quality

For factories, quality is somewhat double-edged sword. On one hand they would like to provide the best product possible to their customers, however doing so increases their cost. If they try to “cut corners” and deliver product that does not quite stand up to the scrutiny of demanding customers, they can reduce their initial cost, however they stand to lose customers in the long run by doing so.  What are the factories supposed to do? My view is higher cost of improved quality is well worth the benefits you can received in the long-term.  Manufacturers need to look at the tradeoff between cost and benefit of quality from the long-term and comprehensive perspective. Sure, aiming for higher quality will add to the cost in the short-term. You can even lose some money in the beginning. But you need to broaden the horizon and consider all other aspects of the business and…

When you’re manufacturing in China, it’s easy to turn your attention away from suppliers and settle into complacency. But the eventual consequence is often product returns, due to what’s called quality fade. From critical issues to small and innocuous ones, quality fade can lead to problems in any importer’s supply chain. What is “quality fade”? Quality fade is a gradual decline in product quality over time. In most cases, for any given product, customers aren’t likely to notice a small decline in quality from one shipment to the next. But when comparing units over a longer stretch of time, like from one year to the next, the drop in quality is more obvious. Many experienced importers have their own horror stories about frustrating instances of quality fade. Maybe you’re a long-time dress shoe importer who starts receiving more and more reports of your shoes creasing or showing other signs of wear…

As an importer, quality issues with your product can be the downfall of your business, even if you have a great product idea, a competitive marketing strategy and an enthusiastic customer base. They can lead to product returns, product recalls, bad product reviews and a damaged reputation for your brand. Any of these issues can lead customers to look to your competitors for a similar product instead of buying from you. 1. Omitting quality expectations from supplier negotiations Would you wait until Christmas Eve to tell your friend you expect them to cook the main course for a Christmas dinner for 10 people? Probably not. So why should you wait to tell your factory about your quality standards until production is already underway for an order of hundreds or even thousands of units? The most successful importers outline their quality standards in the negotiation phase when they’re choosing suppliers. This…

Can you imagine trying to determine the quality of a shipment of bullets by firing them one after another? How would you know what quantity to test in the total order if the method destroys each bullet you test? The U.S. military faced this exact problem during World War II. They wanted to check the quality of their munitions so that they could be confident the bullets would function properly in the field. But they didn’t want to test so many that there were none left to actually ship to the warfront. The solution they developed was MIL-STD-105, an important standard using acceptable quality levels (AQL). Later on, ANSI Z1.4 was developed from that original military standard, it became the most popular standard inspectors use today. Why AQL sampling is widely used for QC inspection? 1. Sampling saves time during inspection Inspecting every unit in an order of goods offers the…

Regular, consistent and independent quality control is possibly the most important part of the buying-from-China experience. Some key points: Write it, confirm it, repeat it, and confirm it again with someone in authority. Get things repeated back to you from the people responsible for each step. Get things signed. Determine what is essential, what should happen, and what would be nice to have. But do not tell your supplier anything is less than mandatory. Safety, industry and customs standards are mandatory. Product features are crucial. Specific attributes that are not defined by law or function are important. QC essentials In-house QC is not independent. It is profit insurance for the supplier. Either do QC yourself or pay a third party to do it for you. But do it no matter what. Check incoming materials/components, semi-finished goods, packaging and finished goods. Unless you can wait for a complete product re-do with no financial penalties,…

In China, it can be difficult to find suppliers who pay as close attention to quality as you do, or as you expect them to do. You can imagine how costly it is when quality issues occur with your orders. For those of you buying directly from the factory, here are three general tips to help you prevent quality control issues. 1. Fully Understand your Products Quality Requirements: Don’t rely on the factory to advise you on what is important for quality. Have a complete understanding of your product and the quality needs, especially for the market you intend to import to. Have a document made for the quality criteria so that you can have an inspection done according to your requirements. 2. Perform Third Party Inspection: Though your factory will have its internal quality control, it is important and necessary to perform third party inspections. As you may know,…

Quality degradation is a supplier’s behavior of progressively degrading the quality of the products to earn more profits, at beginning, it’s not easy to be noticed; but when later on a significant quality degradation is found by the buyer, disputes may arise between the buyer and the supplier, which can ultimately lead to termination of agreements. Why does quality degradation occur? The most important reasons include: 1. Issues concerning business ethics Business is business. Naturally, a businessman’s end goal is to pursue high profit margins. If you do not investigate your suppliers carefully prior to engaging in trade, you may experience issues with certain suppliers beginning to degrade quality little by little over time in order to lower its costs. 2. Disconnection between quality levels of supplier and buyer Buyers can sometimes forget to specify clear levels of desired quality in their quality specifications. Additionally, suppliers tend to sway more to…

How can importers establish a quality standard, and then enforce it? Here are 4 proven ways to handle your suppliers in China. 1. Insist on getting a “perfect” sample Whenever possible, you should have a perfect sample (i.e. a prototype that is conform in all points to what you want to receive) in your hands before production is launched. The best practice is to get at least two samples, and send one back to the factory with your signature/stamp on it. This is the most basic way to establish your quality standard. The difficulty will be in the enforcement. In China, in General, factories know that sending very nice samples is what helps them get orders. These perfect samples (prepared by experimented technicians who take their time) are usually better than what can be made in mass production. Suppliers simply assume that the buyers know it. And in any case,…