Roles of Quality Control in Manufacturing and Production Management

Types of QC in manufacturing

Described as such, quality control remains rather vague. What we have witnessed in South East Asia through our years of experience at SOA is that there are several visions and steps in quality control management that are regularly taken into account. Following the process of manufacturing from the beginning to the ending, every step always has a QC inspection way to proceed and follow.

Depending on the countries, the customer presence, the sensitivity of products, and the relation with suppliers, all of these quality controls can be implemented totally or partially. It is not rare to see buyers handling directly with the manufacturer for the pre-production sample, as well as in-line & out-line inputs, and then deciding to hire third parties to conduct final inspections and/or testing.

• Pre-production sample

Before launching the mass production, a step of preparing and manufacturing samples is always in need, as it often sets the base for all future quality control. All kinds of samples such as AKA sample, master sample, or counter sample, sometimes undermine, but yet is a key factor to control the quality and to better communicate with all parties.

• Technical inspection

Also known as laboratory testing, this kind of inspection is mainly carried on picked items from the production (or, sometimes, pre-production samples) to conduct more thorough and deeper, or simply technical tests requiring machines or complex techniques.

• In-line inspection

Instead of checking the quality of the product at the end of the manufacturing process when the product is completely made, the company should do the checking at certain milestones of the process. It is how the inline inspection works. If there are any defaults or the quality isn’t good enough, this method could help factory management and supervision proactively to take necessary precautionary measures and easily identify the root cause.

As result, the problem is rectified, the preventive measures (or corrective plans) are established to avoid future recurrence, and more importantly, the factory can avoid the fact that the full batch of production is rejected at the end of the production. In fact, in the textile industry, inline inspection is quite important.

For instance, if the final inspections show a defect, it is hard to provide a corrective plan and fix the problems. Because it is very costly (in terms of time, raw materials, and cost) to revise a production, as the products cannot be fixed and need to be re-manufactured 100%.

• Out-line inspection

Out-line inspection is usually conducted at the same time or in a similar way as the in-line inspection. The inspection controls the first pieces of the finished product when it is out of production. With the same benefits and possibilities as the in-line inspection, it offers more flexibility in implementing corrective plans.

• Final inspection

The final inspection is the last opportunity for auditors to catch and address quality issues before they end up in the hands of the buyer, or even worse, the consumer. It is usually conducted when 100% of the purchase order is manufactured, and 80% packed, it gives the green light (or doesn’t) for purchase and shipment.

During the final audit, products are examined for specific performance requirements, taking into consideration all criteria such as function, dimensions & weight, finishing, usage, technical, packing, labeling, etc.

• Loading inspection

It is not obligatory but rather a necessary step to complete the whole manufacturing and shipping of the order. The purpose of this inspection is to make sure that the goods are properly handled and safely loaded into the shipping containers for a secured transportation.

Depending on the sensitive values, the risky areas, or other doubts, it is an additional control of the loading itself of a container or cargo, and the validation that it matches what was requested.