Quality Control Services in Europe
Quality Assurance & Quality Control Services in Europe
Benefit from 40 years’ experience providing factory audits and third-party inspections in Europe.
Present in Europe since 1984 as a Third Party Company, Pro QC International provides a large range of quality control services in Europe to local and international clients. Our network of experienced engineers allows us to offer customizable and competitive quality control solutions in 34 countries within Europe. We verify the supplier reliability and improve factory performance with our initial supplier evaluation and factory audits (ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 13485, ISO 45001, IATF 16949, VDA 6.3). We control production quality through our third-party inspections in Europe. Our experience ranges from global brand names to small family boutiques, and operations in Europe are managed by our French and German offices.
Whether supplier issues pertain to late shipments, quality defects, or require conformity to international standards, let Pro QC ensure supply chain quality. Our quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) services in Europe include:
- Supplier Management Services
- Vendor Compliance
- Factory & Supplier Audits
- Supplier Selection
Based in Eastern and Western Europe, our skilled inspectors and auditors specialize in the following industries:
- Oil & Gas: NDT (UT, MT, PT, VT, RT), ARAMCO (QM Series), FROSIO, coating, NACE, FROSIO, welding, ASME pressure vessels and boilers, valves, line pipes, heat exchangers, etc.
- Auto-parts: batteries, transmissions, bearings, engines, electronics & electrical components, mechanical components, brakes, wheels & tires, bodies, painting, etc.
- Medical Devices: Class I, Class II, Class III
- Softlines: luxury goods, textile & garments, leather goods, shoes, glasses, jewelry, cosmetics, fashion accessories, bags, etc.
- Hardlines: electronics, integrated parts, mechanical parts, metal items, computers, telephones, household appliances, paper, furniture, light fixtures, toys, packaging, and many more.
- Industrials: industrial components, coating, welding, plastics & rubbers, pumps, molds, electrical, machinery, solar panels, e-bikes, etc.
Our Services in Europe
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Our Coverage in Europe
Quality Solutions Overview
Click on the current stage of your sourcing or product development journey below to explore our related quality solutions.
1. New Product Development
New product development lays the foundation for strategic sourcing. Prototyping is crucial to validate that the supplier understands the client’s requirements.
Pro QC inspections validate the new parts while our supplier development services align quality expectations with suppliers and strengthen their ability to meet quality requirements and reduce time to market.
Pro QC’s Quality Solutions:
First Article Inspection (FAI)
Supplier Development Services
Resident Supplier Quality Resourcing
Supplier Risks & Challenges:
Poor communication of technical details between buyers and factories
Misalignment of product specifications and critical design requirements among buyers, suppliers, and factory production teams
Inadequate consideration of advanced product quality planning
Challenges when transitioning from prototype suppliers to mass-manufacturing suppliers
Misalignment on design and engineering revisions
2. Supplier Selection
Once the component specifications are defined, the procurement department identifies a list of suitable suppliers that can potentially meet their capability, cost, capacity, and quality requirements.
Pro QC offers a range of supplier due diligence and supplier evaluation support. Our experts visit suppliers to assess their capabilities, mitigate the risk of scams, overpromises, and miscommunication, and validate their credentials, trustworthiness, and financial stability.
Pro QC’s Quality Solutions:
Supplier Quality Audits
QHSE Audits
ESG Audits
Onsite Supplier Verification
Financial Credit Check
Supplier Risks & Challenges:
Lack of experience and due diligence in new supplier region
Communication challenges
Concern about supplier scams
Low confidence supplier’s trustworthiness
Concerns over supplier’s financial viability
3. Supplier Qualification
A world-class organization usually has a comprehensive supplier qualification program to identify and mitigate the risks associated with quality, safety, on-time delivery, cost, and compliance.
Pro QC establishes a global audit program to systematically onboard new suppliers, categorize their risk levels, and establish a reaction plan based on the supplier’s performance on quality systems, environmental management, and social and ethical compliance.
Pro QC’s Quality Solutions:
Global Supplier Audit Programs
Supplier Quality Audit for Potential Suppliers
Quality Management System Audit
Social & Ethical Audits
Supply Chain Security Audit
Environmental Audit
Supplier Risks & Challenges:
Suppliers are not as capable as they initially claimed
Supplier lacks effective and systematic quality assurance practice
Supplier is ISO 9001 certified, but the underlying principles are not implemented in practice
Mass production quality does not match prototype quality
Buyers want to sell to big retailers, but their suppliers do not yet comply with the retailer’s supplier code of conduct
Supplier violation on labor law, ethical and environmental compliances
Goods held in customs due to supply chain security malpractice
4. Pre-Production Validation
Before commencing volume production, it is crucial to validate that the equipment, staffing, production methods, capacity, and quality control plan are in place for each product line.
