QualityInspection.org

Quality Assurance, Product Development, and Purchasing Strategies in China

Is Investing In Process Automation In The Factory Worth It? + Implementation Best Practices [Podcast]

Automation is a major focus of the Chinese government and many manufacturers here, but can it really reduce costs..? Renaud will answer the questions: "Is Investing In Process Automation In The Factory Worth It?" and "What are the best practices to follow to smoothly transition into more automation?" Without a doubt, increasingly automating processes features highly in the future of manufacturing, but there are right and wrong ways to implement automation. Also, while replacing multiple … [Read more...]

Why Preventive Maintenance Is Important [Podcast]

How well could you cope if key equipment or machinery in the factory failed unexpectedly? Listen to this episode, where Renaud introduces why preventive maintenance is important and shares some examples to help illustrate how it all works and its many benefits. If you're interested in implementing a preventive maintenance plan of your own, we also provide a free template that you can download and work from, too. Preventive maintenance plan? A plan for maintaining equipment/machinery … [Read more...]

How We Set Up A New Factory In China From Idea To Operation [Podcast]

Planning on opening a factory in China in 2021? To get some insight into just what it takes to set up a new factory in China let's explore how WE came to open our own factory, Agilian Technology, there in 2018! Renaud will explain the reasoning behind doing so, the goals, and the 6 phases we followed in order to make the idea of having a contract manufacturing subsidiary a reality. This will give you food for thought and help you start planning the project as it's possible you won't have … [Read more...]

Factory Management: the 4 Main Roles in the Quality Department

China, as a whole, has 35+ years of experience manufacturing products for export customers. They have accumulated a lot of experience. However, foreign buyers are rather consistently shocked at the level of mismanagement that plagues their factories' quality operations. And fixing it is not that hard. In this article, I will lay out what I see as the 4 basic roles that manufacturers need to fill in their quality department. … [Read more...]

Are Calibration Reports Always A Must? Why Auditors Should Think Before Raising Suppliers’ Costs

By Annie Chan Did you get a visit from an auditor who seemed obsessed with calibration reports? Was he/she happy to see that all tools had been calibrated based on internal reports, or (even better) on third-party lab certificates? There is no doubt auditors love asking for all kinds of reports to confirm the supplier complies with requirements. However, their requests are not always reasonable. … [Read more...]

The Problem With Visual Management Boards in Factories

Visual management boards of some kind are now basically the norm in all factories belonging to a multinational group, so they must be effective, right? I'm not so sure. Not that they cannot be useful (they CAN be VERY useful), but, in most cases I have witnessed, these boards just aren't contributing as much to lean initiatives or process improvement as factory management would like them to be. … [Read more...]

How To Keep A Clean Factory And Stop Dust On A Budget

In many industries, one of the most common reasons for defective goods is dust contamination, and they have adopted different cleanliness standards (see the Wikipedia page on cleanrooms and factory cleanliness). If you have visited Chinese factories in certain industries, you have probably seen their efforts in that regard. During our factory audits, we always give a grade about general organization and cleanliness. What advice can I offer about maintaining a clean factory without spending … [Read more...]

Setting Up a New Factory in China: from Idea to Operation

We have followed the needs of some clients and set up our own assembly center in South China. I took some notes about the 6 phases we have followed, to get from idea to operation. But first, for those curious of what a factory looks like just a few days after starting operations, I shot this video. As you can see, it is messy. It will look more orderly in a few weeks. And processes should all be nicely in control in 2-3 months. As I mentioned above, here are the 6 phases we have … [Read more...]

Auditing a Metal Machining Factory in China: Focus on Processes

Machining is an operation that changes the shape, surface finish, and/or mechanical properties of a material by the application of special tools and equipment. This is typically carried out by machines where a cutting tool removes material to effect the required change to the work piece. Tens (hundreds?) of factories in China do this type of operation. Different shapes can be formed by different processes; some typical processes that you will find in many Chinese factories are highlighted … [Read more...]