China Quality Control
QUALITY & FACTORY CONTROLThe most common problem when buying from overseas is the quality of the products can never be certain and not even the price can be a good indicator. It is therefore vital that the quality control process starts the moment you choose a supplier to prevent problems occurring during the manufacturing process.
WHY IS QUALITY CONTROL SO IMPORTANT?
There are many reasons why manufacturers can mess up an order. They may have never made the product before or they may outsource or alter the quality of the product to improve their own margin. This is why dealing with manufacturers can cause so many headaches if you don’t have someone overseeing quality control right from the beginning. Having someone on the ground means that they can see the materials being used and verify that the product is actually being manufactured in the factory you have a contract with. They can also spot and avoid problems before they occur. While it may seem counter-productive for factories to cut corners when it costs so much more to fix problems, they often think they can get away with it. Therefore it is not recommended to trust factories in-house quality control. Factories are less likely to cut corners if they feel that you will audit them regularly.
USING APPROVED SAMPLES AS BENCHMARKS
Having production samples gives you a benchmark for which the quality of your products must be equal to. When you approve the quality of a sample, this should then be written into your sales contract and MyShipper will outline to the factory that they are accountable to this standard. Having a sample also enables you to compare the quality of every batch that comes off the production line. However, you will still need to have someone on the ground that ensures the initial sample is from the same production line and not hand crafted or bought elsewhere.
APPROVE THE QUALITY BEFORE YOU SHIP
If you find problems once you have received and paid for them, then in most cases it is too late to do anything about it. Despite having a good relationship with your supplier, previous shipments of the same product or even have future orders in the pipeline, it isn’t much you can do about that particular batch. This is why quality control is so important and an ongoing process, especially for repeat orders.
