If you own a small or medium business, you might know that delivering the products on time and in good condition to your customers plays a crucial role in retaining their loyalty. If you produce the goods in your country and sell them directly, you can easily monitor the product condition, but if you are having them shipped from sourcing countries, such as China, then you might need to conduct inspections.
Importance of Container Loading Inspections
Container loading inspection is done to ensure that your product is not damaged while loading and is delivered as promised to your customers. When you get your products shipped from Chinese sourcing companies, many things are likely to go wrong right from the production to the loading process.
While quality checks can help monitor such issues, you might also need to conduct a container loading inspection to ensure that nothing goes wrong during the loading process. Many times, the supplier might pressurise the company to manufacture and load the goods without proper inspection so that the final payment can be made.
Supplier in China prefers to deliver the goods on time, rather than give thought to the quality of the product. At the end of the day, they wish to wash their hands of the project after receiving the final payment. Here is where such inspections can help you.
So, how can you benefit from such inspections? Some of the benefits are as follows:
- It will ensure that you avoid sending defective or wrong products
- Ensures that your products are packed and shipped as per the conditions stated in your contract
- Ensures that the product has the right labels and shipping markings on them
- It verifies that the correct quantity is loaded into the containers
- It also minimizes the risks of thefts
- It helps you save on time and money by eliminating the damaged products
- It helps improve your brand image amongst your customers due to products being received in perfect condition
Hiring professional inspectors can help ease the task for you. They will not be swayed by the tactics of the suppliers and will thoroughly examine the products that are being loaded. If any goods are damaged they will make a note of this and share the final inspection report with you.
The inspectors will coordinate with your China sourcing company on the entire consignment loading. Some of the checks they will conduct would be:
- Condition of the package
- Random inspection of the products inside the carton
Due to weather conditions or other factors, the outer package can become wet, damp, or in some cases completely damaged. Such products cannot be sold and need to be removed from the container stating the reason as defective.
Inspection companies will send their person in advance to the loading destination. They will then supervise the consignment loading and randomly open some boxes and inspect the product inside.
The weight of each box is also checked to ensure that it is in line with the rules laid out by the regulations. The inspectors also ensure that all the boxes are correctly sealed with seal numbers.
Last, but not least, when you import goods from countries such as China, communication is always a problem. The inspector from container loading inspection companies can act as a mediator and help resolve such communication issues.
Your inspection need not be limited to only the loading process. You can carry out various inspections to ensure that the right product is being imported from your China supplier to your customers without compromising on quality. You can opt for pre-production, during production, or post-production inspections to ensure that there is no issue in the manufacturing of your products.
If you deal in fragile or expensive items, then loading inspection is mandatory here. Fragile products if not packed properly can break or be damaged. You need to have the right container and packaging supplies to load such products.
Steps That Go into Container Inspection
There is a proper protocol that needs to be followed when it comes to container loading inspection. This inspection takes place in warehouses or from the destination where the product is to be loaded. The steps involved in this process include:
- Inspecting the interior and exterior of the package
- Checking the quality of the product
- Verifying the quantity of the products
- Supervising the entire loading process
- Conducting vehicle checks
- Verifying driver documents
- Preparing inspection reports
The initial step is to ensure that the correct products are loaded into the containers. Inspection is carried out to verify if the packages are in pristine condition. Any damage or defect in the packaging will be borne by the supplier.
Even if the packaging is perfect, that does not mean that the contents in the package would be in good condition. Products keep moving from one counter to another and in the process can get damaged.
Similarly, verification of the product quantity is also important. In the case of bulk orders, the supplier might hurriedly load the consignment without verifying the product count with the sales contract.
After verifying the packages and products, the overall loading process also needs to be supervised to check for defects and damages in the products. Inspections are also conducted on vehicles to ensure that they follow the safety protocols.
Driver documents are checked and credentials verified before they are given the green signal to transport the consignment. The final inspection report is then prepared with the findings and shared with you for your assessment.
So, you see container loading inspection proves to play a crucial role when it comes to the quality of your products. You will not want your customers to have a bad image of your business if you continuously supply them with damaged or poorly packed products. Your customers will lose trust in your business and write negative reviews. This can in turn affect the sale of your products.
Conclusion
Incorporating the inspection process in your quality plan can ensure that top-quality products reach your customers. Credible inspection companies will carry out an accurate and thorough assessment of the consignment.
