cartons-selected-inspectionAs the process seems not to be clear for all our clients, we have decided to shed light on this important subject.

How do we select the cartons to inspect ?

  • The rule we apply at AQF is to randomly select the square root of cartons (√(total number of cartons))and then to randomly select the chosen sampling size. First the cartons are selected randomly, and then the samples are selected randomly from within these cartons.
  • We strictly advise to select at least a Level II inspection which we believe is the very minimum sampling size to select for a reliable inspection of your products!
  • Some clients have their own rules (less or more strict) but we believe that ISO 2859-1:1989 is a safe choice, especially when choosing the tightened AQL level (III) (or your own tighter custom level as the only way to know if 100% of your products are ok is to check all 100%).

How we identify the inspected cartons ?

  • We used to put sticker or AQF tape on the cartons but our standard practice is now to put a stamp on the selected cartons. Why? Simply in order to more easily identify those cartons (cartons are usually carried to the "inspection space" by the factory staff when selected by the inspector) later on if needed. Putting stickers was too difficult to manage as we open hundreds of cartons every week and putting tape made no sense since normally, products and cartons are not repacked by the inspector after the inspection.
  • When the manufacturer inputs a carton number on the export cartons (usually asked by clients in most cases and very recommended), we also input the carton numbers on the final report (in part A: AQL inspection details)

The point of those two methods is simply to know which cartons were inspected and see if the sampling was done on the right quantity; Of course, it does not mean that all products in those cartons were checked. Also note that when repacking, it is of course very likely that inspected products will be mixed between the different opened cartons, inevitably jostling the random repartition of defects and inspected products.

Why are inspected products and cartons not repacked by the inspector after the inspection?

  • Because repackaging and repacking takes time (from 1 to several hours) and the factory does not always provide the manpower for this. This is why it is commonly accepted that this is the factory's responsibility.
  • Because the factory's QC people shall normally recheck all defective products to better understand the issues (in best case scenario).
  • Because the factory shall rework or reproduce the defective products (we find problems on mass production on 99.5% of cases) or in case of a failed inspection, it is likely that the client will ask the manufacturer to sort out the defective products and rework or reproduce them, so there is little point in repacking.
  • Some products are not easy to repack or need new packaging. Think about an opened polybag; the factory must put the products removed into new polybags.
  • Packing needs special technique, while inspector are not well trained in this.

Can we seal the inspected cartons ?

  • We can of course adapt to clients requesting custom-made solutions for their business but sealing the inspected cartons only makes sense for small orders and passed inspections.
  • We can perform most of client's specific request but this is not a typical practice. This doesn't make much sense unless you really do not trust your factory; Even if this is the case, if factory is really dishonest, they could easily replace non-inspected cartons with lower quality products in order to sabotage the inspector.
  • In terms of sealing cartons, what makes sense, but is again not a normal practice, is to seal inspected cartons when inspection is PASSED. But because generally not all products from a carton are inspected, we should only seal the cartons that are newly packed with only inspected and passed products and wait for final repacking by the factory!

Products selected for inspection:

  • It is standard practice to put defective products aside so the factory can rework them or replace them.
  • Note that some clients have special instructions about defective products, for example: to seal them so that client can request factory to send it if needed, to automatically send to client the major defects when it concerns more than 1% or X% of the sampling size, to send the worst defects to client when inspection is failed, etc.
  • Non defective products are usually repackaged by factory workers when inspector finishes the inspection or even sometimes when the inspector has just checked the product. However, often the factory will decide to repackage products and cartons later with the appropriate team (it is usually 4 or 5 PM when the inspection is over and the debriefing with the factory takes place).

 

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