In the world of international trade, the role of suppliers is fundamental to the functioning of the supply chain and the satisfaction of customer needs.In general terms, a supplier is a company or individual that provides goods or services, both raw materials and finished products. According to the World Bank (2022), most of these are in China - the world's leading exporting country - due to the great diversity of items offered by its factories and the variety of options in terms of complementary services and negotiations.
In this blog we will explore the different types of suppliers that exist in the market, highlighting their characteristics and roles.
It is the entrepreneur or company that transforms raw materials into final products to be purchased by consumers. This, without any type of intermediary in between.
To be successful in the market, manufacturers must focus on achieving the maximum possible efficiency, which will depend on the demand of the industry in which they operate.
A trading company is an intermediary between the customer and the factory. It purchases products permanently in one country and sells them in several other regions through its own distribution network.
These companies focus mainly on sectors with high production levels, such as raw materials, semi-finished products, metals, chemical products, generic drugs, etc.
On the other hand, they offer their customers access to a variety of factories for purchasing, better prices and greater security, quality and professionalism.
In some contexts, a company may use the term "brand" to refer to itself as a supplier of certain goods or services under that particular brand.
For example, if a brand is known for a specific company-such as Coca Cola or Puma-it may say that it is the "supplier" of those items. In this sense, through a commercial relationship they can provide a point of sale to display the products.
It is a company that does not produce the products bearing its brand, but acquires them from third-party manufacturers or suppliers and markets them under its own brand.
In this business model, the supplier focuses mainly on the design, marketing and distribution of the products, but not on the physical production. They may be located in different countries and have different production capacities.
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Sources:
https://economipedia.com/definiciones/fabricante.html
https://www.imporalia.com/fabricantes-o-traders/
https://www.informabtl.com/4-tipos-de-proveedores-con-los-que-puede-aliarse-un-retailer/
https://www.billin.net/blog/cinco-claves-para-hacer-una-adecuada-seleccion-de-proveedores/