Table of Contents
Introduction
Consider the following scenario: Your supplier has just sent you a shipment of goods, and you are eager to get them on the shelves. Yet as you inspect products, you discover that they fall short of your quality requirements and standards. As a matter of fact, they fall well short of what your contract stated you would receive. This can be a costly blunder in terms of both financial loss and damaged supplier relations. What could be the solution to this costly mistake? Use a quality control inspection checklist! It’s a straightforward yet important solution to this kind of issue. This article will be devoted to a brief definition of the quality control inspection checklist, and how our inspectors at EC use this checklist.
Definition of Quality Control Inspection Checklist
A quality control inspection checklist also referred to as an inspection criteria sheet, a quality control checklist, a quality assurance checklist, or a quality control checklist, is a tool that can be used to ensure that products satisfy particular requirements. Businesses generally use it while receiving goods from suppliers. A collection of requirements or questions are included on the checklist, and they must be satisfied for the item to be deemed acceptable. Moreover, it clarifies needs and guards against product defects.
Step-By-Step Tips on How EC Inspectors Use Quality Control Checklists
Below are step-by-step tips on how our inspectors use the quality control checklists:
1. Packaging Requirements Verification
This first major section should include details on the shipper cartons, any inner cartons, and any retail cartons or packaging. Irrespective of whether or not you’ll verify packaging during an inspection, it is crucial that your supplier refers to these requirements.
Typically, the packaging section should include the packaging dimensions and weight, marking requirements and shipper carton labeling, material requirements of shipper carton (e.g., binding method, single or double layer, brown cardboard, or white), packaging assortment and method, and retail packaging printings, labeling, and graphics.
2. Inclusion of Product Requirements Section
Including a section with product specifications might seem reasonable when building a quality control checklist template. However, many importers frequently forget what this section should cover.
Product requirements displayed on the quality control sheet should cover the product dimensions and weight, material and construction, product color (Where applicable, take into account Pantone color codes.), and labeling and markings (e.g., the voltage rating for electronics or UL).
3. Performing On-site tests and checks
Almost every product inspection should include a few on-site tests and checks. This information can be included in your quality control checklist to help the supplier understand what tests you expect the packaging and products to pass.
The steps for each check or test, the criteria for passing or failing, and any applicable inspector tolerance should all be laid out in this section.
A few examples of on-site tests and checks are barcode scan check performed for any items with a barcode, carton drop test carried out for packaging, GSM check executed for fabric density, moisture checks are conducted for wood items, such as moldings or furniture, cross hatch adhesion test performed for enamel-coated cookware items, vulcanization test conducted for rubber items, especially footwear, function test, which applies to most items, and hi-pot test conducted for electrical items.
4. Required Inspection Equipment
Suppose you’ve instructed your inspector to inspect the GSM of the fabric produced at your supplier’s factory. Suppose you must include the supplier’s contact information in your quality control checklist. In that case, the inspector may arrive at the factory and discover the tools required for the GSM check aren’t available.
You might be required to because you wouldn’t have a way to check the fabric’s density at that point. This can be done either by rescheduling the inspection, which will waste money and time or shipping the products without determining the fabric density, which may leave customers dissatisfied or render the product unusable if the density is too low.
It is only sometimes sufficient to merely list the tests and inspections that must be performed on a product. You are strongly advised to include the necessary equipment for each test and inspection. Your supplier or a third-party EC Global Inspection company inspector should be able to advise if you need clarification on whether the equipment is required.
5. Specifying Who Will Supply the Equipment
Clarifying who will supply the necessary equipment is just as crucial as specifying what equipment is required.
In the fabric density example above, you might have incorporated this test and the equipment necessary into your quality control inspection checklist. Nonetheless, the supplier might be under the impression that the inspector will bring testing equipment.
The inspector can also presume that the factory’s equipment will be on hand. To avoid this mix-up, include who should supply each equipment piece in your quality control checklist template.
Larger, more difficult-to-transport equipment, like a metal detector for clothing or a large container scale, should often be provided by suppliers. Smaller devices like calipers, measuring tapes, and the inspector frequently brings Pantone color samples.
6. Defect Classification
Many importers are familiar with this section of a quality control sheet, although frequently in a restricted and indirect way.
You could specify to your supplier any particular quality flaws or other problems and let them know which ones you can and cannot accept. You might also include pictures of them when describing the acceptable severity level for various problems.
But adding a section to your quality control checklist for categorizing problems is a far better way to offer objective tolerances for quality issues. This section should bring out all potential quality problems and classify them as either “minor,””major,” or “critical.”
Your tolerances for product flaws are also specified in this area of your quality control checklist template for the supplier and inspector.
Conclusion
A quality control inspection checklist can help you ensure that your products are of the best quality. You can ensure that your goods satisfy your quality requirements by giving the checklist to your suppliers and using it while inspecting your finished products. Also, you can spot areas needing improvement by monitoring your quality control efforts. What are you still holding out for? Use a quality control inspection checklist right away!
