Sofeast’s quality technician inspects components, semi-finished, and/or finished products during their production run in order to give yourself and your supplier feedback on production quality, and find and solve problems early on.

If you are not 98% sure the production & quality staff in the factory are (1) aware of your quality standard and (2) capable of producing consistently to that standard, a DPI will give them feedback so they can correct if necessary. And you will know about serious issues, and revise your plans, much earlier.

– For visual defects.
– If your specifications are respected on processes, products, labelling, and/or packaging.
– Product-specific checkpoints, including safety and function tests, as advised by our engineers.
– We apply the ISO 2859-1 standard where applicable.

We charge 299 (consumer products) to 345 (technical products) USD per man-day in major areas of China, Vietnam, India, and Bangladesh (and extra travel expenses apply in other places).

Also commonly known as a 'pre-shipment inspection,' Sofeast’s quality technician confirms the quantity and average quality of a production batch before it is shipped out by counting cartons and randomly pulling out samples, and feeds back results to you in order to put you in a position to accept or reject the batch.

If you are afraid of releasing payment and receiving a batch of products you can’t sell or use, you need a ‘last line of defense’ -- that’s the whole purpose of the FRI (Take a deep dive into its benefits in our Final Random Inspection infographic)

It is usually conducted a few days days before the finished order is shipped, giving you time to decide and to request minor rework if needed.

– For visual defects.
– If the order falls within acceptable AQL limits.
– If your specifications are respected on products and labelling and packaging.
– Product-specific checkpoints: Safety and function tests, as advised by our engineers.
– We apply the ISO2859-1 (MIL-STD 105) standard to draw a representative sample for visual check.

We charge 299 (consumer products) to 415 (technical products) USD per man-day in major areas of China, Vietnam, India, and Bangladesh (and extra travel expenses apply in other places).

Sofeast’s quality technician will confirm the quantity and quality of a whole production batch (not based on random sampling) at your supplier’s facility before it is shipped out. It occurs in the factory so if there are issues found they can be put right immediately.

Sometimes a supplier can’t present a batch of products that meets your market’s requirements, for various reasons. The only solution is to send technicians to check the full quantity, piece by piece.

Once production is complete, the FPC generally takes place 2 to 8 days before shipping.

– For visual defects (often targeted at just a few defect types).
– If your specifications are respected on products, labelling, and/or packaging.
– Product-specific checkpoints, as advised by our engineers.

– You should confirm with us if the products are to be checked for only one type of defect (faster), or for many (slower).
– Will the goods all be finished?
– Will the products be packed or not?
– Should the packing be checked?
– What happens to the refused goods?
– Should we re-check the products that are repaired by the factory?

We charge 299 USD per man-day in major areas of China, Bangladesh, India, and Vietnam (and extra travel expenses apply in other places). Depending on the manpower needed and location, a rebate might be considered.

Sofeast’s quality technician confirms the order quantity and the type of packing used, and supervises the loading of your shipment in container(s) or truck(s).

Unscrupulous suppliers might swap the products just before shipment. They might also make mistakes on the quantity declared, or on the way to load the goods. If you can’t afford to take these risks, send a technician at the time of loading.

We send a technician(s) when 100% of a shipment is packed, and a few hours before the goods are loaded.

– We check a few products taken randomly (to detect dishonest behaviors).
– We count the number of pieces to ship (typically, by counting the number of cartons and/or pallets) and check the packing.
– We check the condition of the container(s) and/or the truck(s).
– We supervise the loading activity.

No. A PLS is a complement to an FRI (Final Random Inspection), but it does not replace an FRI. The technician supervising the loading has no authority to stop it if he sees quality issues!

We can usually check 2 containers in 1 man-day if they are loaded between 10:30am and 5:30 pm. This rule of thumb varies with the circumstances.

We charge 299 USD per man-day in major areas of China, Vietnam, India, and Bangladesh (and extra travel expenses apply in other places).

In some cases, a quality inspection takes place via a real-time video feed, without the inspector being there on-site.

It can be a complement to other on-site inspections, in order to provide extra assurance on certain points. The lead time to arrange it is usually shorter, and the price tends to be lower. For example, it is a good intermediary control point between an inspection at the start of production and a final random inspection. And, for those buyers who opt for supplier self inspections, it may be a good way to run “quick checks” without relying entirely on the supplier.

It can be arranged at any time during production. The ‘right timing’ depends on the risks identified for that particular batch and on the other quality control activities to take place.

All the same points as on-site inspections. However, certain points cannot be checked with any degree of accuracy (e.g. color, texture, finishing).

Learn more here.

This inspection starts from 99 USD. Based on the product complexity and keeping your main objective in mind, we will suggest a plan and the corresponding quotation.

This is ideal if you’re in a position where you simply want us to go into your supplier and provide you with a timely overview of what’s going on at any given time, enabling you to understand if changes are required, you face certain risks, and if they’re keeping up their side of the bargain in terms of product development, production quality, and/and delivery times.

This is useful when a supplier might refuse the visit from “third party inspectors” and you need a softer approach.
It is also beneficial if you need a visit that doesn’t center on checking many samples against a checklist. In some cases, checking a smaller number of pieces and collecting other information at the factory is more valuable.

If you want eyes and ears in the factory ASAP so you can see what’s happening, this is the right option. Our inspector goes in, checks on your supplier’s progress and product quality, and quickly provides you with a report on the situation as they see it right then. Furthermore, this visit keeps pressure on your supplier to hit their agreed targets and follow your quality standard, as they’ll be conscious that you are watching.

The point with this activity is to go in and quickly gather the information you need to know that everything is in order. With this in mind, the inspector will typically report back on:
- Production status (if any) - what is the progress on the day of the visit? What are the timelines until shipment?
- New product development status (if any) - what is the progress on the development work? What are the next steps, and the timelines?
- Does the factory have any open issues?
- Any obvious risks facing you?
- Product quality check on some pieces, usually without a documented checklist and without following industry statistics
- Keeping an eye out for issues you are particularly afraid of (shared with us in advance)
- The report includes photos and/or videos of the factory, processes, and products

Unlike quality inspections, the overview visit can be booked to occur at any time you’re working with a supplier. The goal is to give you a quick snapshot of the situation at the time that suits you.

Not exactly, but it complements them, though.
During the overview visit, the inspector casually checks some product’s quality to give you a feel for the supplier’s capability, but it does not replace an actual quality inspection that will provide you with a formal and detailed report. We recommend that you at least perform an FRI before accepting the order and allowing the supplier to ship.

We charge 249 USD per man-day in major areas of China, Vietnam, India, and Bangladesh (and extra travel expenses apply in other places).