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You are here: Home / Quality Control Tips / How to get approved samples in the hands of the inspector?

How to get approved samples in the hands of the inspector?

August 31, 2010

Quality Control TipsI got an interesting comment on a previous article (4 proven ways to enforce your quality standard in China):

If I am hiring a third party to do the quality control should I get a “perfect sample” from the factory, then send it to the third party quality control company? Or is it possible for the factory to send the perfect sample straight to the quality control company?

I responded that there is no universal solution, but I suggested a few ways to do this.

The most reliable way is this:

  1. The factory sends you several samples,
  2. You approve them (hopefully),
  3. You send a few samples back to the inspection company.

This way, the factory has no way of substituting or degrading the sample used to evaluate their production. It can be a real temptation, because it can easily make the difference between a passed report and a refusal.

If you can’t afford to do this way (either because of the cost or the timing), you can find another solution to put a sample at your inspector’s disposal in the factory:

  • For example you can sign on a sample when you check the launch of production yourself (make sure you send a photo of the sample with the signature to the quality control firm).
  • You can also send the samples to the factory and tell them to keep it in a sealed package, “to be opened only by the inspector himself”.
  • Take some products from your own stock and send them to the inspection company. This is only possible if the products are identical to what you want the manufacturer to produce for you, of course.
  • If the products are expensive to send (example: furniture, car seats…), you can cut small pieces out of the sample you have in your office. It should be enough for the inspector to compare the materials and their look & feel.

It can be a headache for the first orders, but it is usually easier for repeat orders. Don’t be discouraged, putting an approved sample in the inspector’s hands is necessary if you want to realize the full potential of quality control.

Filed Under: Quality Control Tips

Comments

  1. Chasen says

    April 21, 2011 at 5:29 AM

    Renaud,

    I really like your blog – lots of good insights that everyone in the import business should learn.

    Do you have any recommendations to mark and protect approved samples(labeling systems protective bags and the like) for the factory sample?

    Next time in town I’ll buy you a coke – I just got back from there last week.

  2. Renaud Anjoran says

    April 21, 2011 at 10:23 PM

    Chasen,
    This is a good question… If possible, store them in a dry place, away from any light, and in a polybag. And they should be labeled, maybe with a sticker on the bag.
    Pre-production samples used by factories are often dirty and deformed by the time of the first shipment. Sometimes the production technicians even undo them to remember how they were prepared… So it’s also important to force the manufacturer to keep several sets of samples and to protect them.

  3. babji says

    August 23, 2014 at 11:36 AM

    Renaud,
    I really like your blog – lots of good insights that everyone in the import business should learn.
    Do you have any recommendations to mark and protect approved samples(labeling systems protective bags and the like) for the factory sample?
    Next time in town I’ll buy you a coke – I just got back from there last week.

    • Renaud Anjoran says

      August 23, 2014 at 12:20 PM

      Thanks. Would be glad to meet up!
      The golden samples kept by the factory should be tagged (in a way that can’t be removed), stamped, or otherwise identified permanently. What is not perfect on each sample should be written clearly, too.
      Keeping these samples in clear bags, for example, is good. But there is no substitute for throwing them away every 6 months and replacing them.


Weekly updates for professional importers on better understanding, controlling, and improving manufacturing & supply chain in China.

This is the official blog of Sofeast.com.

This blog is written by Renaud Anjoran, an ASQ Certified Quality Engineer who has been involved in chinese manufacturing since 2005.

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