Product Quality Inspections
Ensure your products meet the highest standards with our comprehensive quality inspections
Our product inspection services provide you with control over your manufacturing quality control program.
Benefits of product inspection services
Ensure product quality at every stage of production, verifying that suppliers adhere to your specifications and ensuring that your products are safe for transit.
Maintain positive customer reviews and protect your brand reputation, preventing loyal customers from turning to competitors and sharing negative experiences on social media.
It is crucial to conduct thorough production inspections to ensure manufacturing standards are consistently met. Avoid being deceived by manufacturers who might compromise on quality by using inferior materials or hiding defective products,
When companies cut costs by neglecting or underfunding product quality inspections, the resulting manufacturing errors can lead to costly and time-consuming problems that far outweigh any savings.
When do product inspection services take place
This shows when the inspection is conducted. The percentage refers to your product manufacturing stage.
pre-production
during production
pre shipment
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Everything you need to know about a
product inspection
Frequently asked questions about using a third party to inspect your products before you receive them. This is a beginner's guide to conducting an inspection.
What is a product inspection?
An inspection involves a third-party, someone not involved in the buying or selling, objectively reviewing your products at the factory. They provide observations based on specific methodologies and criteria, not a guarantee of product quality. You will receive a detailed report on their findings.
What happens during a typical inspection?
- The pre-shipment inspection is carried out on-site by an independent inspector once the product is finished and ready for shipment, but before you make the final payment. An inspector arrives at the factory and is shown to a workspace. You can use the inspection report to negotiate with your supplier to resolve any identified issues. After final payment, the product will be shipped, provided it passes inspection.
- For a final inspection, they go to the area with the finished products, randomly select cartons for review, and inspect a set number of products from these cartons. They compare these products against an original for differences in size, color, finishing, etc., and note any defects in the product and packaging.
- For an inline or dupro (during production) inspection, the process is similar, but the inspector samples goods directly from the production line instead of finished and packed cartons. These samples might be components rather than complete products.
Are product inspections necessary?
- Costs: Many people choose not to book a product inspection service to save on costs. Services can be expensive, especially for a small business. In addition, for low-volume or infrequent production runs, the cost and logistics of inspection might outweigh the benefits. While product inspections are not required, most people in the business will steer you away from this decision if this is your reasoning. You may be better off using a low-cost service ($100 per inspection) than none at all.
- In-House Experts: If you are on-site and feel qualified to perform your own inspection, it might be more efficient to use internal resources.
- Supplier trust: People also build trust with their suppliers and feel like they are willing to take the gamble of not performing an inspection. Long-standing relationships with trustworthy suppliers may reduce the need for third-party inspections. And, if customer feedback consistently indicates satisfaction with product quality, external inspections may not add value.
- Product Simplicity: If your products are simple or have low safety risks, inspections might not be as critical.
- Regulatory Compliance: If your products already comply with industry standards or regulations through other means, additional inspections might be redundant.
Is every item inspected?
This is unlikely. While possible, this approach is costly. Factories charge for the total output, including sorting and additional labor, which can significantly increase costs. Consider whether your consumers value perfection to this degree, as it could price your products out of the market.
Instead of using a standard or default sample size, inspection companies typically use AQL II (Acceptable Quality Level) standards to decide how many pieces from a production run should be randomly inspected. This sample size helps them assess the overall quality of the batch by examining a smaller, representative portion.
For instance, if your lot size is 500, the sample size for AQL 2.5, Inspection Level II might be 32 units. According to the AQL standard, you would then randomly select and inspect these 32 units from your 500-unit production run to evaluate the quality of the entire lot.
What is AQL and how to interpret the results?
Acceptable Quality Level, or AQL, is a standard that allows for a certain level of defects and is based on military standards from the 1940s. There are three types of defects: critical, major, and minor.
- A critical defect is severe, like a safety hazard or a completely non-functional product, and finding just one can cause the entire shipment to fail.
- Major defects might prevent a purchase or lead to a return
- Minor defects are less likely to affect consumer behavior.
Understanding AQL is simpler than it looks. Refer to the chart provided: select your sample size based on the Y-axis and follow the instructions to determine how many pieces to inspect and the acceptable number of defects. If defects are within the acceptable range, the shipment passes. Typical AQL levels are 2.5 for major defects and 4.0 for minor defects.
What's a DCL?
Defects are categorized using a Defect Classification List (DCL), which can vary between brands. For example, black spots on porcelain plates might be a major defect for some brands but not for others, like a large retailer. Large inspection companies usually have standard DCLs that factories agree to, but you can request changes if you have specific requirements.
How to choose the right vendor
Defects are categorized using a Defect Classification List (DCL), which can vary between brands. For example, black spots on porcelain plates might be a major defect for some brands but not for others, like a large retailer. Large inspection companies usually have standard DCLs that factories agree to, but you can request changes if you have specific requirements.
When choosing an inspection service, consider larger companies like SGS, BV, TUV, ITS, etc., as they often have better safeguards against bribery and provide comprehensive support. If your sourcing operation is significant, you might consider hiring dedicated inspectors to manage quality control.
Which inspection should I get?
There are various types of product inspections available, usually based on when you want to perform the inspection during the manufacturing process. To prevent issues, consider conducting inspections during production. Catching errors early, like a sizing mistake, can save time and costs. If defects are found but within AQL limits, the factory should still sort or rework the goods, although this doesn't always happen. The majority of companies book inspections during production.
Depending on your product, you might consider other inspections, though they can incur additional costs that might not be needed.
My inspection passes, but my shipment is bad
If products pass inspection but arrive in poor condition, investigate potential causes like damage during transit or issues at the factory. Document everything and communicate with your supplier to address the root cause before assigning liability.
Is a product inspection worth the cost?
Regarding the value of inspections, they are generally worth the cost, which ranges from $100-$300. The decision should be based on the value of the order and the consistency of the product quality.
World-class technology in the
quality control space
We've revolutionized the testing, inspecting and certification industry by blending human expertise with AI and investing in technical experts globally. Let us help you efficiently manage quality, safety and compliance data.
We've helped thousands of fast-growing companies
We aim to simplify quality control and compliance management for your business through our services and real-time supply intelligence.
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Textiles
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Electronics
Food
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