Pro QC offers on-site quality support to prevent and reduce the potential cost of poor quality (COPQ) and risk, ensuring a smooth transition from product development to mass production.
Pro QC’s Quality Solutions:
Engineering Build (EB) and Quality Build (QB) Audit
First Article Inspection (FAI)
APQP/PPAP Audit
Manufacturing Process Audit or VDA 6.3 Process Audit
Resident Supplier Quality Resourcing
Supplier Risks & Challenges:
Factory not ready for mass production
Shipment delays due to critical failure, poor quality, and resource constraints
An exponential increase in defective products
Product recall
High Cost of Poor Quality
An exponential increase in the cost of change after mass production commences
5. Production Planning
Production planning ensures that the supplier has sufficient raw materials, components, and staff and that other outsourced processes meet the specified schedule.
Pro QC offers assistance in timely supplier communication, onsite visits, and daily or weekly monitoring reports. This minimizes the risks of delays from ineffective procurement planning, staff shortages, or sub-supplier mismanagement.
Pro QC’s Quality Solutions:
Order Expediting
Resident Supplier Quality Resourcing
Supplier Risks & Challenges:
Production delay due to poor material procurement planning
Production delay due to inadequate production staffing
Poor sub-supplier management
6. Incoming Quality Control
Incoming inspection reflects a factory's commitment to quality control from the outset. Understanding how a factory manages its incoming material and its supply chain is a very good indication of its commitment to quality.
Pro QC quality solutions address issues such as defect acceptance, material substitutions, and component decay due to poor practices or storage conditions.
Pro QC’s Quality Solutions:
Incoming Inspection
In-Process Inspection
Manufacturing Process Audit or VDA 6.3 Process Audit
Supplier Risks & Challenges:
The factory does not manage the quality of its supply chain or is poor at supplier management
Suppliers turn a blind eye to defective components during incoming and still use them for production and assembly
Using sub-standard material or components (e.g., lower-quality fabric than required)
Substituting lower-cost alternatives for product components (e.g., cheaper electronic components in a mobile phone)
“Quality fade” where suppliers make small, gradual substitutions in materials and components over time
Bulk material ordered by the supplier degrades over time due to poor storage conditions
7. Production & Assembly
Many things can go wrong during mass production due to machine failure, lack of process control, and operator mistakes. While it is normal for defects to occur, these defects must be detected and contained.
Pro QC offers a range of support to verify control plan adherence, early defect detection, quality improvement, and issue resolution through monitoring, investigations, and CAPA validation.
Pro QC’s Quality Solutions:
First Article Inspection (FAI)
In-Process Inspection
Manufacturing Process Improvement
Quality/Root Cause Investigation (8D)
CAPA Verification
Order Expediting
End-Of-Line Testing & inspection
Resident Supplier Quality Resourcing
Supplier Risks & Challenges:
Operators are not producing according to the production control plan
Supplier is under pressure to ship goods, turning a blind eye to defective components
Lack of quality staff to enforce quality control
Poor control of re-worked material/product
Mistakes made by temporary, untrained staff/operators
Communication breakdown when the supplier is under pressure
8. Outgoing QC & Shipping
The smallest aesthetic defect on the packaging or missing components can lead to customer returns, while a misplaced label may result in compliance issues. Outgoing Quality Control is the last line of defense before products are properly loaded into containers for shipment.
Pro QC offers pre-shipment inspections and end-of-line testing to ensure your products meet your quality requirements and reduce the chance of returns or re-work.
Pro QC’s Quality Solutions:
Manufacturing Process Audit
Poka-Yoke Implementation
Pre-Shipment Inspection
End-Of-Line Testing & inspection
Container Loading Supervision
C-TPAT Audit
Supplier Risks & Challenges:
Products are poorly packaged
Human mistakes and missing components lead to customer returns
Wrong labeling leads to compliance issues and significant re-work
Rough handling of goods during container loading by the factory or outsourced warehouse, leading to damaged product
Poor container loading leads to product damage during transit
Our Quality Control Services in Europe
Product Inspections
A third-party inspection is used to control product quality throughout production.
Factory & Supplier Audits
Pro QC International performs various types of factory and quality system audits.
Supplier Management
We work closely with clients and suppliers to improve systems, processes, and capabilities.
Product Inspections in Europe
Pro QC International has provided product inspections in Europe since 1984. Our inspection services identify quality defects and ensure that quality requirements are met. Our inspections in Europe are conducted by experienced and degreed engineers. As an Inspection Agency, we provide the following types of third-party inspections in Europe:
First Article Inspections (FAI)
We inspect first-article samples before mass production. We identify defects at an early stage in order to minimize quality risks and to avoid replicating them during mass production.
