Any business that intends to make a profit has to be extremely particular about the costs it incurs; otherwise, the entire business will be affected in terms of the revenue streams and profitability. It is, thereby, all the more important for importers to make sure that they do not spend on areas.
That are unnecessary- this means that deciding the frequency of Quality Control Inspection. It is a big challenge for importers. As they struggle to find an optimal balance between trying to ensure high quality while keeping additional costs at bay.
How many times should you carry out the inspection?
A simple tradeoff can be seen between the two aspects, where lower costs mean potentially compromising quality and vice versa. The integral question then that begs attention is how many times should you carry out the inspection? Should you increase the number? Or perhaps reduce it?
This is, in fact, a rather complex decision with no clear cut answer. You cannot find one golden rule that would be able to answer your question. Regarding the frequency for inspecting your manufacturing site. For the quality of the goods and other related processes.
Quality
It is important to keep in mind that the term ‘quality’ is also very subjective. Having different meanings for different people. What one importer prioritizes may not hold importance for another.
Therefore, the first step that you would want to take is to think about your priorities. Depending upon which you might decide to:
- Inspect the same order multiple times throughout the production.
- Carry inspection of some orders more frequently than others.
- Inspect orders from some suppliers more than from other suppliers
A key consideration before we begin our discussion is to clarify that no guide can tell you exactly how to go about your business. It is ultimately up to you to decide how you would prefer to run your company. Including tolerating quality concerns in your products.
However, this guide will help you identify some integral questions that you should ask yourself before deciding upon how many inspections you would like to carry out for your products in order to (hopefully) reduce the number of defective products that you receive and maintain standard quality for your brand.
1. What has been your history with your supplier in terms of quality of products?
It is a common practice among suppliers to source from a number of suppliers instead of relying on just one: this helps you avoid potential risks such as delayed production, disruptions or other supply chain setbacks that may arise if one of your suppliers is delayed or unable to provide for you.
You may wish to categorize your suppliers depending upon your relationship with them, such as ranking certain suppliers in your ‘tier 1’ category that you work with regularly and have confidence in as compared to ‘tier 2’ suppliers that you have reserved for peak seasons and work with occasionally.
It, therefore, makes sense that your relationship with each supplier will have a direct influence on how frequently you wish to inspect their facilities. You would ideally want to allocate the most of your Quality Control Inspection resources towards the supplier with the highest risk associated with it. The following are a few questions to keep in mind when you wish to evaluate a particular supplier’s risk in order to choose an adequate inspection frequency.
What kind of quality have you received from the supplier previously?
In case of suppliers who you have worked with previously, it is essential to keep in mind the kinds of results that have been produced by him. You must consider the previous inspection reports outlining that supplier’s performance:
It would make sense to increase the frequency of inspections for suppliers with a poor history in inspection reports, as compared to one that has consistently passed inspections and produced good quality products. Inspection reports are able to show you the real quality of products which may differ significantly from what the supplier has promised.
You must evaluate your inspection reports thoroughly along with quality KPIs to determine:
- Overall inspection results, including inspection pass/fail rate.
- Number and type of quality issues found during the inspection.
- Any remedial actions the supplier took to address quality issues, such as product rework.
- Adherence to production and shipping deadlines.
Thus, if you find out that a supplier has been showing poor quality in the inspection reports, you might want to schedule a number of follow-up inspections in order to ensure that the products manufactured meet your specific requirements; in case of any lack in quality, these inspection reports will give you the opportunity to apply any corrective measures that you deem appropriate. These corrective measures become all the more important if the supplier is failing inspections because the number of defects being found in the products exceeds the AQL tolerance set by you.
Schedule Inspections In The Earlier Stage
It is also highly advisable to schedule inspections in the earlier stage of the production process, especially if the supplier has not been able to perform well on the previous inspection processes. A during production inspection (DUPRO) will enable you to catch issues at the beginning of the production before it is passed onto a large proportion of the products.
However, if you find that your supplier has been consistently performing well on the inspection processes then may wish to reduce the frequency of inspections. Keep in mind, no matter how well your supplier has performed, you must never get too lazy in the inspection process- otherwise, you’ll notice a decline in your product’s quality soon enough.
How long have you worked with the supplier?
It makes sense to increase the frequency of inspections with newer suppliers. Who you do not have a lot of experience with. It will work to your benefit to have a higher frequency of inspection. Earlier on in your business with them. Because it is likely to give you a good idea of what kinds of precautionary measures you need to take. In each supplier’s case, as well as what kind of quality concerns may arise. Through the production techniques employed by each supplier.
The longer you have worked with a supplier. The better idea the supplier will have of what kind of quality you want. As well as your other requirements.
Eliminate The Process Of Outside Inspections
However, as mentioned earlier, it is never recommended to completely eliminate the process of outside inspections. As it may lead to deterioration in the quality of products. Even if you have worked with a supplier for a long time. This is typically known as a phenomenon called quality fade. Which means a gradual decline in the quality of products from a supplier over a period of time.
This usually occurs because the supplier attempts to reduce costs by making use of cheap raw materials. And other components so that they are able to increase their per-unit profit margin. Without considerably increasing the price that they charge. This way, they would attempt to keep their customers in place by offering low prices while compromising on the quality.
It is thus recommended to have a third-party QC provider check-in with long-term suppliers. Periodically so that you do not have to face a quality fade concern in your products.
