Many importers don't fully understand the reports they get from inspection companies. The concepts are not really complex, but one needs a little guidance to grasp them correctly. That's why I write articles such as Quality Control … [Read more...]
Preparing a list of quality defects for QC inspectors
During a product inspection, one of the main tasks is looking for defects on samples, categorizing them (critical/major/minor), and reporting them. The maximum number of defects that is allowed is based on the AQL, which has to be set by … [Read more...]
Garment inspections: assessing the conformity of measurements
Earlier this week I was with a client, during one of their China trips. They import garments, and one of the most important criteria is the respect of size charts. If measurements are out of tolerances, the garments might be … [Read more...]
QC luncheon (organized by the Supply Chain Council)
Today I attended a QC luncheon in Shanghai, organized by the Supply Chain Council. Its aim was to gather people from different QC firms and share experiences. Andrew Reich, from In Touch, was the speaker. He touched on some interesting … [Read more...]
Different products, different ways to control quality
I published an article on Smart China Sourcing, an excellent knowledge base about sourcing in China. The article title is How to control the quality of YOUR products?, and it distinguishes between 3 main product categories (see below … [Read more...]
5 legitimate reasons why your company does not need third-party quality control
I exhibited at a few trade shows and I talked to hundreds of importers. I noticed that many of them don't have their products inspected at all. Another thing I noticed is that they have not really thought about it. It sounds like they can … [Read more...]
Reducing quality risks without paying more
I published an article entitled China Production: Reduce Your Quality Risks Without Paying More, on China Business Success Stories. It is a series of 7 tips for importers: Write your product specifications Put in place a QA system … [Read more...]
Quality control inspections: basic concepts
I just posted a guest article about the basics every importer should be familiar with, on the China Sourcing Blog. They do a great job publishing very informative and practical posts. My article was a little on the long side, but I don't … [Read more...]
Inspecting quality earlier is better: the 1-10-100 rule
There are many misconceptions about quality control. One of them is the source of many problems: importers think QC inspections should take place at the end of production, just before shipment. In practice, it's true that most … [Read more...]
Defect sorting job (100% check)
Last week, a local trading company called me for checking thousands of products, one by one. They had found defects on several batches, and instead of repairing them, they had just put them aside. They were probably planning to sell them on … [Read more...]