Quality assurance
Cheap isn't cheap if it fails inspection
The costly fallacy in offshore sourcing is that a low unit price is a low cost. Without relentless oversight, the initial saving is erased by defect rates, rework and a missed site date. Quality, in practice, is a document exercise — so here is ours, from how a factory enters our catalog to the agreement you sign before a single purchase order.
Defense in depth
The five-step factory vetting
Factory audit
We walk the production lines in person — capacity, raw materials, working conditions. You never have to board a plane to know the factory behind your quote is real, and is not a trading office with a borrowed showroom.
Certification check
We verify every certificate with the issuing body — ISO, ASTM, EN, FSC — not just the PDF the factory sends. So when your certifier or consultant asks for evidence, the documents in your submittal actually hold up.
Sample verification
Physical samples are tested against the declared specification before a factory enters our catalog — and you approve a control sample before mass production. What lands on your site matches what you signed off, not a lookalike.
Pilot order QC
Pre-shipment inspection at container loading (third-party on request: SGS / Intertek / TÜV), with photos and reports sent to you before the vessel sails. Your balance payment is released against evidence, never against promises.
Ongoing reports & arrivals
From deposit to delivery you receive milestone updates — production started, QC passed, container loaded, vessel ETA — mapped against your site program, so your team always knows what is arriving when. If a factory slips, we flag it early and the vetted backup steps in before your schedule feels it.
Inspection milestones
Three checks, on an AQL basis
Every order is inspected against an Acceptance Quality Limit (AQL) — the maximum defective units a sampled batch may contain before the whole order is rejected. The AQL level and defect classifications are fixed in writing before production, in the Quality Agreement below. Independent third-party inspection (SGS, Intertek, TÜV) can be arranged for any order on request.
DUPRO
During-production inspection
At ~30–40% of the order
Catches systemic errors — wrong material, dimensional drift — early enough to correct without moving the ship date. Verified against the approved golden sample.
PSI
Pre-shipment inspection
100% produced, ≥80% packed
The final quality barrier before the balance payment is authorised. AQL sampling, defect check, pass/fail recommendation.
LOAD
Container-loading supervision
At the moment of loading
Often skipped by inexperienced importers. Verifies exact quantities, secure loading against transit damage, and prevents the fraudulent switching of goods after inspection.
Sign the terms before the PO
Relying on verbal assurances or a generic email is a classic failure point in cross-border trade. A short, binding Quality Agreement — defining specifications, tolerances, AQL levels and the remedy if an inspection fails — settles disputes before they happen. Here is a ready-to-use template you can print, adapt and put in front of any Vietnamese supplier, us included.
Free · print or save as PDF · no email required
Every proposal ships with its QC plan
Send your BOM and the consolidated proposal comes back with the inspection plan and AQL levels attached — before you commit.