A few years ago, I wrote about the limits of random quality inspections. My focus in that article was on the random elements, on human mistakes, and on the tricks that manufacturers can play. Today I'd like to write about issues that simply can't be detected during inspections, even if 100% of the goods are checked and inspectors do a perfect job. I will write about a product line that I know well: apparel. … [Read more...]
Avoiding Mold on Imported Products Shipped in Ocean Containers
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 are contaminated while in the factory, and/or The products are too wet when packed, and/or They are packed with wet packing materials, and/or There is a lot of air in the packaging and that air is very wet, and/or The air in the container is or … [Read more...]
What Certifications are Necessary for a Given Product & Country?
If you are buying products from China, you probably asked the following questions: What type of certification is needed? How to be compliant? What is mandatory and what is only advised? Getting the right information immediately is difficult. I just discovered an easy-to-navigate and very useful website from UL: https://ul-certification.com The process is simple: Select the geographical area(s) Select the product category Click on a mark (e.g. UL Listing, CE...) Read … [Read more...]
Must-know Basics of Quality Assurance in China & Vietnam for Buyers
Many new or inexperienced importers who are outsourcing their production to suppliers in China (or wider Asia such as Vietnam) for the first time go into the process almost blind. They're later hit with crippling issues that can make the process a costly nightmare. Why? Because they were not aware of how to implement strong quality assurance in China/Vietnam and fell into some fairly common traps that can catch out 'green' importers. It doesn't need to be this way though. Read on to get … [Read more...]
Understanding Product QC Inspections: What Is in a Man-Day?
A conversation earlier today made me realize that some buyers who haven’t spent much time in Chinese factories have some common misconceptions. For example, “Chinese production operators are forced to work 12 hours a day, in a case of modern slavery”, “all metal factories do all the steps from casting/forging to surface treatments and all the way to assembly and packing”, and so on. Another misconception is that a good inspector will spend 8-10 hours working at the factory. This is what I … [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 level of certainty. In this article I cover these cases in depth (hit the links below to skip to the relevant section): The buyer wants to follow the most common plan to inspect a supplier's batch of products The manufacturer implements a continuous … [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. No need to send someone to the factory before every shipment. Another benefit is, when this works well, to stop "baby-sitting" suppliers and to force them to take responsibility for important matters such as product quality... And, hopefully, incentivize … [Read more...]
Why Amazon FBA Prep Services Should Be Done in China (not USA)
Michael Michelini wrote about Amazon packaging, and he mentioned the FBA prep services. I discovered a whole industry popped up and is probably growing fast. What do they do? In Mike's words: Basically, a third-party prep service does everything on your behalf, including: Inspect your items to ensure there is no damage, especially if you’re selling “new” products. Carefully remove any stickers from the products, if there are any. Prepare the inventory according to … [Read more...]
When AQL Sampling Plans Can’t Find Defective Products
A reader sent me this interesting question: I would like to better understand AQL usage and more precisely whether inspections based on AQL are effective in situations where the distribution of defects is not homogeneous within the lot. Let's say the lot is 25,920 pieces split in 36 boxes. From previous observations, most of the pieces in the lot are OK, but a few pieces (200-500) are not OK and they are physically located in a focused part of one or 2 boxes. Is an AQL inspection the … [Read more...]
What Simple Checklist for More Reliable Quality Inspections?
A simple checklist to follow day in, day out, is a highly undervalued tool. Here are a couple of examples where the value of checklists has been recognized: In aviation, checklists have been used for more than 70 years and have undoubtedly avoided many accidents. In healthcare, a study showed that following standard checklists saved 40% of lives. What is another activity where someone might forget something important? A quality inspection in a supplier's facility! People ask you … [Read more...]
- 1
- 2
- 3
- …
- 27
- Next Page »