Manufacturing and Quality Control blog

The terms quality control and quality assurance are often used interchangeably and this can be confusing. Although there are some similarities and both are important to an effective quality management system, it is important to understand the specifics of quality control vs. quality assurance if you want to build a reliable system.

A supplier's ability to deliver high-quality products and follow compliance determines your company’s success. It's critical to analyze and audit your suppliers before entrusting them to manufacturing products you need to run your business.

Imagine you’ve been working with a supplier for several years without issue. Then one day, you start receiving complaints. Then you start noticing minor, but frequent, flaws in your products. At first it’s small things like broken seams or poor stitching, but then the material quality starts to degrade or the coloring is off and suddenly you have a problem.

A while back, we wrote a post about the state of manufacturing in Bangladesh. A few things have changed since then - in Bangladesh specifically and around the globe. The worldwide pandemic has also caused Bangladesh’s position in the global supply chain to shift considerably.

Selling on Amazon can be an excellent way to make your products available to a large potential customer base at once, but understanding Amazon's strict seller standards is a must before getting started to prevent costly fines, being banned from the platform, or other penalties. Working with an FBA inspection company is a proactive step you can take to avoid making errors that can hinder your success.  

China is one of the most common countries to source from on a global scale, but there are many other Asian countries to choose from that can provide similar or better results. Depending on the nature of your company, switching to importing from a different country may be a better fit for your business. Here are the top five alternatives to sourcing from China!

Fulfillment by Amazon means that everything from manufacturing the products to storing inventory, fulfilling orders, packing, and shipping is all off your plate. While this business model makes it possible for third-party brands to compete in Amazon's buzzing marketplace in a fairly hands-off approach, many responsibilities such as ordering quality control inspections still fall on the business owner. 

As a business owner, you want every aspect of your business to run like a well-oiled machine as often as possible. When it comes to quality control for your products, the process isn't a one-size-fits-all or "set it and forget it" method. As your business grows and changes, your quality control process will need to be revisited periodically.

Not so long ago, only large corporations could afford to compete in the international marketplace. Now with the advent of Amazon FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon), even a small, fledgling company has a shot at successfully negotiating international sales.