QualityInspection.org

Quality Assurance, Product Development, and Purchasing Strategies in China

3 Quality Control Plans & Why They’re Needed BEFORE Production [Podcast]

What is a quality control plan and why do you need to approve it before production begins? A QC plan is an essential tool for buyers to drive their suppliers to produce goods that reach their quality standard. It will typically list your quality-related expectations that the supplier needs to know about before the production starts which may be anything from legal penalties for poor quality, to the types of process used for production and checking quality, through to making the types of … [Read more...]

An Introduction to Root Cause Analysis (Not Just for Manufacturing)

One of the most frustrating aspects of working with Chinese suppliers is that, for the most part, they don't want to (or cannot) conduct a root cause analysis. Let's say you found a serious issue in one of your productions and you don't want it to come back in the future. You ask for an investigation into that problem. And they come back with very superficial responses that are clearly still far from exposing root causes. Here are very common excuses: "It is due to an issue on the … [Read more...]

What Is the APQP? (Advanced Product Quality Planning Process)

The APQP, or Advanced Product Quality Planning, is a proven approach for developing a new product to be made in high volume and under strict quality, timing, and cost requirements. It was developed in the automotive industry. (Virtually all tier-1 suppliers of car parts have to implement this approach.) It has also been adopted in other settings with similar requirements, with great success.   Adding some structure to the design & development phase I have heard many people tell … [Read more...]

China Factories: 7 Key Factors That Cause Shipment Delays

Last week, on Linkedin, I ranted about the many (not all) Chinese manufacturers that "fail to plan appropriately, are over-optimistic, and disappoint their customers with last-minute shipment delays". Someone commented that I should offer "good advice" to these suppliers instead of complaining. And that's right, so here goes... … [Read more...]

All about Silicone Rubber Injection, Compression, and Extrusion [videos]

We covered plastic materials in previous videos. Now we are covering their close cousin, the silicone rubber (often simply called "silicone"). It is easy to make on very common equipment (often the same used to mold thermoplastics), and does not require very expensive tooling. As a result, it is increasingly common in newly-designed products. Like plastic, silicone is used in a variety of products, from cookware to TV remote controls, from baby products to apparel, and from medical … [Read more...]

Tips for Writing SOPs and WIs that Will Actually Be Useful

What is worse than not writing SOPs (standard operating procedures) or WIs (work instructions) at all? Creating inappropriate and bloated procedures. In this post, we'll look at the benefits of really good guidelines and explore the best practices to follow when creating yours... … [Read more...]

A Good Way To Analyze Data to Drive Process Improvements

I just read the book Measures of Success by Mark Graban, and I found it does a great job of covering the basics of how managers should work with data. His whole approach is largely based on concepts from Don Wheeler's books. If you are not familiar with Don Wheeler, he is the most respected manufacturing-focused statistician of the past 30 years. Graban covers what to do in two cases managers don't like to see.   Case 1: an unstable process leading to a widely fluctuating … [Read more...]