Over the last three decades, we have inspected an innumerable amount of orders for clients looking to mitigate sourcing risk and uncertainty. As a result, one question we receive often regards identifying trends or commonalities among defects noted. We asked two of our key team members in Ningbo, China what the most commonly noted issues during inspections include: “Workmanship is the most common issue due to the variation.” ~Cynthia Liu (Business Team Manager) “Inconsistency in production.” ~Nick Chen (Technical Supervisor) Although each product is unique, we are able to classify our observations by general industry. During inspections, defects are generally classified as major, minor or critical. Common defects noted by industry include: Hardlines Defects in appearance, such as dents, scratches, stains, etc. Defects with the warranty or other product inserts missing or incorrect Defects concerning missing parts or components Defects concerning the electrical listing data label as missing or incorrect Defects with polybags that are not marked with applicable child suffocation warnings Defects concerning function where the product does not operate as specified Defects concerning loose, broken or other poorly fitting components Defects concerning safety, such as sharp edges, exposed wires, poorly packaged batteries, etc. Softlines Defects in appearance, such as marks, fraying fabric or unfinished edges, etc. Defects with seams and stitching, including open seams, incorrect thread selection, skipped stitches, etc. Defects concerning color, such as dye spots and color fastness Defects concerning fabric, such as its material, fabric weight, cuts or tears, slubs or misweaves, etc. Defects concerning sizing, labeling and packaging, such as labels missing or top/bottom sizes are mismatched Defects with polybags that are not marked with applicable child suffocation warnings Defects concerning care label information, content label information, hangtag descriptions, correctness of components or trims, zip teeth smoothness, etc. Defects concerning measurement and fit Defects concerning loose or broken snaps, zippers or other hardware Defects concerning foul odors from dyes or other chemicals used in the process Defects concerning safety, such as pins, needles and staples not being removed Industrial Defects in appearance, such as dents, scratches, rust, stains, etc. Defects concerning missing parts or components Defects with measurements and/or dimensions that are out of tolerance Defects regarding labeling, such as non-compliance with regulatory requirements Defects concerning function where the product does not operate per specification Defects concerning loose, broken or other poorly fitting components Defects concerning safety, such as sharp edges, exposed wires, etc. Conducting QC inspections not only provides assurance that the order meets expectations, but it reduces the loss of resources required from quality issues that are discovered much later. Reduce incidences of delayed shipments, warranty and rework costs, and a negatively affected consumer perception. We recently added this content to our website, in addition to an overview of the solutions we offer within each industry.
