You’ve outsourced to a factory in China or Asia: the costs are low, the workforce is abundant, and the management and quality control seems more than eager to accommodate you- what more can you ask for?
Quality Of The Products
More and more importers in the present age are locating their factories outside their own countries in order to cut costs and increase profit. However, what good are these reduced costs if the factory compromises on the quality of the products?
No matter how cheap the products, consumers are highly unlikely to buy it if they feel that the quality of the products is not worth their investment. Now, no importer would ask their factory to produce low-quality products, then why do these problems arise?
Mainly because, sadly, not every factory that you deal with will have an ethical code of conduct that compels them to abide by the contract and produce exactly what you have asked them to produce. Factories often outright lie about the processes, raw materials, and other aspects involved in the production of your product.
Measures On Your Part
This calls for some measures on your part, as an importer, so that you may safeguard yourself against any defected or substandard quality products being shipped to you- most often by taking the right preventive measures, such as quality control inspection.
Why The Factory Would Compromise On The Quality Of The Products
Factories often outright lie about the processes, raw materials, and other aspects involved in the production of your product. This calls for some measures on your part, as an importer, so that you may safeguard yourself against any defected or substandard quality products being shipped to you- most often by taking the right preventive measures, such as quality control inspection.
But the question arises as to why the factory would compromise on the quality of the products, to begin with. The following guide presents some of the most common reasons why a factory would not be vigilant about the quality of the products being produced, or in fact lie outright to your face:
1- Short-Termed Aims
Where some countries, particularly in the developed world, care about building long-term relations with their clients in order to expand their clientele, a large fraction of manufacturers in developing countries care solely about the immediate profit and so would do whatever it takes, including blatantly lying to you, to get into business with you.
2- Keeping Costs At Bay
A very common phenomenon in countries in Asia, including China, is the ‘quality fade’, where companies deliberately lure you into doing business with them by providing you with high-quality products in the initial stages which unfortunately doesn’t last very long. Because they’ve shown you a good quality product, but have promised a low price, they are under pressure to cut down costs as much as they can. And as is apparent, cutting costs would inevitably compromise on the quality of the products.
3- Unintentional Lying
There may be certain cases where your manufacturer may not intend to lie to you, but due to the difference of opinion, they might not know that what they are reporting or promising is actually incorrect or a lie. This may be because their criteria for an acceptable product may not necessarily coincide with yours, which can be a result of miscommunication or insufficient information about your brand by the manufacturer.
This is why it is stressed, time and time again, to make sure that there are no significant languages or cultural barriers which may prevent you or your manufacturer to fully understand each other.
What Are Some Of The Key Mistakes That You Can Avoid?
It is extremely important for you to make sure that there is no compromise on quality; not only with substandard products cause you a bad name among your customers and the market, it would also result in potential losses due to return or exchange of defected products.
Key Mistake 1: Not Hiring A Third-Party Inspection Company
Your manufacturer may assure you that they have a quality inspector in place, but think about it: whose interest will he be having at heart, yours or the manufacturer? The answer is quite simple. For this reason, it would help you tremendously to have a third-party inspection team in place that makes sure that the manufacturer is holding up his fair end of the bargain and is not compromising on the quality in any way or form.
Key Mistake 2: Allowing Your Manufacturer To Ship Goods To You Without Having Them Inspected First
Why would you assume that it is a good idea to have the goods shipped without prior inspection? Not only are you bound to find defective goods, but you would have to incur additional costs in order to transport and repair those goods. It is always a good idea to carry out pre-shipment inspection regularly.
Key Mistake 3: Making A Complete Payment In Advance
No matter how trustworthy your supplier may seem to you, it is never recommended to make full payment in advance. Once you’ve made the payment wholly, the supplier loses the fear of nonpayment of defected items. Only pay the complete amount when you’ve inspected the entire shipment and are sufficiently satisfied with its quality.
How Knowing Your Product Thoroughly Helps You
- A Clear Cut Definition Of Quality
Quality is a very vague term, something that appears to be of low quality to you may seem okay to someone else. Therefore, drafting and providing a clear specification list to your suppliers helps to make sure that both you and the manufacturer are on the same page. This is only possible through thorough knowledge of your product.
- Inspecting The Raw Materials
An end product will only be as good as the raw materials used in it. Inspecting and making sure that these materials are of adequate quality will only be possible if you fully understand the product and what it requires.
- Clear Communication With Suppliers
Keep in mind that your suppliers probably have a very different culture from yours, which is made even worse by the language barrier that you have in place. Therefore, the better you understand the product, the more clearly you can communicate your requirements to the supplier.
The One Final Key To Success: Consistency
Implementing quality controls and being vigilant doesn’t work if you only do it for a short period of time. if you want to make sure that you face no problems with your business, it is imminent for you to make sure that you remain consistent in the steps you take to safeguard yourself from any potential frauds. Remember- it is up to you to protect your business, suppliers will do what they can to lie and exploit you.