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Path: Sourcing News & Advice
>> Smart
Sourcing >> Sampling is an important part of
a random inspection

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Sampling is an important part of a random inspection

Posted: November 07, 2016

By Renaud Anjoran

When
I go to factories I like to observe quality inspectors from buying offices or
other QC agencies. Sometimes I see an inspector come in, ask the factory for a
certain number of pieces, and get to “work” right away. By “work” I mean
checking products.

While he may feel quite productive, he is seriously cutting corners!
Here are the main issues I have with this approach.

• Not doing a random
pick — it means the factory can select the best products and “adjust” them if
necessary.

• Not looking at all
cartons — what if some of them are wet, damaged, in different sizes…?

This
inspector’s report might look great and be full of photos, but to me it is close
to worthless. He hasn’t done a random inspection… he hasn’t tried to estimate
the average level… he might actually have done an inspection of the best
products!

In
short, he skipped the all-important phase of sampling, which ensures
randomly-selected products (as representative as possible of the whole batch)
are inspected. He might not see issues that are present on 40% of the goods, for
example, and declare that defects are below the AQL limits.

Companies
that use our software for QC inspections have access to a lot of
historical data. They are often surprised by the time their inspectors spend in
the “counting and sampling” phase and they sometimes wonder how to cut that
time.

Well
yes, it does take time. Sometimes 20 minutes, but that’s rare unless the
inspector goes to that factory very often and things are all lined up nicely.
Often it takes 30 to 90 minutes. When there are many SKUs, the products are
spread around the factory, and the staff needs to search for them, it can take
half a day!

Let’s
break it down. Why does it take so long?

Finding
and counting

First,
the products might be in different stages of preparation — and different
places:

• Some
packed

• Some unpacked,
waiting in the packing department

• Some unfinished,
somewhere in production workshops

The
inspector should try to count the products quickly, or at least to estimate
(roughly) the quantity.

Picking

Then
the inspector needs to do a picking. If we just say “give me 4 cartons from each
pile”, the factory staff will naturally pick them from the top of the piles. I
would do the same if I were in their shoes. However, an inspector needs to get
cartons from each part of the pile.

Let’s
say it frankly: many times this doesn’t happen for the simple reason that the
factory refuses that extra work and the inspector doesn’t want to create a
conflict that early in his job. If that’s important to you (and it should be), I
suggest you do this:

• Get a confirmation
from the supplier about it;

• Request the
inspector to take photos/videos of cartons being picked from the bottom and the
center of carton piles.

Why
is this so important? A malevolent factory manager might have placed all the
defective pieces at the bottom of the piles. And, from my observations, this
tactic will work with most inspectors.

Transportation

After
the picking, the inspector has to supervise the transportation of those
carefully picked samples to the place of inspection (often located away from the
packing department… don’t ask me why).

A
common frustration is having to wait for the lift to be available. It takes
sometimes 30 min if there is an urgent shipment out or delivery in!

(If
the inspector goes back to the inspector room, the factory staff might open the
selected cartons and replace their contents with high-quality samples… Not a
risk worth taking.)

Obviously
it makes sense to start checking the outer cartons during that time, but that
has to be done in poor conditions. If the inspector works on a mobile app, he
has easy access to specifications. If he needs to get his laptop for that, no
luck…

In
the inspection room

There
might be many people in the inspection room, talking and calling the inspector’s
attention. Not great for productivity. Or, worse, there might be nobody to help
unpack the goods!

Picking
(again)

And
then, once the selected cartons are in the inspection room, the sampling job is
not finished. Here is an example:

• 125 pcs to pick from
12 cartons

• 1 carton contains 20
pcs

• 9-10 pcs are to be
picked from each carton

The
inspector should ensure the samples are picked from the top and the bottom of
the cartons.

Again,
a savvy manufacturer might have placed all the defective pieces at the bottom of
cartons. Maybe I am paranoid, but I am sure it happens from time to time. It is
such an obvious loophole, there is no excuse for not preventing it.

Most
inspectors are in a hurry to get to “real work”, sit down, and ask the factory
staff for help unpacking the goods. From a distance, they don’t keep an eye on
the factory’s picking process. Only the samples from the top get picked.
Mistake.

Double
sampling work (in some cases)

If
less than 80% (or whatever was required) was ready & packed when the
inspector arrived, the factory often finishes packing later in the day. They
often ask the inspector to do a second sampling.

Here
is an example:

• Total quantity:
10,000 pcs

• Requirement: 80%
packed

• Quantity packed when
inspector arrives: 6,000 pcs (60%, not 80%, of the total)

• At that time,
inspector picks samples from those 60% only and starts his inspection

• 3 hours later, all
remaining 4,000 pcs are also packed, and they are not mixed with the first
60%

• Inspector picks more
samples (so that in total he gets to the number he needed to check) from the
40%

• The report mentions
that 100% was packed

In
theory it should not happen, but it is often tolerated. When one thinks about
it, it does make some sense.

Rather
than rushing to finish the job, it is better if packing operators focus on doing
a good job (and creating fewer quality issues). Obviously, the cartons that were
part of the first sampling should be placed aside and not included again. (This
requires a quick check too.)

Conclusion

Some
clients have asked us to skip the sampling stage with some of their suppliers.
In practice, a certain number of samples are ready for our inspection when we
arrive. We don’t waste time picking cartons and so on.

It
can makes sense if they have worked with the same manufacturer for years and
there is no question about unethical behavior. At one point, when the inspection
budget gets tighter, something has to give. It might make sense to save time
here rather than skipping some lots. That’s a business decision and I respect
it.

In
98% of cases, though, the sampling phase should be given sufficient time and
attention. It is really, really important.

Want
to learn more sourcing best practices?

Join the Global Sources Summit that combines conferences and
networking, co-located with our Hong Kong trade shows. The event will be held
April 17-19, 2017, and is geared toward online and Amazon
sellers.

Renaud
Anjoran has been managing his quality assurance agency (Sofeast Ltd) since 2006.
In addition, a passion for improving the way people work has pushed him to
launch a consultancy to improve factories and a web application to manage the
purchasing process. He writes advice for importers on qualityinspection.org.

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