How to ensure the maximum quality of customer components? It seems like an easy question to answer when you’re not in the business of importing products from China. But what do you do when things are not as they should be with your suppliers? This question gets more complicated if you have no clue where to begin or what to do next? When it comes to supplier audit and quality control in China, there are ways to make things easier on yourself and your company. Here are six ways to ensure maximum quality of customer components with supplier audit and quality control in China.
Ask your existing suppliers to be your quality control auditors
A great way to keep your supply chain strong is by asking your existing suppliers—if they are willing—to be your quality control auditors. They may have some great tips on how you can ensure a maximum quality in manufacturing, shipping, and any other part of your business.
It’s also an opportunity for you to thank them for their continued support by offering them a discount off their future orders.
Have knowledgeable staff on the ground
The importance of a factory auditcannot be overstated. The best way to ensure that your components will have no flaws is by having knowledgeable staff on hand during every step of production. You should have an expert at each stop in your supply chain who can work directly with workers and management, ensuring high-quality output at every stage. If you don’t have staff on hand, then it may be time for a factory audit.
In addition to closely examining materials, inspecting facilities, and interviewing employees, auditors are able to point out problems as they see them or hear about them—giving you access to information that you otherwise wouldn’t have had access to.
Pay attention to inspection process every step of the way
When it comes to ensuring your customer components are made with high quality, you can’t just rely on a factory audit – you also need an effective supplier audit and quality control plan. Every step of your manufacturing process should be carefully monitored.
Any defects found should be communicated quickly and effectively, so that they can be fixed before it becomes more difficult or costly to correct them later. Avoid having rework pile up by keeping a close eye on all aspects of production.
Work closely with your team
Only you can determine how often you should visit your supplier. But, it’s important that you regularly check up on progress so that nothing falls through the cracks. And, if you notice issues early on, they’re much easier to fix than if they become too big to handle.
The closer your team is working together – whether at home or abroad – then more likely you will come across mistakes and problems before they start affecting your business.
Reward suppliers who meet quality standards
One way to ensure that your suppliers are producing quality parts is to reward those who meet or exceed your quality standards. This can be done by offering discounts on future purchases or cash bonuses. While positive reinforcement might not work for all suppliers, it’s certainly worth a try as long as you know what you’re getting into when implementing such a policy.
You may, for example, need to add time onto production lines, order an additional quantity (with a corresponding increase in cost), etc. depending on what standards you set for yourself and your suppliers. One thing is certain: no supplier wants a reputation for subpar quality, so providing incentives that encourage high-quality manufacturing will serve both parties well in the long run.
Set supplier audits as part of your regular planning process
Quality audits are often planned at regular intervals (e.g., quarterly, annually) as part of a supplier’s assessment. This is a good way to ensure your top suppliers remain competitive while also making sure they meet quality standards. When setting up an audit, it’s important to check not only product quality but also production processes and worker conduct; it’s easy for factories to become complacent if you don’t inspect them regularly or if you do so only sporadically.
Some suppliers may even set higher standards for themselves knowing that you will be conducting an audit—this is a good thing! Be sure that any audits you conduct comply with international manufacturing practices so that you can demonstrate compliance when asked by customers or regulators.
Wrapping up
Quality control is one of those things that can often get overlooked when dealing with a supplier. The truth is, you can have all your ducks in a row—or, as it’s called in business jargon, you can have a robust supplier relationship—but if your components don’t fit together well or are produced poorly, then you might end up paying more money because they break down more often.
That’s why it’s crucial to ensure that you conduct quality inspections services on your customer components before they’re shipped out to customers so you know what quality level you’re receiving.