If you (or your suppliers) suffer from inconsistent quality, in many cases there is at least one missing ingredient in the quality assurance plan. And, more often than not, process validation was skipped. … [Read more...]
How to set up a Receiving Inspection: Checklist, Procedure, Reporting form
I have written extensively about pre-shipment inspections (before, during, or after production), always from the perspective of the buyer checking what a supplier is doing; but I noticed that I haven't covered the receiving inspection (also … [Read more...]
21 Assumptions About Buying From Chinese Suppliers To Avoid
Many buyers who are seeking to manufacture products in China tend to make assumptions about buying from Chinese suppliers that are seldom valid here, and it can be quite dangerous. When I started spending a lot of time in Chinese … [Read more...]
Are Calibration Reports Always A Must? Why Auditors Should Think Before Raising Suppliers’ Costs
By Annie Chan Did you get a visit from an auditor who seemed obsessed with calibration reports? Was he/she happy to see that all tools had been calibrated based on internal reports, or (even better) on third-party lab … [Read more...]
How Much Does a Quality Inspection in China cost?
Understanding the cost of quality inspections in China I am always surprised by the expectations of some importers regarding the cost of quality inspections in a Chinese factory. Some importers get to talk about their project for some … [Read more...]
When To Do a Random AQL Inspection vs. Check 100% of the Goods
First, let me get one thing out of the way: not all batches need to be checked. If a manufacturer has great systems and processes, and if they have a history of complying with your quality standard, there is usually no reason to send … [Read more...]
3 Common Ways Factories Try to Cheat Inspectors/Auditors
Every day in China, in Vietnam, in Bangladesh, and in India, thousands of inspectors and auditors take a bus or a car to a factory. And, in some of those factories, managers are plotting how to cheat those unwelcome visitors. Let's look … [Read more...]
Chinese Factories Designing, Branding, and Selling on Amazon: Q&A
I wrote before about the challenges of Chinese factories to sell on Amazon. And yet, it seems to be an emerging trend. I asked Fredrik Gronkvist (from China Importal), who has also been observing the latest trends, for his opinion on … [Read more...]
Solving a Quality Problem Seldom Necessitates High-Tech Engineering
In many companies, and in particular in many Chinese companies, the response to problems is often "let's invest in technology". Unfortunately, spending a lot of resources on engineering is seldom the best solution. I just read a great … [Read more...]
Defect List vs. Checkpoint List
I noticed many people confuse two things: the list of potential defects, and the list of checkpoints to follow during an inspection. What I see very often is a list of potential defects, but no list of checkpoints. There are 2 main … [Read more...]