QIMA, previously called AsiaInspection, is known for not only making inspection and certifications easier, but also increasing accessibility via a convenient digital platform and strong focus on compliance. Both SMEs and e-commerce businesses have benefited from this increase in affordability and accessibility.
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To understand more about what the company does (and how), Quality Digest conducted an email interview with Pierre-Nicolas Disser, CEO of consumer products at QIMA (Quality Inspection Management).
Disser has more than two decades of experience in global supply chains, helping international brands, retailers, and importers secure and manage their product and supplier compliance. Here, he discusses the company's continued commitment to ensuring that quality stays paramount in the testing, inspection, and certification industry, and how the company addresses the rapidly changing landscape of the industry today.
QD: How do regulations take into account the different goals and functions of various organizations? For instance, how does quality control differ for retailers as opposed to manufacturers?
Pierre-Nicolas Disser: Manufacturers are primarily responsible for ensuring the quality of the products they produce. As such, regulations governing manufacturers may focus on production processes, material sourcing, testing protocols, and compliance with industry standards to ensure product safety and reliability. Retailers, on the other hand, are responsible for ensuring the quality of products they sell to consumers. Regulations for retailers may be more focused on accurate labeling and information disclosure to consumers.
Regulations for manufacturers may involve obtaining certifications, adhering to specific production standards (e.g., ISO standards), conducting regular quality audits, and maintaining comprehensive records of production processes and quality control measures. Retailers, meanwhile, may be subject to regulations related to sanitation practices and consumer protection laws.
Manufacturers often have direct control over their supply chains, allowing them to implement quality control measures at various stages of production: quality and safety of raw materials, components and finished products through supplier qualification processes, quality assurance protocols, and traceability systems. Retailers typically have less control over the supply chain and may rely on suppliers and distributors to provide products that meet quality standards. Regulations for retailers may focus on vetting suppliers, conducting periodic inspections of incoming goods, and implementing quality control measures within their own operations.
Both manufacturers and retailers are responsible for ensuring the safety and quality of products available to consumers. Regulations aimed at protecting consumers may require manufacturers to perform thorough product testing, risk assessments, and recalls when necessary. Retailers may be required to promptly remove defective or unsafe products from shelves, provide clear information to consumers about product risks, and facilitate returns or exchanges.
QD: What are some ways QIMA works to simplify and enhance the efficiency of inspections and audits?
Disser: QIMA uses cutting-edge technology to streamline the inspection and audit process. This includes mobile apps for inspectors and auditors to input data directly into digital reports, online platforms for scheduling and managing inspections, and real-time data analysis tools for clients to track and monitor compliance performance.
QIMA develops customized inspection checklists, audit protocols, and compliance standards based on industry regulations and client specifications.
QD: What are some key signs that a company already has good quality control procedures in place?
Disser: There are many key signs of quality control procedures.
• Whether or not they have implemented a quality management system (people and processes and technology)
• Is a sophisticated product-testing program in place? Do they solely adhere to minimum standards and regulations, or do they go beyond?
• Whether or not they measure important quality KPIs; the exact indicators to track will always depend on their set of suppliers, industry, and the workflow of their business.
However, some common performance metrics should be in place or tracked for companies to evaluate quality and productivity:
• Supplier performance metrics
• Inspection failure rate
• Beyond AQL (acceptable quality limits) percentage
• Overall defect rate, critical/major/minor defect rate
• “Right first time” rate
• On-time order completion rate
• Incidence of specific issues by factory
• Inspector performance metrics
• Average time spent by inspection
• On-time report delivery
• Dispute/claim rate
• Integrity issues
• Headcount per product expertise
QD: What are the top goals at QIMA?
Disser: Top goals include:
• Diversifying and strengthening the industries we serve (food, lifestyle, and consumer products)
• Continue to invest in our tech. Combined with our proven expertise in product quality improvement and compliance management, we provide the best of both worlds (tech and human expertise), which is unique in the industry.
• The movement by businesses to promote sustainability gathers more momentum every year. In this light, QIMA continues to invest and broaden our offering in the ESG space.
QD: What changes or shifts—if any—have you seen in the quality industry over the past few years? What changes do you see coming (or hope to see) in the near future?
Disser: Greater transparency across the supply chain is one change; ESG and due diligence expectations are now reaching deep into global supply chains. This provides new challenges because brands don’t have the visibility beyond their tier-one suppliers, while suppliers aren’t aware of these pressures on their clients and what they mean for them. Consumer demands related to sustainability and other matters are on the rise. These demands cause brands and other industry players to pay an ever-increasing amount of attention to the sustainability and ethical credentials of manufacturers as well as their products.
[We’ve also noted] a complex and fast-changing regulatory landscape: Companies operating globally are faced with more international and national laws, regulations, schemes, and initiatives. QIMA will focus on helping our clients understand and implement their due diligence framework.
Another change has been consumer expectations. Consumer preferences constantly evolve, and product claims that only highlight minimal safety and less-focused sustainability metrics will lose in the long run. So we are constantly finding ways to help our clients keep up with consumer expectations while also running a smooth and efficient supply chain.
In addition, nearshoring/reshoring has evolved. As global supply chains undergo a paradigm shift, businesses are reevaluating and restructuring strategies to ensure resilience, responsiveness, and profitability. Nearshoring and reshoring are no longer mere buzzwords, but pivotal strategies embraced by forward-thinking supply chain leaders, manufacturers, and brands.
QD: What are some ways companies can better prepare for inspections, testing, and audits?
Disser: Advanced planning initiatives are key when it comes to exercising consumer product safety supply chain due diligence. A leading cause for this, now more than ever, is the ongoing increase in nearshoring and relocation of sourcing footprints. While regulatory, industry, and safety lab testing is mandatory for various types of consumer product categories, there’s an industrywide trend in the demand for third-party factory audits and factory-level product inspections. This is due to the need for audits to qualify factories before making and inspecting goods before shipping.
The factorywide capacity, capability, and quality audits ensure that new factories satisfy necessary operational demands. Preshipment inspections minimize the likelihood of customer complaints and returns brought on by substandard aesthetics, function, and performance of goods. While such services are ideal, it’s necessary to maintain a “fiscally responsible” solutions set that’s balanced to manage the cost of quality per unit produced and overall sustainable margins. This is accomplished by focusing on many factors, such as new factories, new product launches, and identifying root causes to implement corrective actions to minimize reoccurring undesirable outcomes.
There’s a lot on the line for individual workers and company managers when it comes to compliance!
QD: What do you think are some of the most common mistakes that lead to unintended negative consequences?
Disser: A leading cause of unintended negative consequences is brought on by a combination of presumption and lack of adequate due diligence. In a perfect world, every factory in a global sourcing footprint is a trusted partner. The question is, how does a factory establish the level of credibility to earn the status of a trusted partner? Like any relationship in life, trust is earned by time-tested actions, not merely words alone. Therefore, unless a factory comes along that’s highly recommended by a credible, trusted source, make no presumptions about the factory’s capabilities.
Instead, partner with trusted, accredited third-party global due diligence solutions and services providers. Such actionable lab testing, factory audits, and product inspections deliverables will substantiate a factory’s credibility over time and help it earn the status of a truly trusted partner.
For more information about QIMA, visit the official website.
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