The question is, are inspections useless? What are the benefits of quality control inspections, if any? As I mentioned in a previous article, more and more importers are switching their focus from standard QC inspections to improving key suppliers. My opinion is, there are benefits, but they depend on the kind of inspection. Here is Shingo's typology: #1. "Judgement inspection" (prevents shipment of defective batches) Quantify, and if possible sort out, defects. Takes place … [Read more...]