Flex Supplier Information

Serving our customers around the world

More than ever, it is important to have a trusted, resilient global supply chain network. In a rapidly changing environment, resiliency is essential for bringing products to life — and to our customers around the world.

We know we could not do all the things we do to design and manufacture products without your trust, collaboration and commitment. You help us source the components needed to bring innovative products to market and respond to our customers’ regional and global needs.

Together, we will continue to capture new opportunities and create products that improve the world.

Tools for suppliers

We strive to make working with Flex as simple and valuable as possible for our suppliers. Because the better we collaborate, the more effectively we can serve our mutual customers. Find the tools and resources you need and learn more about our solutions.

ecommerce business solutions

Flex is committed to increasing our customers’ competitiveness by building faster and more cost-efficient supply chains. To this end, we’ve launched a global initiative aimed at increasing supply chain visibility and collaboration with all of our partners by offering ecommerce, electronic data, and e-sourcing solutions.

Explore our ecommerce offerings

aQuire: global procurement, supply chain, and quality assurance

We use state-of-the-art sourcing tools in collaboration with Ivalua for both direct and indirect material sourcing.

Explore aQuire

E-sourcing

E-sourcing uses Flex e-Auction software to provide an online collaborative forum for Flex and our suppliers. Our Global Commodity Management team uses this tool for the selection of the most competitive prices through electronic auctions.

E-sourcing facilitates both indirect and direct materials purchases and offers many advantages and opportunities for the current supply base, as well as opportunities for competitive companies to become suppliers to Flex.

Strengthening supply chain and community through supplier diversity

Flex awards business to suppliers based on factors such as cost, quality, value, and risk. We also consider supplier diversity by identifying and enabling* minority-owned suppliers to qualify and successfully compete for our business based on merit. These relationships result in suppliers participating further in the economic mainstream, which ensures a stronger supplier base for the future.

Operating in thriving communities allows us to compete on a global scale. By helping local minority suppliers enter the economic mainstream, we improve the economic stability and vitality of those communities.

* There is no specific spend allocation for diverse suppliers.

Criteria, requirements, and guidelines to be considered a Flex diverse supplier

A business that is at least 51% owned by, and whose management and daily business operations are controlled by, one or more members of a socially and economically disadvantaged minority group or that falls into the following business categories.

The supplier must be certified, maintained and updated as one of the diverse classifications mentioned above.

Some of the organizations that can provide these certifications are:

• National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC)
• Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC)
• Canadian Aboriginal and Minority Supplier Council (CAMSC)
• National Women Business Owners Corp. (NWBOC)
• Women Business Enterprises of Canada (WBE Canada)
• National Veteran Business Development Council (NVBDC)
• WE Connect international

Welcome, Flex valued suppliers!

This is your resource center for information on doing business with flex and on requirements and training to provide products and services.

Special segment requirements

The documents listed here outline additional requirements specific to certain flex market segments.

• Supplier quality general requirements
• Supplier quality requirements — Automotive
• Supplier quality requirements — Aerospace and defense

Training and forms

• Product change notification (PCN) training for manufacturers
• PCN submission form template
• PCN manufacturer checklist
• Supplier change agreement template
• Supplier sustainability training for suppliers (English)
• Supplier sustainability training for suppliers (Chinese)
• 8D corrective actions report
• Anthesis IPC1-752A material declaration template
• Anthesis IPC1-752A material declaration user guide
• Supplier rating system overview

Flex Milpitas supplier instructions

• Flex Milpitas inbound/outbound routing instructions
• Flex Milpitas foreign vendor requirements of export invoices

Our policies

• Flex policies

Introducing aQuire for global procurement, supply chain and quality assurance

aQuire Sourcing is our powerful sourcing tool that enables us to collaborate with suppliers on full end-to-end procurement, supply chain and quality processes.

It is a branded version of Ivalua, an industry leader in unified source-to-pay procurement solutions. With aQuire Sourcing, suppliers can seamlessly connect with us for the successful management of sourcing projects.

The platform offers advantages to our current suppliers and provides opportunities for competitive companies to join our supply base.

About Flex Supplier Portal (FSP)

FSP is a centralized, web-based application that manages and supports collaborative supply chain processes between Flex and our supplier base.

FSP features

• Automatic transmission of forecasts, new POs, PO changes, and PO cancellations (web or EDI).
• Ability to upload PO acknowledgments, forecast commitments, inventory commitments, and ASNs.
• Custom email alerts that allow suppliers to manage by exception.
• Electronic record of communication between suppliers and Flex.
• Improved data integrity between suppliers and Flex.
• Immediate transmission of all supplier acknowledgments to Flex ERP or to buyers for approval.
• Faster delivery of forecasts and POs to suppliers.
• Significantly improved system performance.
• More options and capabilities, including multiple languages.