QualityInspection.org

Quality Assurance, Product Development, and Purchasing Strategies in China

  • Home
  • Articles
    • An Importer’s Guide to New Product Manufacturing in China
  • Best Of
  • About Us
  • Contact us
X

Don't miss a post

It's easy to subscribe to our newsletter where you'll receive weekly updates for professional importers and manufacturers on better understanding, controlling, and improving manufacturing & supply chain in China.

Understanding Product QC Inspections: What Is in a Man-Day?

June 22, 2020

Understanding Product QC Inspections: What Is in a Man-Day?

A conversation earlier today made me realize that some buyers who haven’t spent much time in Chinese factories have some common misconceptions. For example, “Chinese production operators are forced to work 12 hours a day, in a case of modern slavery”, “all metal factories do all the steps from casting/forging to surface treatments and all the way to assembly and packing”, and so on. Another misconception is that a good inspector will spend 8-10 hours working at the factory. This is what I … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Quality Control Tips Tagged With: hiring a quality inspector, man-day, product inspections, QC, qc inspections, quality inspectors

From Data Science To Machine Learning in Manufacturing, for Smarter Quality Control

June 2, 2020

From Data Science To Machine Learning in Manufacturing, for Smarter Quality Control

I have long been put off by all the hype around artificial intelligence (AI). AI has become the modern 'magic wand': nobody knows how it works, but the results are assuredly amazing.  AI has limitations for manufacturers, but both data science and machine learning in manufacturing can help businesses make better decisions and improve quality control results, and it's these that we'll explore in this article... … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Quality Control Tips Tagged With: AI, artificial intelligence, data, data science, machine learning, QC, qc inspections

Traceability in Manufacturing: Do your Chinese Suppliers Do it Right?

May 17, 2019

Do Your Chinese Factories Maintain Traceability Through Production?

I see buyers who spend a lot of time pushing their suppliers to do QC inspections on incoming components, to keep the production area clean, to give clear instructions to operators, and other basics. But I seldom hear them push for traceability in manufacturing, despite how important it is. I thought I should write about it again.   … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Quality Control Tips, Supplier Management Tagged With: chinese factories, Chinese factory management, ISO 9001, qc inspections, supply chain management, traceability, traceability in manufacturing

Managing QC Inspectors, Part 8: QC vs. QA

December 1, 2015

This is the eighth part in the series about the management of QC inspectors in China. Different companies give different job descriptions to their inspectors. I don't think there are "best practices" here, but this is an important topic and I want to cover it. The primary role of a QC inspector Inspectors should collect and report information. They should not take decisions, in order to reduce risks of bribery. Similarly, they should not try to solve the problem with the factory. The … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Managing QC inspectors Tagged With: managing qc inspectors, QAQC, QC, qc inspections, qc inspectors

Managing QC Inspectors, Part 7: The Quality Manager in China

November 25, 2015

This is the seventh part in the series I am writing about the management of QC inspectors in China. Many companies in China have difficulties finding the right quality manager. In particular, it is difficult to find an individual who will simultaneously: Run the day-to-day operations of the quality department and repeat the same principles to his staff and to suppliers 10 times a day -- and keep doing this for years; Be a change agent and guide his/her team to work in a different way (from … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Managing QC inspectors Tagged With: managing qc inspectors, QAQC, QC, qc inspections, qc inspectors

Managing QC Inspectors, Part 6: Planning the Inspections

November 18, 2015

This is the sixth part in the series about the management of QC inspectors in China. In my last article on this topic, I mentioned the need to have system to manage the planning. Some companies let factories and inspectors set the planning freely among themselves, and I think that's a big mistake. Here is the advice I usually give buying offices. 1. Manage the planning in the office An assistant manager should set the planning. Suppliers should send an application (for example every … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Managing QC inspectors Tagged With: managing qc inspectors, QAQC, QC, qc inspections, qc inspectors

Managing QC Inspectors, Part 5: Avoiding Bribery

November 5, 2015

This is the fifth part in the series about the management of QC inspectors in China. I touched on the evaluation of quality inspectors, and it naturally brings up the topic of bribery. How big of a problem is corruption of inspectors in China? In many developing countries, people in a position of authority, and to a lesser degree those who report information for use by decision makers, are prone to corruption. It happens in Mexico, in China, in Bangladesh, in Egypt, and in many other … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Managing QC inspectors Tagged With: managing qc inspectors, QAQC, QC, qc inspections, qc inspectors

Managing QC Inspectors, Part 4: Evaluating their Performance

October 30, 2015

assessment form for inspector

This is the fourth part in the series about the management of QC inspectors in China. Let's say you have hired the right profile, you have given them the right equipment and the right checklist, and you have provided them with the right mix of training and coaching. You need a method to evaluate their performance in order to know who should receive a bonus and/or a raise... and who should be let go. 1. Defining expectations clearly You can't hire Chinese inspectors if you don't have a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Managing QC inspectors Tagged With: managing qc inspectors, QAQC, QC, qc inspections, qc inspectors

Managing QC Inspectors, Part 3: Training, Coaching, and Auditing

October 19, 2015

This is the third part in the series about the management of QC inspectors in China. Let's focus on the activities of training, coaching, and auditing inspectors. A few years ago I listed 7 ways inspectors can fail to notice quality problems, which included 4 issues that good training, coaching, and auditing should mostly eradicate: Laziness and lack of discipline Lack of training Wrong calibration (e.g. the wrong standard is applied) Corruption My point is, you can't skip on … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Managing QC inspectors Tagged With: managing qc inspectors, QAQC, QC, qc inspections, qc inspectors

Managing QC Inspectors, Part 2: Checklist and Equipment

October 15, 2015

This is the second part in the series about the management of QC inspectors in China. I am looking at two very important parts of the preparation. Common shortcomings Here are a few issues that I often see: A "golden sample" is approved, and it is the only standard to be followed. But a golden sample is not sufficient. It does not include critical information such as the severity of potential defects, how certain tests ought to be conducted, etc. The buyer does not specify what packing … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Managing QC inspectors Tagged With: managing qc inspectors, QAQC, QC, qc inspections, qc inspectors

  • 1
  • 2
  • Next Page »


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.

Tweet Renaud here or hit the button below to get in touch.

Contact Us!

Subscribe to our email newsletter

Connect with us

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
sofeast
sofeast
sofeast

Latest Articles

  • Why Preventive Maintenance Is Important [Podcast]
  • What Are the Factory Assessment Reports Shown on Alibaba Worth?
  • How We Set Up A New Factory In China From Idea To Operation [Podcast]
  • Why Your Product’s Final Assembly Should Be Close To Its Key Components
  • A Textbook on Design for Manufacturing and the NPI Process (EVT-DVT-PVT)

Categories

  • Quality Control Tips
  • Sourcing New Suppliers
  • Supplier Management
  • New Product Development
  • Process Improvement
  • Ethical Sourcing

Archives

© 2021 QualityInspection.org