Unreliable Suppliers. One of the biggest risks while sourcing from China is working with unreliable suppliers. There are several ‘red flags’ to look for and different things which can go wrong if you are doing business with an unprofessional manufacturer. A factory audit is the only way to check the supplier’s quality management systems, the number of staff, business license, and customs registrations certificate. German Quality control provides a full spectrum of factory audit services. Our professional auditors conduct on-site and remote factory audits to help our clients to choose the best manufacturer for their product. Believing that the manufacturer understands your requirements. If you are importing from China, you have to understand how the Chinese manufacturers operate. They manufacture their products based on the buyer’s specifications. If you don’t communicate detailed requirements, and if you don’t ensure that the inspector has a reference sample in hand, you are asking for trouble. Right from the time you order a sample, set your expectations verbally and in your manufacturing agreement, covering product and packaging requirements, on-site procedures, and tests. The main goal of our company is not just quality control, but to establish trust and better communication between both sides of the business partnership. Not performing the pre-shipment inspection. Third-party inspection companies like us, randomly sample products of your order according to ISO 2859-1 standard. We at GQC.io additionally create customized checklists according to your product specifications to ensure all relevant functions, visual aspects and safety regulations match your expectations. Pre-shipment inspection will help you to understand the types of defects and the number of defective goods. During the inspection our well-trained inspectors will verify the quality of the products, whether they meet the requirements, and double-check the shipping marks, packing, and labeling.
Improve product quality: One of the most significant benefits of hiring third-party inspectors for suppliers is the quality enhancement that it often provides. At times, inspection tends to reveal a product defect that is quite easy to prevent. It doesn’t matter if the defect is major, minor, or critical, knowing about the defect before the shipment process helps the supplier or manufacturer address the root cause to rectify the underlying problem of the product. Save money: Critically identifying potential issues upstream, on-site, at the factory will remove significant future costs. Once the products have been shipped, costs have already been incurred and it is likely that the cost of goods has already been transferred to the supplier. Getting anything back at that stage is problematic at best. Therefore, investing in third-party quality control services has a significant benefit to your business and provides a level of comfort that your company’s money is being well spent. Establish professional relationships between a manufacturer and a purchaser: Professional relationships and trust are the most important part of any business deal. A third-party quality control company will have an unbiased view of your product. It will provide a clear picture of the strengths and weaknesses of your purchase. An importer that doesn’t have any sort of external oversight into the condition of their order is not sure what they have paid for until they receive the finished goods. On the other end of the business relationship, the supplier can’t get any feedback from their customers until the finished goods reach the customers. These factors can lead to misunderstandings and mistrust.
Minor Defects If a defect is classified as minor, that means the item does not comply fully with the product specs but is still usable. The defect does not affect the product’s marketability and functionality and only has minimal issues with its appearance. A minor defect is typically insignificant, so the end-users might not even notice it. And even if they do, they are not likely to return the item, request a refund, or decide against buying it. Major Defects Major defects are considered much more serious than minor ones. Not only do major defects cause your product to depart significantly from the buyer’s specs, but they could also negatively impact the appearance, performance, or function of the defective item. Additionally, end-users are highly likely to notice major defects and return the item or ask for a refund. Critical Defects Critical defects are the most serious defect type and typically mean that the product is completely unusable. Items with critical defects can also be a health and safety hazard to your customers or anyone who will use them. And if your goods are a risk to people’s health, that means you are at risk of potential lawsuits and product recalls, which can poorly affect your reputation as a brand.
A factory audit is the first step of any successful supply chain. The best way to get an idea of a supplier’s ability to manufacture your product is to go to the factory or hire a professional third-party company to perform an audit. Factory audits are generally conducted based on internationally accepted ISO 9001 quality management standards and reveal all information on your future manufacturer, including: Does the factory have the necessary legal licenses and certifications? Does it have the right equipment to produce your product? Do they use suitable raw materials and components? Does the manufacturer have proper facilities and enough staff? Do they have a proper quality management system in place? (IQC, IPQC, OQC)
Manufacturing Audit A manufacturing audit is an inspection of a supplier's manufacturing facility to determine if it's capable of producing a product that meets your company's specifications. During the audit, inspectors also identify any existing problems that could disrupt production, as well as any potential problems that could cause disruptions in the future. A manufacturing audit is vital to determining whether or not you should work with a particular supplier or manufacturer. These audits can identify and mitigate potential quality, operational, and ethical risks. This is accomplished by verifying that the supplier’s manufacturing facilities are suitable for producing your product and ensuring alignment with your company’s sourcing policies and your supplier’s policies. Ethical Audit Ethical audits are a great way to ensure your supply chain is keeping up with the requirements for social accountability. With pressure for all companies to maintain healthy, safe, and ethical work environments, an audit helps you stay on top of compliance, especially when it comes to labor practices and pay. There are several different international standards that can be used for ethical factory audits, and they can also be customized to fit the needs of each client. In addition to ensuring decent working conditions and human rights practices, ethical audits help determine whether your suppliers are following statutory requirements. Last but not least this kind of audit helps companies improve their brand image and customer loyalty. Environmental Audit Monitoring and improving the environmental impact of your supply chain is crucial to the long-term success of any business. Environmental factory audits help evaluate compliance with local laws and regulations as it relates to environmental protection and waste management allowing you to avoid significant penalties or even having to exit the market in a foreign country. By combining results from environmental audits with lab testing of the product, you can get a more complete picture of your supplier's production processes. Plus, it's a good way to verify that any policies or guidelines for environmental protection that your company has set are being followed.
