Pre-shipment inspection

Five common problems and solutions when conducting a pre-shipment inspection

Are you worried that you will encounter difficulties in conducting a pre-shipment inspection? Learn about these five common problems and how to avoid them to successfully complete your product inspection.

Are you concerned that your product may not be properly inspected before shipment?

Your concerns are not uncommon.

Large companies want to ensure that products are inspected to their standards to minimize risks and returns and maintain a flawless brand image.

In this article, we’ll take a look at five common problems with pre-shipment inspections and how to avoid them.

What is pre-shipment inspection?

Pre-shipment inspection (also known as pre-packing inspection) refers to randomly selecting samples of goods from each batch of the order for systematic inspection. This inspection is performed after production is at least 80% complete.

This means that before the product is finished and packaged, this is the company's last chance to take corrective action.

Therefore, you must ensure that the inspection company you hire can do the job properly.

What are the top five common questions when conducting a pre-packing inspection?

1. Conflict of interest of inspection agency

The effectiveness of product inspection depends on the company undertaking the inspection. If the company performing the pre-shipment inspection only serves its own interests and is not entirely focused on the interests of your company, the inspection results will definitely be unreliable.

2. Unclear expectations.

One of your responsibilities as the retainer is to set clear expectations for inspectors. Develop a clear product inspection checklist or inspection strategy that outlines the items that the inspection company needs to inspect.

Provide samples of your products so inspectors know exactly what product standards your company can accept. Each company has its own eligibility criteria. In addition, specifications for each set of products are subject to change. Providing a set of samples clarifies the specific qualification criteria for your company and this product line.

3. Lack of commitment

Enforcing clear expectations and holding others to your company's standards is no easy task. Lack of "commitment" may lead to the discovery of wrong sample sizes during inspection, incorrect product specifications, substandard quality, or even paying for defective products.

4. Lack of responsibility

Who is responsible if something goes wrong with a shipped product? Suppliers will blame the pre-packing inspection company, claiming that they did not find the problem and therefore should be held responsible. Your inspection agent may also not be held liable, leaving you alone at the expense of the potentially costly backlash that ensues.

5. The idea of ​​“good enough”

In developing countries such as China and India, inspection companies may have self-righteous and "good enough" ideas and benefit from product inspection standards that do not meet expectations. Such standards may be good enough for other companies. , but it does not meet your company's requirements.

Why do large companies need pre-shipment inspection?

Avoiding these common issues during pre-package inspection can mean the difference between a bottom line in profitability or paying a high price for problems that were not reported before shipment.

Pre-shipment inspection is an opportunity to correct errors before your product is completed and packaged for shipment.

This ensures:

• Order completed before shipment
• Conduct product inspections on product quality during production to avoid paying for defective products
• The production company has complied with your company standards

These guarantees reduce costly risks during the import process, reduce the number of returns, and maintain a flawless brand image.

Recommendations for the above common pre-shipment inspection issues

Since pre-shipment inspection is a critical step in the quality assurance process, you should hire a company you can trust. Please choose your product inspection company based on the following suggestions:

Tip 1: Choose a company that provides ongoing training. Trustworthy inspection companies will provide continuous training to inspection personnel. This helps ensure they are aware of the latest standards.

Suggestion 2: Choose inspection personnel who safeguard the interests of your company. The product inspection company you hire must be 100% committed to working on behalf of your company's interests. If there are any signs of pursuing self-interest, it is recommended that you look for another inspection company.

Tip 3: Choose a company that is committed to adhering to your standards. Products must be inspected according to your company's standards. The pre-shipment inspection company you seek out must be committed to adhering to your quality standards and those of your destination market.

Tip 4: Hire a company that provides comprehensive inspection services. The company you choose should have the experience to provide comprehensive product inspection services, inspecting multiple aspects of your product.

How ACL can help

Hiring a trusted third-party inspection company to conduct pre-shipment inspections of products imported into Thailand can have a significant impact on your company's profitability and brand image.

ACL is an independent, third-party quality company that can work on your behalf.

We can represent your company's interests in the supply chain and provide independent pre-package inspection services for your products.

As a comprehensive pre-shipment inspection service provider, we cover criteria such as product functionality, performance, durability, overall appearance and dimensions.

Our inspectors can arrive at the site within 48 hours and submit the inspection report on the same day.