Solution

What is an inspection?

An inspection is the verification of product quality to pre-identified quality specifications before, during or after the production process. Prior to the manufacturing process, raw materials can be inspected to identify if the materials themselves meet specifications. During the manufacturing process, products are inspected at the factory to verify that quality requirements and specifications are being met. After production, goods can be inspected prior to loading and unloading to verify that the approved final product is shipped and received according to the buyer’s requirements. Inspections throughout the various stages of production can help both buyer and manufacturers monitor that quality requirements for the product are being met and support on-time delivery of quality products.

What are the key benefits? 

An inspection program can assist your company to:
• Strengthen and protect your brand image and reputation
• Improve performance of suppliers and product quality to minimize product loss, rejects, charge backs and recalls
• Drive continued improvement of quality systems and performance to benefit both the buyer and producer
• Protect sales revenue by helping to prevent late shipments, poor quality, wasted materials or empty shelves

Our Approach

With a comprehensive range of inspection services, we can help you better manage risk from product design to store shelf. And we can provide you with technical support to develop your inspections program in a way that can help to minimize risks and costs. Each different type of inspection we offer has a specific objective and benefit. All work together to monitor the quality of products throughout production and shipping. We can work with you to select and customize a program that best meets your needs.

• Raw Material Incoming: This is an inspection of raw materials prior to production to verify that the quality specifications for materials are being met. Early in the production process, this inspection can help minimize wasted time, material costs and delayed shipment if specifications are not being met.
• Initial Production: With many production processes, much of the production set up is done at the front end to allow the review of product quality requirements before mass production begins. Verifying first run quality requirements can help product consistency and minimize wasted time, scrap product, rework and shipping delays.
• During Production: This inspection validates the initial production process has been maintained and that goods being produced continue to meet quality requirements. In the case of new raw materials, new operators, production lines or specification changes, this service can assess if requirements are being met during production.
• Final Random: This inspection takes place prior to shipment and assesses whether final product meets all quality specifications (i.e., color, workmanship, label, function, fit, packaging of product, etc.) and can be shipped without delay. The objective of this inspection is to identify any quality defects that would prevent shipment of inadequate product.
• Loading/Unloading: This inspection provides witness to the loading and unloading of product to verify that only the inspected and approved final product is shipped and received according to the buyers' requirements.
• Sample Collection: Product samples are selected at a factory (or other sampling location) by an inspector for forwarding to a client or to a laboratory for testing. Sample Collection may be performed as part of a product inspection or as a separate service.

Why Choose Bureau Veritas?

Experience & Efficiency
We have partnered with the world’s leading retailers and their vendors to implement inspection services. This allows us to offer a “best practices” program saving you time and money.

Global Resources
With locations around the world, we can assess and monitor your suppliers in a variety of locations.

Integrity & Ethics
Our dedicated integrity team manages a ‘best in class’ program to minimize the risks of corruption and to educate auditors, factories and clients regarding our integrity policies and expectations.

Operational Excellence
With specialized auditor training and standardized global operations, we can deliver high quality and consistent service to you.

FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

At what point during production should an Initial Production and During Production Inspection be conducted?
In general, an Initial Production Inspection takes place when approximately 10-20% of the total order quantity is produced while a During Production Inspection takes place when 40-60% of the order is completed.

What are the top three non-conformances found during the inspection process?
The most frequently found non-conformances for softline, hardline and electrical products are marking and labeling; appearance, and dimension. Other frequent non-conformances include foreign substance, workmanship, packing and bar code.