Using online B2B platforms may be the easiest way to source products from China. There are four popular product sourcing platforms: Made in China, Alibaba, 1688, and Global sources. These websites won’t only help you to find similar products to yours, but provide insight information about the manufacturer such as business license, business categories, and address. It all sounds easy, but make sure you avoid some traps. Usually, you’ll see some suppliers in different categories such as “Gold Supplier”, “Verified”, “Manufacturer” or “Trading Company”. First of all, it is better to avoid trading companies if you are looking for the best price and trying to find a reliable, long-term partner. Secondly, keep in mind that any Alibaba supplier can pay an annual fee for premium membership, get a good rating or be in a good category. International trade shows. While there are hundreds of trade shows in China where you can meet manufacturers, there are still some of them that take place worldwide and attract Chinese manufacturers. Trading Fairs are a great place to meet manufacturers face-to-face, which can provide you with greater confidence and peace of mind than doing business with a complete stranger. Visiting a show is a great way for sellers to meet manufacturers, see their products and establish trustworthy business relationships. The largest trade shows in Asia are Canton Fair, East-China Import and Export Commodity Fair, China Yiwu International Commodities Fair, China Bauma Fair, etc. While visiting trade shows in China nowadays might be problematic, you can still participate online or find them in your region. Recommendations from business contacts and online or offline networking groups are also good ways to search for the right manufacturer. Chinese factories want to find clients as much as clients want to find a good manufacturer to produce their goods. Facebook, LinkedIn, and even Instagram are great platforms to search. Just simply type “your product/industry + manufacture” and you will come across some good options. Also, don’t forget about the obvious choice of just simply searching in google. Referrals or local industry trade associations and chambers of commerce are very safe sources of information. The Chamber of Commerce organizes various exhibitions, promotion meetings, conferences, and other business activities to help companies find business partners.
If you're importing from China, you may be wondering what kind of warranty to expect. In short, there are no warranties when importing products from China, or other countries in Asia for that matter. The only time you might be able to get one is when the supplier has a strong relationship with their manufacturer, and even then, it's rare. When you pay the balance of your order to your supplier, they have no incentive to offer any form of warranty that allows for free returns and replacements of defective products. All you might get are free spare parts—but even then, you'll still need to pay the costs of air freight. This happens because most manufacturers in China don't have the margins to offer warranties. It's part of the risk that keeps the unit cost low, and it's ultimately up to the buyer to ensure that they have a proper quality assurance program in place. Assuming that you can fall back on a supplier warranty is destined to fail. In fact, if you do get some sort of compensation, you should consider it as a bonus.
ISO is the abbreviation of International Organization for Standardization. ISO 9000 is intended to establish a standard of a quality management system that can be applied to any organization, regardless of its type or size. It includes a number of important topics such as: quality management systems, quality assurance, quality control, and total quality management. This article will provide an overview of ISO 9001 and explain why it's important if you are searching for a manufacturer in China. The purpose of ISO 9001 is to enhance customer satisfaction through the establishment, documentation, implementation, and maintenance of an effective quality management system. The standard can be applied to almost any type of organization, whether it's for-profit or not-for-profit. ISO 9000 family of standards represents an international consensus on good quality management practices. It consists of standards and guidelines relating to quality management systems and related supporting standards.
Sampling is used in quality control inspections to determine the quality of a product by examining a small percentage of the total lot. A quality control inspector will use different types of sampling methods to examine a lot depending on the type of product and standards set by the client. We recommend ANSI sampling tables to determine the number of units that will be randomly selected for evaluation. For example, if you have 10,000 widgets and you want to sample 1% of them, then you would select 100 widgets at random from the 10,000. The larger the sample size, the more accurate it will be in representing the total lot. The smaller the sample size gets, the less accurate it will become.
Whether you have sourced a product from the factory yourself or ordered from a vendor on Alibaba, it all starts with a product sample. The sample you approve will be the exact product that the supplier manufactures for you. That is why it is very important to make absolutely sure that the quality, colors, materials, operation, and safety of the sample are exactly what you want the factory to mass-produce. German Quality Control provides trustworthy Sample Pick Up services in China and Asia. We will make sure the samples you receive are authentic and as per your specifications.