Methodology for the Qualification of New Supplier Factories at Utility: A Strategic Response to the Challenges of the Energy Transition

The energy transition has driven a rapid increase in electricity demand, leading to the accelerated expansion of transmission networks. This growth has placed significant pressure on the availability of high-voltage equipment, surpassing the response capacity of traditional manufacturers—particularly in Europe and North America—who have prioritized their domestic markets. As a result, Latin America is facing limited supply, higher costs, and extended lead times. In this context, identifying and qualifying new suppliers has become a strategic priority for ISA. Securing alternative manufacturers that can guarantee quality, technical compliance, and competitive delivery times is essential to ensure timely project execution and maintain market competitiveness. However, this search must be supported by a rigorous technical process to ensure that new manufacturers meet the quality, reliability, and performance standards required to operate in the demanding environments. To this end, ISA has developed internal guide (Guide 44), a technical framework that defines the criteria for the qualification of new supplier factories. This guide enables a structured evaluation of the technical, organizational, and quality capabilities of manufacturing plants, ensuring that the procured equipment meets specific operational and environmental requirements. This methodology is based on identifying critical failure modes and their correlation with the environmental and operational conditions of the regions where ISA operates. The process is complemented by a scoring and rating system that enables objective decision-making regarding the acceptance or rejection of a supplier.