QualityFade is a common production problem, which refers to the phenomenon that the product quality gradually decreases in the production process. This kind of quality decline may be caused by factors such as raw material replacement, process change, accelerated production speed, etc. The final result is that the quality of products continues to decline, while the price remains unchanged or decreases. It is a common issue in low-cost manufacturing countries such asChina, Vietnam, or India.
WhyDoes Quality Fade Happen? There are a few key reasons
1)Pressure to Reduce Costs
Factories operating in a competitive environment feel intense pressure to reduce costs.They might have razor-thin margins, but buyers expect them to keep costs low or even lower their pricing over time. Meanwhile, their material and labor costs steadily climb higher. The original high-quality raw materials are replaced by low-cost and low-quality substitutes, thus reducing the overall quality of products.
Quality starts to fade as they look for ways to reduce costs, and they make design modifications without your knowledge. Process adjustment in the production process may affect the quality stability of products, resulting in quality degradation. Quality fade occurs because they are not working collaboratively with the buyer to make decisions about product changes.
2)Lack of Clear Specifications
As a buyer, you have a responsibility to clearly specify all material and other requirements in a specification sheet or BOM list. And if you do not have a golden sample, the factory may not feel tied to the original production standards.
3)Complacency With Quality Standards
Sometimes, there is a level of complacency on the buyer’s part when it comes to inspections. For example, they’ve specified that an acceptable variance in product measurements is 2.5mm. However, the variance is consistently 3mm, and shipments are accepted every time, despite receiving a FAIL result.
Other times, because the buyer has such a great relationship with the manufacturer and they have a good history of working together, they stop conducting inspections altogether. And with less accountability, there is less pressure on the factory to meet specific standards.
HowCan You Prevent Quality Fade With Your Products?
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It is vital to understand that costs usually go up over time and rarely go down.Importers should understand this and try to have an open and honest dialog with their manufacturers. When costs increase, you should either:
Be willing to pay more for the same product at the same level of quality, or Work collaboratively with the factory and brainstorm low-impact design changes that are acceptable to everyone.
You should make every effort to partner with your factories and help them reduce their costs collaboratively. Before you can begin partnering on design changes, you must be sure you have set clear expectations and are holding them accountable.
This means that you need to set expectations by doing the following:
Maintain a detailed bill of materials (BOM), where applicable, and a detailed specification sheet that you include with each purchase order.
Develop approval samples or material samples at the start of your relationship and keep them for comparison to each product batch.
Create a clear and specific quality plan and inform suppliers that you will conduct quality inspections.
Take the Right Steps to Avoid Quality Fade
Quality fade is a common problem in low-cost manufacturing countries and can cause significant disruption in your supply chain. It can manifest as a major quality issue that appears to come almost out of nowhere. In reality, it’s just the result of a slow and gradual degradation in quality over time. It can occur due to pressure from buyers to keep costs low coupled with a lack of quality control and accountability measures.
1.Invest Wisely in Product Designs: Recognize that costs tend to escalate overtime rather than decrease. Engage in open and honest discussions with your manufacturers to address cost increases. Consider either paying more for the same quality product or collaborating with the factory to brainstorm cost-effective design changes that meet everyone's needs.
2.Maintain Clear Expectations: Set clear expectations and hold your manufacturers accountable. Maintain detailed bill of materials (BOM) and specification sheets for each purchase order. Develop approval samples or material samples at the outset of your relationship to serve as benchmarks for future batches.
3.Conduct Regular Inspections: Communicate a specific quality plan and inform suppliers of your intention to conduct regular quality inspections throughout the production process. Regular inspections help ensure that quality standards are consistently met and allow for timely intervention if deviations occur.
By incorporating these three steps into your quality control process, you can effectively mitigate the risk of quality fade and uphold product integrity throughout your supply chain.
GQCis committed to providing comprehensive quality inspection and evaluationservices to help you avoid quality fade and ensure stable product quality.Visit www.gqc.io for more information or send us an email at info@gqc.io