In-process Inspections (IPI)
We visit the factory or supplier while it is producing the products. We analyze the manufacturing processes and perform inspections at the key steps of production.
Pre-shipment Inspections (PSI)
The final inspections are done on-site when the products are 100% produced ensuring that they meet the spec and any specific requirements.
Container Loading Supervision (CLS)
We verify that the containers carrying the goods are packed according to the specified requirements using industry methodology and international standards.
Sorting and Rework Services
We inspect production and detect quality issues or perform rework operations. Our local network is ready to be deployed on-site for short or long-term projects.
We use the 2003 ANSI Z1.4 sampling tables to determine the number of units that will be randomly selected for sample inspection. Our quality experts will assist in determining the plan that is most suitable for each situation.
During our third-party inspections in Europe, samples are checked against a detailed inspection plan for visual verification, functions, packaging, manufacturing, etc. The defects identified are classified as Critical, Major or Minor, depending on the inspection plan. The Acceptable Quality Level (AQL) is determined by the total defects and the use of the accepted/rejected criteria of the sampling plan.
Factory and Supplier Audits in Europe
Factory and Supplier Audits
In Europe, Pro QC International provides a large range of quality audits. From Supplier Qualification audits to Quality Systems audits, we can cover most auditing requirements. Our teams of certified auditors will offer valuable and detailed information about the supplier’s organization, premises, and operations. Our range of audits in Europe include:
Quality, Environment, and Health and Safety Management Systems
- ISO 9001 Audits – Quality Management System
- ISO 14001 Audits – Environmental Management
- ISO 45001 Audits – Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems
Automotive Industry
- IATF 16949 Audits – Automotive Quality Management System
- VDA 6.3 Process Audits – German Automotive Standard
Medical industry
- ISO 13485 Audits for Medical devices – Quality Management Systems
- 21 QSR 820 GMP Audits for Medical Devices
- ISO 11137 Audits – Sterilization of Health Care Products
- ISO 14644 Audits – Cleanrooms and Associated Controlled Environments
- ISO 15189 Audits – Medical laboratories, Requirements for Quality and Competence
- ISO 15378 Audits – Primary Packaging Materials for Medicinal Products
- ISO 22716 Audits for Cosmetics – Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)
- Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) Audits
- Good Distribution Practices (GDP) Audits
Supply Chain Security Audits
- ISO 27001 – Information Security Management
- ISO 28000 – Security Management Systems for Supply Chain
- C-TPAT – Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism
- GSV – Global Security Verification
- SCAN – Supplier Compliance Audit Network
Social Compliance
- SA 8000 Audits – Social Accountability
Others
- Manufacturing Process Audits
- Initial Supplier Evaluations
- Credit Check
- Combined Audits
Supplier Identification in Europe
Pro QC assists clients in identifying new suppliers globally. Whether entering a new region, increasing supply due to growth, or seeking alternatives due to poor supplier performance, our team will develop a customized checklist and conduct an extensive local search to find the best match and obtain pricing quotations.
Supplier Management
Supplier Management means collaborating with suppliers to improve their system, processes and/or product manufacturing capabilities.
Vendor Compliance
We ensure each supplier complies with the standards set by major retailers or relevant association. Example compliance standards include Carrefour, Rewe, Walmart, BJ’s, Lowe’s, Auchan, Home Depot, Dick’s Sporting Goods, etc.
Continuous Improvement
We conduct regular 80/20 evaluations of QC data and develop, execute and monitor continuous improvement initiatives.
Certification Preparation
We assist to ensure compliance prior to the final audit. Applicable industry standards include IATF 16949, VDA 6.3, ISO 13485, ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, SA 8000, C-TPAT, etc.
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Contact Us by Email
Contact Us by Phone
North America
+1 206 397 1145
Mexico
+52 55 9990 7885
Colombia
+57 601 9190355
United Kingdom
+44 330 094 5589
France
+33 9 7303 6784
Germany
+49 15630 810151
Australia
+61 2 8252 7691
India & South Asia
+91 120 508 9113
Asia & Asia Pacific
+886 2 2832 2990
Stability
Pro QC has been providing quality assurance, engineering and consulting services since 1984.
Global Presence
We offer a dedicated Account Manager and quality solutions in over 100 countries.
Timely Feedback
We offer online reporting and detailed reports within 24 hours of job completion.
Quality Experts
Our global engineering team has the requisite industry expertise to verify quality and conformance.