When investigating quality problems, we are often faced with the same issue: lack of traceability. Let's say some metal pieces don't fit well and this is found at the assembly stage. It typically unfolds as follows: We look at the … [Read more...]
Sourcing from China 101, Part 10: Always Verify Quality Before Shipment
Once the products hit your dock and once you have paid 100% of the order, there is little you can do in case products are not up to your specifications. Chances are, you have already paid the supplier in full. And the supplier will … [Read more...]
Sourcing from China 101, Part 9: Check Quality Early In Production
I’ll assume you have found and audited a good manufacturer. They have communicated well up until now, and you feel confident about them. But should you feel confident? Several things can go wrong: They might be too busy and farm … [Read more...]
Sourcing from China 101, Part 7: Pre-Production: Describing What You Want
I have stated several times that you need to describe your product in detail. I know this is obvious, but most buyers don’t do is well… and often regret it later. There are two ways of formalizing your requirements: A written … [Read more...]
Limits of Letting a Supplier Self-Inspect their Product Quality
A few days I wrote about the trend toward more supplier self-inspections. In certain cases, it makes a lot of sense to stop sending employees to check if a supplier has done a good job. However, it is not just a case of saying "oh by the … [Read more...]
Why Supplier Self-Inspections Are Getting More Popular in China
In 2005, when an importer asked their best manufacturer for a report that shows their own inspection findings, they seldom received a document. They were usually told "no problems were found". Getting a few digital photos by email was … [Read more...]
Can You Trust the Measurements from Your China Factory?
The Quality Progress magazine ran a well-written article about measurement systems in their September issue (it is entitled ‘A Study in Measurements’ and was written by Neetu Choudhary). If you purchase products that have to comply with … [Read more...]
Beware of Combined Sampling (Many Products in 1 Lot)
There is one concept in quality inspections that is quite simple and yet widely misunderstood: the sampling lot. The ISO 2859 standard calls it a "lot". It may or may not include different products based on how different they … [Read more...]
Quality Control of Made-In-China Products in Different Industries
Over the past few months, on the SynControl blog, I have written articles about what differs from one product category to the next. I'll list them below and summarize what is really specific about each industry vertical when it comes to … [Read more...]
From Random Inspection to Mistake Proofing (Zero Defect)
A few years ago I wrote an article entitled Switching from Acceptance Sampling to Process Control. I listed 3 approaches that can drive defect rates down: Setting up a good quality system, with quick feedback to upstream processes and … [Read more...]
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