When your business entails importing products manufactured in China, it’s vital to incorporate a quality control process in the factory you work with. Even the best managed factory might not always produce a perfect batch, so a robust quality control plan should be used to ensure your specifications and quality expectations are met within each and every order. Read on to learn what is quality control and how to protect your business when buying from China.
What is Quality Control?
Quality control can focus on both product specifications and manufacturing process specifications for any type of good and is
especially important for importers sourcing in China. The goal is to identify any problems, defects, and non-conformities in the product that doesn’t follow required specifications from the buyer, supplier, or from general international standards. When caught early enough, these issues can easily be solved to fix the initial batch and avoid any future problems.
especially important for importers sourcing in China. The goal is to identify any problems, defects, and non-conformities in the product that doesn’t follow required specifications from the buyer, supplier, or from general international standards. When caught early enough, these issues can easily be solved to fix the initial batch and avoid any future problems.
Challenges for Importers Sourcing in China
Sourcing products from China may be the competitive manufacturing option available, but there are a few reasons for that. Import business owners face a number of specific challenges that can affect their return on investment as well as the delivery of goods. The first major issue to be aware of is that importers typically need to purchase goods in advance. Since payment is generally released to the manufacturer prior to the goods being shipped out, you run the risk of receiving low quality goods with few (and costly) options for sending them back or reworking the goods locally. Whether the factory’s mistakes are deliberate or not, the bottom line is that they impact your business. The expense for both shipping and customs duties would be enormous, not to mention the amount of time it would take to send back products and receive a new batch. Since many smaller businesses don’t understand the intricacies of China’s legal system, it’s very unlikely a lawsuit would have any success. So in this situation, the importer would take a financial loss if the goods’ quality was not at an acceptable level because there’s little to no recourse for the factory even if they don’t fix the problem. Even if the business decided to sell the product anyway, their brand image could be substantially damaged if customers viewed them as lower quality.
Quality control not only ensures the quality of the product, it can also monitor their timely delivery.Without a
quality control plan in place, production schedules can fall behind and you might miss your sale season, resulting in low product turnover.All and all, it is essential for an importer sourcing in China to quality control their goods before, during and after production. You should check yours goods at pivotal points in the manufacturing process and communicate with the supplier to get any potential problems fixed before it’s too late. To do so, you can manage it all by yourself together with the factory or work with third parties.
Quality control not only ensures the quality of the product, it can also monitor their timely delivery.Without a
quality control plan in place, production schedules can fall behind and you might miss your sale season, resulting in low product turnover.All and all, it is essential for an importer sourcing in China to quality control their goods before, during and after production. You should check yours goods at pivotal points in the manufacturing process and communicate with the supplier to get any potential problems fixed before it’s too late. To do so, you can manage it all by yourself together with the factory or work with third parties.
Who Performs Quality Control in China?
There are a few different options for quality control when importing from China. The first is the
supplier’s in-house review of the manufacturing process. However, it’s pretty obvious that solely relying on the manufacturer presents a conflict of interest. At the end of the day, they are likely to be more concerned with their own financial interests than the quality of your products. To get a better idea of how the supplier operates, consider performing a
factory audit prior to the confirmation of your order. This will give you a clear idea of exactly how they control the quality within the factory. You might also check the factory’s licenses and certifications, along with their production capacity, human resources policies, and more.Another way to perform quality control is through your
trading or sourcing partner in China. You could consider requesting that they add a product inspection to their other duties; however, this also carries a high conflict of interest. Intermediates negotiating with suppliers need to keep good business relationships with them, and some may even receive hidden commissions from the factory that you don’t know about. In this situation, it is very difficult for them to provide a neutral opinion because the financial pressure and incentives are too high.You could also decide to have your own
quality team. This strategy requires intensive training on your product, plus local human resources management available anytime you need them and based near your suppliers’ locations. Travel time and transportation costs could quickly add up if your suppliers are located throughout the country. There are additional risks as well. Because quality teams have a limited number of human resources, the same quality inspector will regularly be in charge of verifying goods at the same suppliers’ site. There is a high chance that QC and suppliers develop a friendship that will end up with risk of corruption or at the very least influence his point of view on the goods’ quality.As an alternative, there is a wide range of reputable
third party inspection companies who advocate on your behalf in China. The company’s sole purpose is to protect you and your financial interests by verifying the goods based on your requirements. They have a neutral relationship with the supplier or trader; in fact, their business relationship is on one side only: the importer. They can provide several QCs to visit a unique supplier to keep the opinion the most neutral. They are able to provide services all over China and Asia for the big players. Plus, many importers are surprised at how affordable professional third party inspections are, especially compared to the potential for loss if a low-quality shipment makes it to your door. When searching for the ideal quality control company, make sure it holds both
ISO 9001 and
AQSIQ licenses from the Chinese government. Also be aware of non-reputable or poorly managed companies whose employees might be open to bribery from the factory to inaccurately represent information during the quality control verification process.
