Key challenges of working with solar panel suppliers and how to overcome them:
1. Dependency: Since solar panel suppliers can directly affect your business, there is dependency in working with them. If a solar panel supplier discontinues production or experiences delays in delivery, it can have a significant impact on your production and sales.
Solution: Work with multiple solar panel suppliers to reduce dependency by spreading the risk. Also, establish a close working relationship with your suppliers to ensure timely communication and address issues to maintain a smooth supply chain.
2. Quality issues: Since the quality of solar panels directly affects the stability and effectiveness of the entire system, and the production of solar panels requires high-end technology and equipment, quality issues may arise during the cooperation process.
Solution: Choose a solar panel supplier with certain popularity and reputation. Before cooperation, make a comprehensive understanding of the supplier’s qualification, production process, testing equipment, quality management system, etc., and establish a perfect quality control mechanism.
3. Price fluctuations: Solar panel market prices fluctuate greatly, and prices may fluctuate by more than 10% each year. This may have an impact on your cost control and profit margin.
Solution: Sign long-term cooperation agreements with suppliers and agree on fixed prices or price fluctuation rules in the contract. At the same time, keep abreast of market conditions and adjust your procurement plan flexibly to procure solar panels at the best cost and efficiency.
4. Intellectual property issues: The production of solar panels involves many patented technologies and intellectual property rights, which must comply with relevant laws and regulations, otherwise problems such as infringement may occur.
Solution: Actively communicate during the cooperation process to understand the status of the supplier’s patented technology and intellectual property rights, and include confidentiality clauses to prevent intellectual property leaks. At the same time, before purchasing solar panels, conduct patent and intellectual property research and review to ensure legal and compliant procurement.
