AQL Defect Classification: 3 Types of Defects in Quality Control

Quality inspections are a key component of any quality management system, as they help… A critical defect is one that could cause injury to the consumer or even — in extreme cases — death. Different companies have different quality standards — a high-end brand might be less tolerant of inaccuracies, while a low-end one is more tolerant. Even within a product, some measurements and attributes need to be more accurate than others. As such, deciding on the most suitable standards for your situation is essential.

An intermediary supplier manufacturing finished goods on behalf of another supplier. The root cause is the origin of a workmanship defect or non-conformity. Identifying the root cause helps to define the appropriate corrective actions. A series of steps carried out in a specific order to produce consumer goods. For example, new designs, products, logos, and packaging which are unique.

Some Tips for Brainstorming Defects

If you already have inspection reports in hand, look for the defects that come back most often. Specifically try to list the 20% of types of defects that represent 80% of the population of defects found. After everybody is well aware of these “common” 20%, you will focus types of defects in quality control on 20% of the other defects that come back most often, etc. I am not inventing anything, this is actually a wide-spread tool for quality management. The following sections below describe five approaches you can use to address unacceptable product defects in a shipment.

The number of units sampled is determined using some rational criterion and is in proportion to the size of sub-lots or sub-batches, or parts or the lot or batch. The sample units from each part of the lot or batch are selected at random. IPQC is the on-line inspection of products during production to confirm product compliance and reduce the risk of substandard quality and works.

It verifies the resistance of the logo and other labels/marks to daily use by applying 3M tape onto them and then removing the tape. If the logo peels off, there is a high risk that the printed information will disappear quickly. If you’ve hired a factory to produce consumer products — especially an overseas factory — you might want to verify product quality before they ship your order. That way, you can get a clear picture of how well-made the goods are before they make their long journey to… If you had a 24-inch monitor with a quarter-inch scratch on the front of the screen, it would likely affect the user’s experience.

Can Defects: Causes, Effects and Prevention

Let’s say your product is a 24-inch computer monitor with a quarter-inch scratch on the back. That small scratch might not be very noticeable and won’t affect a consumer’s experience of using the monitor, but it is still not ideal. Electrical and electronic (E&E) products include consumer electronics, many household appliances, certain toys, power tools and other products that require electricity to function. Hardline products include a broad range of goods typically made of metal, wood or plastic materials. This category includes most furniture, sporting equipment, cookware, building materials and tools.

But before we dive into this, let’s first understand what quality control inspection is. Managing product quality is one of the greatest challenges importers have, especially when dealing with foreign suppliers. No matter how minor or insignificant, product defects are an inevitable consequence of mass manufacturing, simply because no factory is perfect. This article describes five approaches experienced importers use to address unacceptable product defects in a shipment found during a quality control inspection. Instead, it’s best to collaborate with them by brainstorming your own minor, major, and critical defects and then seeking their input.

#3 Critical Defects

All actions required to prepare, execute and report on an inspection or supplier audit service. All aspects of quality that are relevant from a consumer’s point of view and which allow them to assess the quality of a product. Read more about the role of the approval sample during an inspection. Quality reporting is a crucial component of any quality management system, as it helps…

Many importers have a “zero tolerance” policy for critical defects in their orders commensurate with this risk. An item will often fail product inspection if a single critical defect is found within the order. Accepted Quality Level (AQL) is a quality control process where a minimum threshold is set which has to be achieved by a batch of manufactured products.

Normal Inspection

A major defect is one that makes your product unsaleable or likely to be returned by the consumer. Read the following descriptions to decide whether this sleeve length is a minor, major, or critical defect. Well, that depends on how you’ve classified defects for your product. It is also related to risks as human use of products that are risky can lead to the potential harm of the customers. For example, healthcare industry products need to have a low AQL than other products as higher AQL would mean more risks to the health and wellbeing of individuals. The process of taking samples from the production batch to be inspected.

• Their report will typically show you the total number of defects found in comparison to the number of defects allowed based on your tolerances.
• They might give you a poor review and return the item, hurting your brand reputation.
• It is used for high-value products or if there is a history of poor quality.
• The following sections below describe five approaches you can use to address unacceptable product defects in a shipment.
• A product with a major defect departs significantly from the buyer’s product specifications.

Unacceptable lots or batches should only be resubmitted for re-inspection after all units are re-examined or retested, and all defective units are removed or defects corrected. The lot size is the total number of units available for random sampling. Also called an “inspection lot” or “inspection batch,” it is a collection of product units from which a sample is drawn and inspected to determine conformance with the acceptance criteria. In the world of quality management, it is important to be able to accurately identify and classify quality issues in order to effectively address them. However, it can be confusing to understand the differences between various terms used to describe quality issues.

Technology that allows you to manage and monitor quality control actions on your goods easily. In term of operations, it is a tool to ensure the efficient coordination and follow-up of all inspections and audits. In addition, advanced systems facilitate an in-depth analysis of the inspection results to enable benchmarking of suppliers and monitoring of their performance over time. Compliance of manufactured goods to product specifications, acceptable quality limits (AQL’s,) and standards. If you consider a variance between 0.3 and 0.8 cm to be a minor defect, anything over 0.8 becomes a major defect. So, a 0.9 cm variance on a 66 cm measurement would be outside your tolerance range and thus a major defect.

• Third-party inspection companies can inspect your order and report to you the number and types of defects found in the inspected sample size.
• If you already have inspection reports in hand, look for the defects that come back most often.
• Identifying quality defects in your order before shipment is essential to ensuring your goods meet your customers’ expectations.
• IPQC occurs at all stages of the process from raw material to pre-shipment.
• You may be aware that three types of defects — minor, major, and critical — play a role.

A quality management system documents all information related to an organization’s processes and procedures required to control quality. A quality control strategy is an organization’s long-term plan defining what quality control processes they will implement to reach their quality objectives. Surveillance of every stage of the production process to maintain a desired level of quality and meet expected delivery deadlines. Inspection is the process of measuring, examining, testing, or otherwise comparing a unit of product with the requirements. The foundation of sampling inspection is the assurance that a sample selected from a quantity of units represents the quality of that entire lot.

In most cases, the customer wouldn’t even notice a minor defect on a product. And the customer wouldn’t likely return an item due to a minor defect alone. You might say untrimmed threads are a “minor” defect that don’t affect the salability of the product. Or you might consider them a “major” defect if you distribute your product to a high-end retailer with a lower tolerance for quality issues. If 26 products are found to have defects, the entire batch is rejected.

A great way to ensure your supplier has an up-to-date quality checklist is by using supplier compliance software. Customers however want a zero-defect product irrespective of the good’s use which is sometimes hard to meet by the manufacturer. So, a mutual standard of AQL is set so that both parties can remain in a safe and relieved situation. A system put in place which aims to deliver a specific product to the end consumers. It involves sourcing, manufacturing, quality control, and transportation activities. The rejection number is the minimum number of defects or defective units in the sample that will cause rejection of the lot represented by the sample.

Falcony | Audit ticks all the boxes for reporting, investigation management, mobile audits and is easy to customise. Every AQL inspection is run based on a quality inspection checklist, and every checklist is based on a list of potential defects the inspector should check for. You should never rely solely on an inspection services provider to develop these for you.