When it comes to random inspections (usually conducted based on AQL tables), the inspector has to check a certain number of pieces. For example, if there are 5,000 pieces in the whole batch, he/she has to check 200 pieces (in normal … [Read more...]
Archives for July 2015
How a Mobile App can Help Quality Control Inspectors
Over the past 10 years, most buying offices have pushed their inspectors to switch from paperwork to a laptop, and to prepare their reports on Microsoft Excel or Word. It means many details (including photos) can be reported. But it is an … [Read more...]
Managing your Product’s Life Cycle
Every product has a life cycle. Think of a car: it comes out on the market and attracts attention, then gets more common on the roads, then needs a redesign, and after some time most models' production gets stopped. When it comes to most … [Read more...]
Don’t Count on QC Inspectors to Stop a Faulty Product Design
A QC inspection can be very useful in preventing a batch of defective or dangerous products from being shipped. But some importers seem to have excessive expectations as to what a QC inspector can do. What is an inspection of finished … [Read more...]
Tablets for QC Inspection: iPad, Android, or Windows?
As I wrote before, we have been working hard on developing a mobile app that allows our inspectors to work on a tablet. We got to a point where it works really well on iPad. But we have had to run tests on other types of tablets at the … [Read more...]
You Don’t Have to Use an Incoterm when Buying from China
Incoterms are standard terms that help two parties (a buyer and a seller involved in an international transaction) determine precisely who pays for transportation, who pays for import duties, who manages documents, and who takes what … [Read more...]
Defect List vs. Checkpoint List
I noticed many people confuse two things: the list of potential defects, and the list of checkpoints to follow during an inspection. What I see very often is a list of potential defects, but no list of checkpoints. There are 2 main … [Read more...]
Template for Design Sheet and Testing Plan for China Production
Last week we published advice for sending the right information in your design file to a Chinese manufacturer you're working with on product development and manufacturing. But, to be really helpful, we should have prepared a template like … [Read more...]
Are there Many Fake ISO 9001 Certifications in China?
I saw several people mentioning fake certificates recently in the context of Chinese manufacturing. While I know there are many fake product certificates, I don't think there are many fake ISO 9001 certifications, or those for ISO 14001, or … [Read more...]