Manufacturing and Quality Control blog

Here you’ll learn three best practices for sending the samples you’ve approved for production back to the supplier to prevent issues.

Topics: Manufacturing Tips & Advice

When the important variables are controlled within the processes, your chance of getting closer to the “perfect” product will be much higher. We’ve discussed lean manufacturing and the 5S method. Let’s look at a real-life, practical application of a Six Sigma methodology. You’ll learn how one company was able to improve a process and exceed their target goals significantly.

Topics: Manufacturing Tips & Advice

All of your suppliers are probably aware of lean manufacturing but most in developing countries implement few, if any, lean initiatives within their operations. This is one reason why third-party inspection is so important if you are manufacturing. We've discussed the 5S method of improving efficiency. Now let’s talk about lean manufacturing as a broader term.

Topics: Manufacturing Tips & Advice

How often should you visit your suppliers? The short answer: Not very often. Why? Doesn’t visiting your supplier offer you valuable insight and an opportunity to voice any concerns to the supplier face-to-face? Visiting can be valuable just to “give face” to a Chinese supplier and factory, an important cultural and societal sign of respect. However, do not expect to gain anything of manufacturing value by visiting for than once or twice a year.

Topics: Manufacturing Tips & Advice

When your products are being shipped internationally, it is extremely important to have clear shipping marks to help those who are dealing with the cargo. Shipping marks may seem like a minor detail in the grand scheme of manufacturing. But that shipment of products you’re expecting to receive in Los Angeles could be destined for Miami if cartons are labeled with incorrect markings.

Topics: Manufacturing Tips & Advice, pre shipment inspection, shipping marks

How does a product inspector carry out testing to make sure your products line up with specifications? And who provides the equipment needed for these tests? Here we'll let you know some essential equipment that factories must provide for inspection.

Topics: Manufacturing Tips & Advice

How could the Tianjin warehouse explosions on August 12th have been prevented? And what can this tragedy teach us about managing supply chains? This article intends to illuminate, based on what is known, how the Tianjin warehouse explosions could have been prevented – namely through the use of an ISO 9001-type audit.

Topics: Manufacturing Tips & Advice

One of the most common reasons for quality control inspections to FAIL is surprisingly simple and has nothing to do with the actual item you are buying from a factory. “Poor”, “damaged” or “inadequate” packaging are all possible culprits for failed inspection. Packaging is also the most common bit of production that will be subcontracted out to other companies, since most buyers choose suppliers based on their ability to make the actual item they want to sell instead of their capacity to make paper or plastic packaging.

Topics: Manufacturing Tips & Advice

Visiting a Chinese factory helps prospective buyers gauge everything from the quality of the products to the technical expertise on offer, as well as everything that could be going wrong with their operations. But before you rush out to apply for your Chinese visa, book your airplane tickets and embark on a trip to the Far East, take heed of these 5 mistakes you have to avoid when visiting a Chinese factory for the first time...

Topics: Manufacturing Tips & Advice

What does a “pending” result mean in a product inspection report? Regardless of which QC company you use, product inspection reports will generally have three different result categories – pass, pending or fail. While pass and fail are self-explanatory, the pending result begs the question, what exactly is “pending”? In this article, we clear up what that means and what you can do to stop them from happening. .

Topics: Manufacturing Tips & Advice