Does the supplier have an effective quality management system?
A supplier with an effective internal quality management system is likely to come across lesser issues. Because their own staff would keep a stern eye over the production process. It would thereby require lesser external checks by an outside quality control inspection team. In order to abide by the requirements and specifications of the order.
Suppliers can become certified in a relevant international standard called ISO 9001 to demonstrate their quality management expertise.
An ISO 9001-certified supplier should have developed quality control inspection processes for:
- Incoming quality control of raw materials from sub-suppliers.
- In-line product quality control inspection.
- Finished product quality control inspection.
A quality audit based on the ISO 9001 standard can help you evaluate your supplier’s quality management system. And determine whether they have processes in place to proactively identify and correct quality issues during production.
2. How valuable is your product?
You would also want to decide upon the frequency of inspections depending upon the monetary value of your products. For very highly-priced products, it would make sense to spend more on quality control inspection. For products that are high in value as compared to low-priced products.
What many importers make the mistake of doing is that they think of quality inspections services. As a completely separate cost that brings down their profit margin. However, it would be a better approach to consider the cost of quality inspection. Compared to no inspection- where no inspection would mean poor quality.
Inspection Costs
How much are you exposing yourself to lose in monetary value if you do not carry out inspections? The pricier your product is, the more you have to lose if the quality is substandard. And the products are rejected by the buyers.
For this reason, inspection costs are also known as appraisal costs. In the quality control industry because it is integral. For the success of the business for the products to be of adequate quality.
If you find any defects in your products at the site of production, they can be repaired or reworked immediately; in contrast, without a pre-shipment inspection. You are likely to receive defective products which you will then have to spend an additional amount. On to transport back to the supplier for the rework.
If not, you would have to spend on the rework yourself. Keeping this in mind, it is much better to invest in quality inspection than to spend on rework and repairs. This is costly not only in terms of monetary value. But also in terms of loss of customers who are unsatisfied with your products.
3. The application of your product
The manner in which consumers intend to use your product is also a major determinant. In deciding upon the frequency of inspections. The riskier a product is for the health or physical well-being of a product. The more you should invest in inspections. According to the usage of your product. You may set tolerances regarding how many defects are acceptable in a sample of products.
For example, you may set a higher tolerance for defects in consumer products. That do not pose a threat to the actual well-being of a person, such as disposable cups. However, for extremely sensitive products such as hearing aids. The number of defects that you can tolerate might be close to zero. Because it has a direct impact on the psychological and physical health of the user.
Product risk factors
Certain product risk factors warrant more diligence with inspection than you might otherwise think necessary. Some of the main questions to consider are:
- Mandatory regulations must your products meet? What are the consequences of noncompliance?
- Dangers does the product pose during regular use?
- Problems could arise with defective products?
4. The complexity of the product
The more complex a product is, the more likely your supplier is to make mistakes. In manufacturing it which may amount to defects in the products. Complex products require complicated procedures, which are more liable to mistakes. For this reason, pre-shipment inspection is an absolute must to make sure. That these complex products are made according to requirements and function appropriately.
A major factor that determines the complexity of your product is the number of components that make up the product.
A product that is made up of a number of components, especially moving parts. The more likely it is that it will have some defects. It is also true that complex products are more difficult to repair and rework. Disassembling a larger number of components and then assembling them is a painstaking task that is often extremely costly.
If your product is difficult to produce, to begin with, it is important for you to invest in pre-shipment inspection. Because it will be very costly for you to repair it. Thus, identifying and resolving issues during the production process becomes integral for you in order to maintain quality.
5. Your customers’ tolerance for quality issues
For any successful business, you must align your customer’s expectations with your own priorities and the actual product. Otherwise, the business is not likely to last very long. In order to avoid any such problems from arising, you must meet (or ideally exceed) your customer expectations.
You must thoroughly examine what kind of product features or services your business is known for. Then make sure to not compromise on any of those. For example, if your business is known for exceptional quality features and quality-oriented propositions. Then you must be aware that decreasing the quality will result in loss of sales. And a bad reputation for your business.
It is beneficial for you to carry out a market research survey. Find out exactly what your customers expect of you, and then make sure you deliver those. Negative feedback can be extremely detrimental to your business.
Hence, always make sure to be aware of your customer’s expectations. Provide your quality inspection team with a thorough Quality Control Inspection checklist. Regarding any specifications and requirements that are necessary for your products.
Ecommerce platform quality requirements
If your business markets on an online platform. There may be certain quality targets that you must meet to ensure that you are able to survive on the platform. Including platforms such as Amazon. Thereby, when deciding upon the frequency of quality inspections. It is always beneficial to compare the cost of inspection. With the cost of potentially losing out on your online business platform. A low rating by customers on your Amazon page will adversely impact your business.
Conclusion
The above-given factors are integral in deciding upon the frequency of quality inspections. You must keep in mind a cost-benefit analysis whereby the cost of not carrying out a quality inspection process. The potential risks of losing out on business, customers. The integrity of your business as well as damaging the well-being of your customers through defected products.
If you are still unsure about how often you want to inspect your supplier. You may seek the help of a professional third-party inspection team that provides you with several options. Depending upon your needs and budget options.
Also, be sure to provide your inspection team with a thorough QC checklist. Outlining all your specifications and requirements that your inspection team must look out for. So that you are able to make the most use of the inspection processes. Start a Discussion. Add people to this discussion. INVITE