supplier’s in-house review of the manufacturing process. However, it’s pretty obvious that solely relying on the manufacturer presents a conflict of interest. At the end of the day, they are likely to be more concerned with their own financial interests than the quality of your products. To get a better idea of how the supplier operates, consider performing a
factory audit prior to the confirmation of your order. This will give you a clear idea of exactly how they control the quality within the factory. You might also check the factory’s licenses and certifications, along with their production capacity, human resources policies, and more.Another way to perform quality control is through your
trading or sourcing partner in China. You could consider requesting that they add a product inspection to their other duties; however, this also carries a high conflict of interest. Intermediates negotiating with suppliers need to keep good business relationships with them, and some may even receive hidden commissions from the factory that you don’t know about. In this situation, it is very difficult for them to provide a neutral opinion because the financial pressure and incentives are too high.You could also decide to have your own
quality team. This strategy requires intensive training on your product, plus local human resources management available anytime you need them and based near your suppliers’ locations. Travel time and transportation costs could quickly add up if your suppliers are located throughout the country. There are additional risks as well. Because quality teams have a limited number of human resources, the same quality inspector will regularly be in charge of verifying goods at the same suppliers’ site. There is a high chance that QC and suppliers develop a friendship that will end up with risk of corruption or at the very least influence his point of view on the goods’ quality.As an alternative, there is a wide range of reputable
third party inspection companies who advocate on your behalf in China. The company’s sole purpose is to protect you and your financial interests by verifying the goods based on your requirements. They have a neutral relationship with the supplier or trader; in fact, their business relationship is on one side only: the importer. They can provide several QCs to visit a unique supplier to keep the opinion the most neutral. They are able to provide services all over China and Asia for the big players. Plus, many importers are surprised at how affordable professional third party inspections are, especially compared to the potential for loss if a low-quality shipment makes it to your door. When searching for the ideal quality control company, make sure it holds both
ISO 9001 and
AQSIQ licenses from the Chinese government. Also be aware of non-reputable or poorly managed companies whose employees might be open to bribery from the factory to inaccurately represent information during the quality control verification process.
What Does Quality Control Include?
When you work with a
third party inspection company or your own quality team, the process is very detailed and specific to your product.You develop a detailed
inspection protocol based on a
checklist and your own
product specifications and
quality requirements. The inspection protocol sets up all the different verifications the QC may have to perform while controlling the goods on-site: it includes cosmetic verification, functional verifications as well as conformity to your requirements verification. It’s best to be as specific as possible to ensure every detail is controlled and evaluated as you want it. Provide clear details, otherwise the inspector and the manufacturer will use their common sense which may be different from yours. Also realize that your checklists should be constantly evolving as your own specifications change. You can even provide your inspector with a reference sample to be used in conjunction with the specification sheet to get the best results.
Sourcing in China can be challenging, no matter how long you’ve been doing it. Quality controls are key to protect your business. They are important for the first shipment concerned but also for the recurring orders. They can then help your factory
prevent similar mistakes in the future while getting the current shipment out the door within an appropriate amount of
time and the
guarantee that your goods are sellable. Thus, make sure to rely to the right quality control experts when performing product inspections. Having a third party inspector is probably the most flexible and reliable option for small and medium companies, as they guarantee product expertise while sitting on your side to defend your interests. Not only that, they can quickly operate all over China and Asia. With a third party inspection company, you keep control on your goods quality and benefit from their expertise regardless of location.
Tell us about your experience!How do you implement your quality control plan? Do you use a third party inspector in China?
third party inspection company or your own quality team, the process is very detailed and specific to your product.You develop a detailed
inspection protocol based on a
checklist and your own
product specifications and
quality requirements. The inspection protocol sets up all the different verifications the QC may have to perform while controlling the goods on-site: it includes cosmetic verification, functional verifications as well as conformity to your requirements verification. It’s best to be as specific as possible to ensure every detail is controlled and evaluated as you want it. Provide clear details, otherwise the inspector and the manufacturer will use their common sense which may be different from yours. Also realize that your checklists should be constantly evolving as your own specifications change. You can even provide your inspector with a reference sample to be used in conjunction with the specification sheet to get the best results.
Sourcing in China can be challenging, no matter how long you’ve been doing it. Quality controls are key to protect your business. They are important for the first shipment concerned but also for the recurring orders. They can then help your factory
prevent similar mistakes in the future while getting the current shipment out the door within an appropriate amount of
time and the
guarantee that your goods are sellable. Thus, make sure to rely to the right quality control experts when performing product inspections. Having a third party inspector is probably the most flexible and reliable option for small and medium companies, as they guarantee product expertise while sitting on your side to defend your interests. Not only that, they can quickly operate all over China and Asia. With a third party inspection company, you keep control on your goods quality and benefit from their expertise regardless of location.
Tell us about your experience!How do you implement your quality control plan? Do you use a third party inspector in China?
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