In the ever-increasing competition in today’s world, any business that does not fulfill customer’s expectations will find it extremely difficult to survive. In such a situation, for any business to come across products that do not meet customer’s requirements is a huge cost: not in terms of monetary losses, but the loss of integrity and image of the business also. Therefore, when you encounter products that are not in-line with the specifications that consumers require of you, the cost of scrapping and reworking those products can be huge.
Quality is an aspect of virtually any product that customers are least likely to compromise upon- several times you might have found yourself purchasing the slightly pricier product when having to choose between two products just because you feel it provides you with better user experience because of higher quality. Therefore, it is integral that you ensure consistent and adequate quality in your products to meet with customer expectations.
Quality control is an integral part of any business that wishes to ensure customer satisfaction. As a buyer working with a manufacturer overseas, you may encounter a countless number of problems in the production process, including those that you may least expect. It is therefore very important for you to undertake adequate precautions in order to make sure that you do not encounter any defects in your problems or disruptions in the production process.
The instances of businesses losing thousands of dollars worth of products because they do not meet the requirements are not unheard of. In fact, even today some businesses rely on word of mouth or communication through email to inform the supplier of their demands and specific product features that they require them to build. This form of communication is extremely prone to misunderstandings, on either end of the transaction, which can result in faulty products that do not pass quality inspections and thus need to be discarded. The most effective step that you should take to avoid this problem is to draft a thorough and effective quality control checklist that is:
- Comprehensive enough to convey all your product standards,
- Practical enough for inspectors to use in a factory setting and.
- Clear enough that you, your suppliers, and any product inspectors all have the same understanding.
A good quality control checklist will address all the potential questions that might arise in your supplier’s or quality inspector’s mind, and prevent any misunderstandings that might (literally) cost you your business.
So what exactly is the harm in not developing a quality control checklist?
If you feel that by explaining yourself to your supplier over the phone or skype regarding what you wish to receive in your shipment is enough for you to expect that the supplier will fully understand and provide you with those products, you are, sadly, mistaken. Without a clear and detailed QC checklist, the possibility that your supplier has not fully understood your demand, which will undoubtedly cause defects in your products, is very high; not only that, word of mouth alone is not sufficient to convey your expectations to your quality control inspection team as well.
Your products are unlikely to meet with customer requirements
Most large-scale garment retailers in the world such as Walmart have a strict set of guidelines that they expect you to follow, only after which will you be allowed to supply to them; these guidelines include not only very specific requirements regarding the quality of the garment itself but also regarding the packaging of that garment. There are also a number of legal requirements that you are required to meet in the area of cloth labeling, the failure to do so may result in heavy penalties imposed by the authorities.
Unless you provide your supplier with a detailed checklist that outlines these requirements, you cannot be sure that the supplier will meet all of the requirements- this can result in damages as much as the rejection of the entire shipment due to lack of conformity to required specifications, in addition to government fines as mentioned earlier.
The product inspection is not a hundred percent reliable
If you have not conveyed your requirements to the inspection team in an accurate and in-depth checklist, you cannot expect them to fully inspect products according to your liking. For example, if you are importing furniture from an Asian country, one of your prime concerns regarding the products will be breakage during use. To make sure that this defect is not found in any of the products, you will want to instruct your inspection staff to incorporate tests such as load testing to make sure that the furniture is durable.
However, if you do not include this in your checklist, then the chances that the inspection team will conduct this test are doubtful. The team might instead conduct some different tests that do not serve the purpose of checking the durability of the furniture. The end result may be damaged furniture that is returned to you by your customers due to breakage.
Potential delays in production or shipping
Continuing the above example, suppose you carry out a pre-shipment inspection and find that the furniture is not meeting the quality standards that you have instructed your supplier; the most obvious solution would then be to re-work the products and make sure that any faulty area is taken care of prior to shipping. Because this will require additional time that was not previously accounted for when the time schedule was made by the supplier, this will most likely lead to shipping delays. A delay might not only be annoying for you, but it might also potentially cost you your customers if you have promised to deliver products to them on a certain date and fail to do so.
How can you use a QC checklist to overcome these issues?
Even though developing a detailed checklist takes time and effort, it is highly recommended that you draft one prior to allowing your supplier to begin manufacturing. This ensures that you and your supplier are on the same page regarding what needs to be made and how especially through incorporating the supplier’s feedback into the QC checklist. This will ensure that you are protected against potential errors and faults in the products and production process which might cost you your customers and your business’s integrity in the market.
Your products will be made right in the first go
Not all defects from a product are easy to rework, such as the wrong size or materials used in the manufacturing of pencil holders. This will require the supplier to begin production from scratch- and can you really blame him for messing up if he wasn’t provided with a checklist outlining all the specifications?
This is even more important for cases where the products are supposed to be manufactured through mass production. A single misunderstanding between you and your supplier can result in the entire shipment going to waste.
Your supplier and inspection staff will be accountable to you in case of errors
In the case where you have provided your supplier and inspection staff with a QC checklist, if you find errors or defects in your products then you have the authorities to hold both the parties accountable who are responsible for ensuring the quality of the products.
Suppose you find defects in your products, such as bottles made of plain glass rather than frosted glass as you instructed. With the presence of a QC checklist clearing stating that the bottles should be frosted, there is no room left for the supplier to deny accountability and try to protest that you were unclear in your demands. This would even benefit you if this issue is not resolved and needs to be taken up in the court of law.
The same goes for your inspection staff. If you find defects and discover that the team did not carry the specific tests that you asked for, you'll want to hold the team accountable. A clearly defined QC checklist will act as evidence that the team failed to meet your orders.
A wholesome understanding of your product
There might be cases where you have a general idea regarding the kind of product that you want but are unsure about the minute details involved, such as the size of the logo you want to print on the face of the product. Developing a thorough QC checklist will give you the opportunity to fully understanding your product and thus building a product that is exactly how you want it to be.
Developing a quality control checklist
In most cases, you may find that a third-party inspection team will be able to develop a QC checklist for you that thoroughly outline your requirements. However, there is always the option of customizing the checklist; for example, two different companies may be producing the same product, such as chairs, but with very different QC checklists.
Most effective QC checklists contain the following information:
- Product requirements;
- Packaging requirements;
- On-site product tests & checks;
- Defect classification; and
- Feedback from key people involved in production and QC
- Don’t forget to incorporate feedback
Never make a QC checklist in isolation. Always include feedback from your supplier and inspection staff when finalizing the list. Sometimes your factory management or the inspection staff may have valuable inside that may greatly benefit your product.
Conclusion
A highly detailed checklist acts as your shield against several potential dangers such as order rejection and violating local laws that can result in great damages to your business. The QC checklist will also help you to hold your supplier and inspectors accountable in the circumstances where you find defects in the products.
As an importer, it is very important to invest some time and energy into developing a QC checklist, as well as continually updating it as and when required.