When manufacturing products overseas, it is vital to take all possible steps to ensure product quality. More than that, you must ensure that your products survive the journey from the factory to the port and then across the ocean to you. Have you ever seen videos of...
Quality Control
What is a Golden Sample in Manufacturing, and Why are They Essential?
If you’re manufacturing a product and thinking about how to manage product quality effectively, you may have come across the term 'golden sample.' A Golden Sample, also called an approval sample, is a sample your manufacturer sends to you before mass production. It...
AQL Defect Classification: 3 Types of Defects You Need to Understand
Are you planning to conduct inspections using the AQL sampling method? You may be aware that three types of defects — minor, major, and critical — play a role. To conduct an effective inspection, you must understand these three defect types and develop a thorough...
The Essential Guide to Garment Quality Control Procedures
Are you concerned your manufacturer may not always produce apparel that meets your standards? Do you want to verify they’ve made your clothing with minimal defects before shipping an order? Managing quality and compliance in the apparel industry can be challenging....
5 Things You Need to Understand About Final Random Inspections
If you’ve hired a factory to produce consumer products — especially an overseas factory — you might want to verify product quality before they ship your order. That way, you can get a clear picture of how well-made the goods are before they make their long journey to...
Product Inspection vs. Testing: What is the Difference?
If you’ve developed a product and want to get it into the hands of consumers, you need to learn how to manage product quality and compliance. You may have heard the terms ‘product inspection’ and ‘product testing’ thrown around and been unsure whether they were the...
AQL General Inspection Levels: What are They, and How do They Work?
AQL (Acceptance Quality Limit) is an important sampling method you’ll use when conducting product inspections at your factory. So if you’re making consumer goods and learning about AQL, you’ve probably seen the various inspection levels along the top of the AQL chart....
Quality vs. Compliance: What They Are and How to Manage Them Effectively
Product quality and compliance are vital concerns for companies manufacturing consumer products. While quality is generally about meeting customer expectations, compliance is about meeting regulatory requirements. If you want to manufacture competitive products,...
What is Quality Fade, and How Can You Avoid It?
Imagine you’ve been working with a manufacturer in Vietnam to produce a line of laptop bags for the last two years, and the relationship has gone well. You have reasonable quality standards for your product, and you feel like the factory has met them. Then, one day,...
What is AQL Sampling, and How is it Used in Quality Inspections?
AQL stands for ‘Acceptance Quality Limit,’ and it’s an essential sampling method used in quality control. It’s defined in ISO 2859-1 as “The quality level that is the worst tolerable” over the course of many inspections. When an inspector goes to your manufacturer to...