Chinese factory workers are often seen as the obstacle to higher quality, fewer working hours, and better safety measures. Let's study each of these issues separately: 1. Chinese factory workers, not capable of good workmanship? As I … [Read more...]
Statistical quality control tool: get a valid sampling plan
What is the difference between statistical quality control and unprofessional inspections? A professional inspector will follow a valid sampling plan. A sampling plan should take care of three fundamental concerns: There should be a … [Read more...]
How to check many small orders produced at the same time
One of my clients places lots of small orders in China. For example, they would place 15 orders in a factory, for shipment at the same time. Each order is a particular style, and all combined they don't even fill a 20' container. How to … [Read more...]
Social compliance audits in factories: perverse effects
Several articles and books have described the perverse effects of audits for social compliance. An auditor goes to a factory, looks for evidence of non-compliance to local law and some international standards, and produces a report used by … [Read more...]
You want a good report? Here is how to do
In the majority of inspections, the situation looks like this: The buyer pays for the inspection, and wants the inspector to be objective. If anything, the inspector should be too tough with the supplier, not too easy. The supplier … [Read more...]
How Chinese factories cut their costs
I often blame the attitude of factory bosses for the quality issues experienced by importers in China. But the problems really come from the business environment. Few manufacturers (in proportion) truly commit to maintaining a quality … [Read more...]
What does a QC inspection cost to the supplier?
Last week, a supplier was apparently very fed up with our inspectors' visits. They pretended that our inspections, even though they might be helpful in uncovering issues before shipment, cost them some money. And these costs should be borne … [Read more...]
Giving money to inspectors? It’s normal!
In the QC business, the worst a supplier can do is denounce an inspector to the buyer for corruption. Sometimes it is true, and I'm happy they open up about it. But I investigated some cases where all appearances were against the supplier, … [Read more...]
China business: avoiding intermediaries
In my previous job (in a small trading company based in Hong Kong), I quickly concluded that it was better to deal directly with a retailer, rather than a wholesaler who sells to retailers. With few exceptions, retailers are less sensitive … [Read more...]
Why inspection services are standardized
A supplier complained to my client that our inspections don't help them improve their quality level. A bit of context: for this client we perform inspections during production (as soon as there are a few finished products) on the biggest … [Read more...]
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