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...]
Managing QC Inspectors, Part 4: Evaluating their Performance
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...]
Managing QC Inspectors, Part 3: Training, Coaching, and Auditing
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...]
Managing QC Inspectors, Part 2: Checklist and Equipment
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...]
Managing QC Inspectors, Part 1: The Hiring Process
I am starting a series about the management of QC inspectors in China. Part 1 is about hiring a team of inspectors. I listed before the types of backgrounds of most quality inspectors. But what profiles should you look for, how should you evaluate them, and who should manage them? 1. The psychological profile For simple QC inspectors, it often makes sense to hire young graduates with no experience, to teach them your product requirements, and to ensure they follow the right inspection … [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 problems with this: The inspector has no structure to follow. When random sampling is used, the inspector should NOT count every problem he finds as a defect. If he checks a point on the full sample size (for example on 200 pcs), that's fine. But this is … [Read more...]
Why the AQL tables are not in favor of the buyer
This is the third and last video about the ANSI tables (also known as “AQL tables”). As I explained in the last video, these sampling schemes were designed for very stable relationships, where the manufacturer keeps making the same products and keeps shipping them regularly (e.g. twice a month) to the same customer. As a consequence, the assumption is that quality is under control. And an inspection is used to catch the big accidents. What it means is that the statistics are way, way … [Read more...]
Benefits of quality control inspections
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...]
A Good Quality Assurance Strategy in China [10 Components]
Ensuring product quality over time is one of the major challenges of all importers. But what makes for an effective quality assurance strategy in China? … [Read more...]
How to prepare your QC inspection report template
A few months back, we drew an infographic to show how a random inspection works, but we didn't get into all the specifics. I regularly get questions from readers who ask me how to report the results. There are many ways to prepare a QC inspection report. But here are a few guidelines to prepare a document that suits your needs. A report is usually composed of the following parts: Conformity to specifications You probably want the inspector to look at the following aspects of the … [Read more...]