OEMs don’t take hours to decide whether an SME is promising.
They take seconds.
Here’s what happens in the first 30 seconds of a supplier review:
1. Website clarity
If your positioning is unclear → red flag.
2. Certifications visible?
If not → credibility drops instantly.
3. Traceability & cyber compliance visible?
If missing → immediate elimination in many programs.
4. Core capability clearly stated?
OEMs hate guessing what you actually do.
5. Engineering depth
Even one strong technical reference can change everything.
And the insight:
👉 In many cases, OEMs decide “yes/no/maybe later” long before they look at price or schedule.
The first impression matters more than most SMEs realise.
