There are also some other pricing models for quality inspection services which you may choose based on the context.
Scenario 1: If you have an intermittent shipment per week and want to make sure no defective product has entered the market, you may at least perform a pre-shipment inspection. In this scenario, you may want an on-demand quality inspection service based on the man-day (one man works on one day).
Scenario 2: If you have daily shipment from factories in the same region and require daily quality inspection, you may either acquire your own team or outsource to the inspection company on a man-month basis (one man works for one month).
| The benefits of having a quality team | The benefits of an outsourced quality team |
| High flexibility
Full control of the process
|
On demand
Possibility of hiring fully trained industrial experts at a lower cost |
Scenario 3: If you have a newly developed product and want to undergo a total quality assurance process from sample evaluation to mass production, you may want to work based on the project.
There are multiple ways to work with the quality inspection company, but the most common way is based on the man-day.
Definition of man-day:
One man works one day. One day is defined as 8 hours of working time in the factory. The number of man day needed to perform a job is assessed case by case.
Travelling cost:
There are usually some travel costs charged apart from man-day costs. In ECQA, due to our unique operation and broad coverage of inspectors, we able to include the travel cost.
What factors affect the number of man-days required?
Product design: product nature and its design decide the inspection plan. For example, electrical products have more product testing requirements than non-electric products.
Quantities of product and sampling plan: this decides the sample size and affects the time needed to check workmanship and a simple function test.
Number of Varieties (SKU, Model Number, etc.): this determines the time needed to do performance testing and report writing.
Location of factories: if the factory is in a rural area, some inspection companies may charge for the travel time.
What is the standard procedure for a quality inspection with a random sampling plan?
- Arrival and opening meeting
The inspector takes a picture at the entrance of the factory with a time stamp and GPS coordinates.
Inspectors introduce themselves to the representative of the factory and brief them on the inspection procedure.
Inspector requests the packing list from the factory.
- Quantity checking
Inspector to check if the quantity of goods is ready and if it matches the customer’s requirements.
- Random carton drawing and product sampling
Inspectors select cartons randomly to cover all varieties, with the following requirements:
First inspection: the number of selected export cartons shall be at least the square root of the total number of export cartons.
Re-inspection: the number of selected export cartons shall be at least 1.5 times the square roots of the total number of export cartons.
The inspector shall escort the carton to the inspection site.
A product sample shall be drawn at random from the carton and shall include all varieties, sizes, and colours.
- Shipping mark and packaging
The inspector shall check the shipping mark and packaging and take pictures.
- Comparison to the required specification
The inspector shall compare all the details and specifications of the product to the requirements provided by the client.
- Performance and on-site testing according to the Special Sampling Level
Drop test of the carton, packaging, and product
Performance testing according to the intended use of the product
Check the calibration label of the testing equipment prior to any testing.
- AQL check according to sample size
Function check
Cosmetic check
Product safety check
- Reporting
A draft report with all the findings and remarks shall be explained to the factory representative, and they shall sign the report as an acknowledgement.
A complete final report with all the pictures and video shall be sent to the client for final decision.
- Sealed sample shipment
If needed, sealed samples representing shipment samples, defective samples, and pending samples shall be sent to the client for a final decision.
Post time: Jan-03-2024