It’s a risky business to import products from developing countries. Not everybody is who he claims to be and dishonest suppliers will run off with your deposit. We know that most importers face two common issues. First, they often deal with low product quality. Asian suppliers often don’t understand that substandard products simply cannot be sold. Second, the production process is one of many delays.

For those reasons, big importers don’t have to think twice about Quality Control (QC) in low-cost countries. In case you import directly from China, India or Vietnam it is important that you know what Quality Control is and when you might need an inspection. This is an introduction into the world of Quality Control.

Before you start with inspections
It is important that you write down what you expect of a supplier. Let him know that you care about quality and that you will check it. Make your level of tolerance as clear as possible: what is a minor defect and what will not be accepted? This way, the factory will understand exactly what you expect. In case you choose an independent Quality Control company for quality control in your factory of choice, you can use all of the specifications for the inspection.

Check before shipment
If you wait until your goods arrive in your country, nothing can be changed. It is not possible to send defect products back. It is also very unlikely that the factory will redo the products for free or refund your money. That is why it is better to perform quality control during the production process. The supplier can use your tips and learns to understand your wishes. This is a small investment compared to a container full of useless products.

Don’t let your agent do it
Although a sourcing agent can help you along the way in searching for new factories and bridging a cultural gap, they cannot help you with quality control of your order. Most agents will get commissions from the factories for bringing new clients. That is why the verdict of the agent will never be negative. Also, agents are usually not trained to be a quality engineer or inspector. Therefore they will not convey inspections in a professional manner.

The work of an inspector
An inspector is a well-educated quality engineer and is specialized in a certain product category. Depending on the product, the inspector will go through a checklist. Think of quantity, appearance, conformity with your requirements and related functionality tests.

Picking samples
It takes a huge amount of time to check every single one of your ordered products. That is why there is an international standard, the ISO 2859-1, for picking samples. This standard is developed to choose a statistical representative number of samples. The tables used for this are called the Acceptance Quality Limit (AQL) tables.

The next step
Now you know a bit more about quality control and you can start with a reliable and independent Quality Control company like Quality Control China, Quality Control India & Quality Control Vietnam!