Sofeast Knowledgebase Blog

What can importers do to avoid after sales quality problems that occur after a product has been shipped and is already on sale? Keep reading to understand what to do to mitigate or avoid these ‘long term quality issues’ in … Continue reading →

I had a good discussion with Bergson Wang, who has worked in the CSR (corporate social responsibility) departments of Adidas and Puma. There is one thing both of us believe: Using social compliance audits does not work if the goal is to … Continue reading →

I see some well-meaning importers who pay to audit factories based on a checklist inspired by the ISO9001 standard. However, I am really questioning the value of a factory audit on a small factory (below 400-600 workers). Here’s why…

Supplier self inspections, rather than sending in external quality inspectors, are becoming increasingly important for today’s buyers. In certain cases, it makes a lot of sense to stop sending employees to check if a supplier has done a good job. … Continue reading →

Understanding the cost of QC inspections in China Some importers get to talk about their project for some time, see where we would help them, and finally (almost as an afterthought) ask: “How much does a quality inspection in China … Continue reading →

I wrote many times that QC inspections before shipment are a good way of keeping quality problems where they belong: In the factory. Quality control inspections are a good tool. But pointing out their limits is important. Misinterpreting their reliability is very easy.