Quality Guarantee
Q: How can Quality Control guarantee consistent quality of products?
A: Quality processes are tailored to the requirements of the client or buyer. In most cases, we would use something called an acceptable quality limit, AQL. This is defined in ISO 2859-1 as: “The quality level that is the worst tolerable,” over the course of many inspections.
Essentially this means that parts or products are tested in accordance with a maximum deviation from the norm or standard. This reduces the chances of product variation making it into the product supply, but does not fully guarantee it.
Some products may have no allowable deviation at all, and require 100% checking or testing. Understandably, this carries a relatively higher cost for the QC process.
Intellectual Property
Q: How can we protect intellectual property in China and other Asian countries?
A: We do our due diligence with NDAs in all cases, which is respected by most manufacturers these days. China, as well as other Asian countries, are getting more and more strict with blatant disregard for intellectual property and product designs. However, it is worth nothing that, especially after a couple of years, there is still a chance that a product design makes it onto the market through other supply channels. This can be through a variety of ways, one of which is someone buying a product and reverse engineering it. The origin of the protected item does not matter in this case.
Anti-Bribery
Q: How do you prevent Quality Control teams taking bribes or to be compromised in some other way?
A: All our staff are required to sign an Anti-bribery and Anti-corruption declaration. This means they are aware of their duties and limitations, and the risks and penalties involved in breaking these rules. We also have secondary checks on quality assessments and reports to further mitigate any possibilities of assessments being inaccurate.
PROFIT MARGINS
Q: I am having some issues with my suppliers in Asia, but I am afraid that adding Quality Services will ruin my profit margins. How can I prevent that?
A: The principle of our company is to add value. We aim to improve manufacturing, deliveries, prevent quality issues and delays, thereby improving performance and efficiency. Ultimately this should result in a better bottom line.
PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT
Q: I am looking for a manufacturer for my new product or design, how can you help me?
A: We know a lot of manufacturers. With our team on the ground in the key production hubs, we are in the perfect position to find more if needed. We compare not only cost level, but also social and environmental compliance, health and safety and quality performance, to give you the best start at making your business a success.
SOURCING
Q: I am looking for a low-cost alternative to my locally sourced products, how can you help me?
A: We can benchmark several alternative supply options for you and show you the best freight options and timing for development, production and shipping, so you can make a calculated decision to choose the best direction for your products or company. We can also advise on potential issues with shipping sensitive materials, show value engineering options and optimize your supply chain.