What does quality management consist of? Juran wrote about this first in 1986, and he suggested 3 types of activities that make up the "Juran trilogy": Planning Quality control Improvement … [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...]
Undetected QC Issues: 7 Common Failures of Chinese Inspectors
Quality inspectors are human like the rest of us, and while it's usually unlikely that they will let major QC issues slip through the net, it can happen. Let's examine why and how this happens, and how to mitigate or stop these … [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...]
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...]
QC Basics: What is a Quality Inspection? Context, Tools & Template
This article answers the question: 'What is a quality inspection?' and explores when they typically take place (before, during, and after production). We will cover the types of inspections most widely used by buyers in international … [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...]
Some Problems Can’t Be Detected During Apparel QC Inspections
A few years ago, I wrote about the limits of random quality inspections. My focus in that article was on the random elements, on human mistakes, and on the tricks that manufacturers can play. Today I'd like to write about issues that … [Read more...]
The Different Types Of Sampling Plans For QC Inspections
1. What is a sampling plan? A sampling plan allows an auditor or a researcher to study a group (e.g. a batch of products, a segment of the population) by observing only a part of that group, and to reach conclusions with a pre-defined … [Read more...]