Several clients asked me recently about a way to avoid mold on imported products shipped from a Chinese, Vietnamese, or Indian factory. This is a serious problem. The reason is usually a combination of these 5 factors: The products … [Read more...]
Factory Audit Tips: 10 Signs of a Bad ISO 9001 Implementation
A few days ago, I wrote about the basics of ISO 9001 -- both the standard and the certification/registration process. I got some comments on Linkedin about how useless ISO 9001 is. It is useless indeed in many manufacturing facilities I … [Read more...]
Basics about ISO 9001: The Standard and the Certification Process
How many of your suppliers claim to be ISO 9001 certified? Is it true? And, to start with, what does it mean? I want to shed some light on this topic. The purpose of the ISO 9001 standard is to "help businesses and organizations to be … [Read more...]
The Different Types Of Sampling Plans For QC Inspections
1. What is a sampling plan? A sampling plan allows an auditor or a researcher to study a group (e.g. a batch of products, a segment of the population) by observing only a part of that group, and to reach conclusions with a pre-defined … [Read more...]
Transitioning to Supplier Self Inspections: Go Stage by Stage
It seems nearly every major retailer has given some thought to letting their suppliers check quality themselves. I wrote about it in Why Supplier Self-Inspections Are Getting More Popular in China. The obvious benefit is cutting costs. … [Read more...]
What is the “AQL” (Acceptance Quality Limit) in simple terms?
What Does AQL Mean? 'AQL' stands for 'Acceptance Quality Limit', and is a method used by many businesses to check a random sample from the production batch of their products and confirm that the risk of bad quality is relatively low. In … [Read more...]
Bad China Suppliers Quality: Still Tolerable in 2018?
When people ask me if the quality of China-made products has improved over the past 10 years, they expect me to say "oh yes, certainly". However, the reality is not that simple. I think an interesting approach is to divide the market … [Read more...]
How China Is Losing Competitiveness… On Paper
Three years ago, in Comparing Wages Across Asia to Make Sourcing Decisions, I showcased 2 analyses large companies tend to do before they decide on their sourcing strategy. These data are key measures of the competitiveness of producing … [Read more...]
Quality Auditor vs Consultant For Suggesting Factory Improvements
How to choose between quality auditor vs consultant for quality improvements in your or your supplier's facility? Many people think auditors go on site, look at the situation, and suggest improvements. However, it is not that simple. … [Read more...]
Supply Chain Management: Quality Inspections’ Role
Do you sometimes feel that your company, your suppliers, and their own suppliers, are on different planets? Does information spread with difficulty through your supply chain? Nothing unique here. It is quite typical if you work with … [Read more...]
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