Nobody wants to find that their super value, low-cost purchasing from China turns out to be a nightmare with bad quality, un-saleable product arriving in their warehouse.  Worse still is a shipment of product that is dangerous, illegal and the basis of a potential lawsuit.

Stories of bad quality products arriving in Western ports and warehouses from China are not uncommon. 99% of these emanate for one reason only:  Lack of professional quality control.

Chinasavvy is a registered ISO 9001:2008 company.

Why you need QC:

Bad quality products can lead to cancelled orders from your customers; returned goods; discounted sales; commercial lawsuits; or even criminal lawsuits, fines or imprisonment if your products contravene HSE UK or OSHA US laws.

Good quality products build customer loyalty; better pricing and margins; less paperwork.  They can give your company the competitive edge – specially when combined with very competitive prices from China.

How ChinaSavvy runs its QC:

Agent quality management

ChinaSavvy recognizes that obtaining low priced products from China is only half the story.  Professional and exacting quality control is the key element in ensuring that our customers come back again and again.

To achieve this we look at each product which we source for customers from 5 QCPs (Quality Control Perspectives): Regulatory, Durability, Safety, Functionality and Cosmetics.  Each type of product requires different issues of QC.  Some may be purely cosmetic while others require comprehensive QC covering many or all of our QCPs.

We also ask our customers for their quality control requirements together with drawings and regulatory documentation if required.  We establish 3 quality fault levels: Critical; Major; and Minor.  A QS (Quality Specification) is then produced incorporating the QCPs, fault levels and the client’s information. This is sent to the customer for approval.  A Chinese language QS is also produced and given to the suppliers at time of placing the order with them.

Quality Control Testing

Depending on the customer’s requirements QC inspections are carried out in any of the following stages:

• Pre-manufacturing evaluation:
  If the supplier is new to us we carry out a pre-order evaluation to ensure that the supplier is capable of producing the quality required.  If the supplier is already known to us we may carry out a further evaluation if the product to be manufactured is not covered by a previous evaluation.
• During production:
  Depending on the product(s), requirements and/or instructions we may carry out QC inspections during production – specially where different components are being produced and sub-assembled.
• Prior to shipment:
  Our main thrust of QC happens after product has been manufactured.  ChinaSavv’s QC team will inspect either sample quantities or complete production depending on the customer’s requirements.
• Sample sizes:
  QC Levels and sample sizes depend on three criteria:
  Production volume
  Value of product
  Complexity of product

ChinaSavvy typically works on 3 QC levels: Standard, Enlarged and Total.

Most of the time we apply our Standard QC plan.  This specifies the number of permissible Critical (none), Major and Minor defects in a given sample. If more than the permissible defects are found in the sample our QC staff, then, either reject the entire batch or revert to a Total inspection of all units being checked.

The Enlarged QC Plan is similar to the Standard Plan but is much more stringent in the number of permissible minor defects and a greater sample size.  This is applied generally to high value or complex products.

The Total QC Plan is a check on all parts being manufactured and or shipped.

Sample sizes and defect limits are available to customers on request.

Reporting:
All QC checks are documented and are available to customers on request.

What it costs:

ChinaSavvy QC services are available in a number of forms:

• All-in Services.
  Where a sourced product is quoted on a FOB or CIF basis from within Guangdong Province our QC Standard Plan is included in the price.  Products sourced outside Guangdong Province include our QC Standard Plan but all travel expenses and subsistence are charged extra.
• Non-inclusive Service.
  Occasionally we will quote without inclusive service.  QC services are available to customers on a fee basis plus expenses.
• QC only services.
  Some customers use our QC services where they are already purchasing from another source.  In these cases we charge on a daily basis plus expenses.
• Special QC services.
  Where a customer requires our Enlarged or Total QC plans we will quote on a fee basis.