The Make or Buy Decision

Are you outsourcing enough? This was one of the main questions asked by management consultants during the outsourcing boom. Outsourcing was viewed as one of the best ways of getting things done for a fraction of the original cost.
Outsourcing is closely related to make or buy decision. The corporations made decisions on what to make internally and what to buy from outside in order to maximize the profit margins.
As a result of this, the organizational functions were divided into segments and some of those functions were outsourced to expert companies, who can do the same job for much less cost.
Make or buy decision is always a valid concept in business. No organization should attempt to make something by their own, when they stand the opportunity to buy the same for much less price.
This is why most of the electronic items manufactured and software systems developed in the Asia, on behalf of the organizations in the USA and Europe.
When you are supposed to make a make-or-buy decision, there are four numbers you need to be aware of. Your decision will be based on the values of these four numbers. Let's have a look at the numbers now. They are quite self-explanatory.
The volume
The fixed cost of making
Per-unit direct cost when making
Per-unit cost when buying
Now, there are two formulas that use the above numbers. They are 'Cost to Buy' and 'Cost to Make'. The higher value loses and the decision maker can go ahead with the less costly solution.
Cost to Buy (CTB) = Volume x Per-unit cost when buying
Cost to Make (CTM) = Fixed costs + (Per-unit direct cost x volume)
There are number of reasons a company would consider when it comes to making in-house. Following are a few:
Cost concerns
Desire to expand the manufacturing focus
Need of direct control over the product
Intellectual property concerns
Quality control concerns
Supplier unreliability
Lack of competent suppliers
Volume too small to get a supplier attracted
Reduction of logistic costs (shipping etc.)
To maintain a backup source
Political and environment reasons
Organizational pride
Following are some of the reasons companies may consider when it comes to buying from a supplier:
Lack of technical experience
Lack of technical experience
Supplier's expertise on the technical areas and the domain
Supplier's expertise on the technical areas and the domain
Cost considerations
Cost considerations
Need of small volume
Need of small volume
Insufficient capacity to produce in-house
Insufficient capacity to produce in-house
Brand preferences
Brand preferences
Strategic partnerships
Strategic partnerships
The make or buy decision can be in many scales. If the decision is small in nature and has less impact on the business, then even one person can make the decision. The person can consider the pros and cons between making and buying and finally arrive at a decision.
When it comes to larger and high impact decisions, usually organizations follow a standard method to arrive at a decision. This method can be divided into four main stages as below.
Team creation and appointment of the team leader
Team creation and appointment of the team leader
Identifying the product requirements and analysis
Identifying the product requirements and analysis
Team briefing and aspect/area destitution
Team briefing and aspect/area destitution
Collecting information on various aspects of make-or-buy decision
Collecting information on various aspects of make-or-buy decision
Workshops on weightings, ratings, and cost for both make-or-buy
Workshops on weightings, ratings, and cost for both make-or-buy
Analysis of data gathered
Analysis of data gathered
Feedback on the decision made
Feedback on the decision made
By following the above structured process, the organization can make an informed decision on make-or-buy. Although this is a standard process for making the make-or-buy decision, the organizations can have their own varieties.
Make-or-buy decision is one of the key techniques for management practice. Due to the global outsourcing, make-or-buy decision making has become popular and frequent.
Since the manufacturing and services industries have been diversified across the globe, there are a number of suppliers offering products and services for a fraction of the original price. This has enhanced the global product and service markets by giving the consumer the eventual advantage.
If you make a make-or-buy decision that can create a high impact, always use a process for doing that. When such a process is followed, the activities are transparent and the decisions are made for the best interest of the company.

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