Manufacturing and Quality Control blog

Can you remember a time when you were really disorganized? Now imagine the effect poor organization can have on the factory that’s manufacturing your product. Finally, consider the negative consequences that disorder can have on your QC partner when they’re carrying out a product inspection.

As a buyer of imported goods, have you considered the possibility of corruption making its way into your supply chain? Corruption can take many forms, but it’s often during product inspections where buyers show real concern.

Do you rely on product inspect to verify quality? Are you rushing to inspect your product before the shipping deadline? How much notice do you provide your inspection company before inspection is booked?

When should you get your 3rd-party QC partner involved? This is a commonly asked question among importers and manufacturers. The answer largely depends on what you expect your QC partner to provide and what you can afford. If you already have a team that can inspect and develop checklists, then it may be fine to involve your QC partner 1-2 weeks in advance. However, getting a QC team involved earlier can help you improve your supply chain. Here are three reasons to involve your QC partner early:

Do your suppliers routinely misinterpret your emails and verbal instructions? If so, you are definitely not alone. Just about every factory in China has staff that can communicate with clients in English. Yet innocent typos, outright fraud, and just plain cultural differences crop up all the time, often in subtle ways.

For many years, importers and retailers have been using third-party inspection companies to verify the quality of their products made in Asia. But inspecting products when they’re finished, or partially finished, can only do so much. That’s why a new trend is emerging in third-party inspection. Quality control is becoming more and more concerned with verifying the manufacturing PROCESS, not just the product.