But in reality, you’re just signaling that you don’t know who can actually help you.
You're creating noise when you need speed.
Picture this. It’s 4:00 PM on a Friday.
You’ve got a hydraulic pump failure on a 737.
The aircraft is grounded. You needed that part yesterday.
So, what do you do?
You grab the part number, open your email, and BCC every vendor in your contact list.
You sit back, expecting a bidding war.
You expect vendors to fight for your business.
Here is what actually happens:
The best vendors see that BCC field (or the generic "Dear Vendor" greeting) and they delete it.
They think you’re price shopping, not problem-solving.
They know the chances of winning that PO are 1 in 15. They focus on the clients who send a direct email. Who sends POs.
You didn't start a bidding war. You started a waiting game. And the plane is still on the ground.
Think about a hydraulic leak on the landing gear. You see fluid on the strut.
Do you blindly replace every seal from the reservoir to the actuator?
No. That wastes time and burns money.
You troubleshoot. You isolate the leak. You fix the specific break.
Material sourcing needs the same precision. Stop shotgunning requests. Start sniping them.
Here is how to fix your response times today:
1. Tier Your Vendor List
You need to separate your vendors into two specific tiers because you cannot treat a stock supplier and an emergency partner the same way.
Create a "List A" for your true AOG emergencies. These are the partners who answer the phone at 2 AM and ship within four hours.
Then, create a "List B" for your routine stock replenishment. These companies are cheaper, but they might take three days to give you a quote.
Or there are other ways you can do this. You can create "Tier 1" partners who are always reliable. And "Tier 3", who have stuff, but their service stinks. Or "rotables" versus "expendables."
You get the point.
2. Match the Aircraft Material Mission to the Partner
You must match the request to the right mission to get the best result.
If the aircraft is safe in the hangar for a scheduled heavy check, send the request to your "List B" vendors to save your budget. Or, send it to "List A" if you want a dedicated heavy maintenance kit.
However, if passengers are stranded at the gate, you need to email your "List A" partners immediately.
3. Protect Your "Panic Button"
You need to stop crying wolf with your subject lines.
If you mark every single email as "URGENT," then nothing is actually urgent.
You should save the panic button for real AOG situations.
This ensures that when you truly need help, we know it is time to drop everything and get you flying.
Vendors aren't algorithms. They're people.
If you treat your supply chain like a spam folder, you get treated like spam.
And that's no fun.
Find the right partners that will move mountains for you.
Tired of vendors ghosting your emails?
Send us your next requirement.
Watch how fast we move and how, over time, once we understand your unique needs, we treat you and your team as if it were our own.