at the source
- Improved auditability through complete documentation
- More efficient collaboration across company boundaries
- Relief for internal quality assurance resources
- Strengthening of collaborative customer and supplier relationships
