QualityInspection.org

Quality Assurance, Product Development, and Purchasing Strategies in China

Best Practices for Leaving your Chinese Supplier for a New One [Podcast]

In this episode… One listener asked us: What checklist of activities does an importer need to perform when ending business relationships with a Chinese contract manufacturer?  So, in this episode, Renaud explains what the process of leaving your current Chinese supplier looks like, including plenty of best practices to follow to make sure that your transition goes as smoothly as possible.   Just hit the play button to start listening..! Listen to the episode right here … [Read more...]

Nonconforming Products or Materials: What Are the Options?

I wrote extensively about quality inspections, the way the AQL limits lead to a pass/fail result, how to set up corrective actions in order to prevent the same issues from coming back, how to set up a QC plan to prevent issues and detect them as early as possible, and so on and so forth. One thing I haven't covered is the breadth of options available when nonconforming products or materials (in other words, products that are not up to your standard) are found. … [Read more...]

Is Your Prototype Ready for Production? 2 Opposite Examples

Many people work hard to get to a working prototype that looks good, then they think it's a production ready prototype and can just be passed to a manufacturer. However, as I wrote before, there are many challenges when going from prototype to mass production. In some cases, there is still an enormous amount of work left to do. Since we sign strict NDAs at my company Sofeast, we can't use our clients' products as examples. But there are plenty of books that describe good examples. Let's … [Read more...]

What’s a Supplier Development Program, and Why Implement One? [Podcast]

In this episode… Let's say you're now working with a new supplier who’s doing your manufacturing in China (or elsewhere in Asia). No doubt some things will be great, and there may be issues that you wish could improve. Rather than abandoning a supplier with some problems, how to develop them to obtain better performance and results? A supplier development program is for you. Furthermore, what sort of results should we be aiming for if we embark upon such a supplier development program? … [Read more...]

What is a Receiving Quality Inspection, and How to Set Yours Up? [Podcast]

In this episode… How do you assure that the parts and materials (inputs) your manufacturer receives from their sub-suppliers are good quality and won't lead to defective finished products? You perform a receiving quality inspection on the incoming inputs! Renaud explains what a receiving inspection is, why it's beneficial, and, most importantly, how you can set yours up right here! First...a quick update on how Covid lockdowns in China could affect your supply chain...   Just … [Read more...]

Manufacturing Pilot Runs Are Great With Quantified Objectives

I have pushed many companies to ensure manufacturing pilot runs take place before they go into mass production. It makes a lot of sense for electrical & mechanical products that are either totally new or new for that factory that is about to work on them. However, I frequently get questions about what to expect, and what to test & inspect... … [Read more...]

Renaud Answers YOUR Manufacturing Questions [Podcast]

In this episode… To celebrate our 100th episode over on Sofeast's podcast Renaud called on listeners for their manufacturing-related questions and answered as many as possible!  They're questions that are relevant to so many importers, so, hopefully, the answers will help you get better results from your suppliers, too.   Just hit the play button to start listening..! Listen to the episode right here 👇👇👇 🎧 100th episode special: YOUR manufacturing questions … [Read more...]

Supplier Quality Management: KPIs and Improvement Tools

If you purchase goods from outside companies, and if you need to ensure that your products are of high quality, reliability, and safety, you need to focus on supplier quality management. This takes different forms for different companies, of course. Let's take two examples: Companies like Apple spend a lot of resources to qualify the right manufacturers, to ensure new products are developed with a low risk of issues, to monitor productions, etc. In contrast, a buyer of gift & … [Read more...]

DFX: 12 Product Design Optimizations You Could Be Making [Podcast]

In this episode... Renaud is joined once again by Sofeast's head of New Product Development, Andrew Amirnovin, to go over 12 'Design for Excellence/DfX' goals designers can optimize for when designing and developing a new product. These DfX principles include manufacturing, quality, reliability, maintainability, and more. Some are really important for bringing great products to market, and you'll learn which and why, as well as having the information you need to decide what to focus on for your … [Read more...]