Quality Control in India

Quality Control Services in India

As one of Asia’s manufacturing powerhouses, India is a key sourcing partner for brands and retailers worldwide. Whether you are extending your sourcing geography to India for the first time or have been working with local suppliers for a while, an effective quality control program must be at the center of your supply chain strategy. With a strong quality control presence in India’s major production hubs, QIMA is perfectly positioned to help you secure your supply chain and ensure that your products are manufactured to the quality standards of your brand and your destination market.

Product Inspection Services in India

As experts in product inspections in India, you can trust us to help you keep production on track and ensure quality before your products leave the factory. Keeping product quality consistent across multiple factories and sourcing markets is an ever-present challenge of today’s international supply chains. QIMA’s on-site product inspections catch quality defects before the products leave your Indian supplier’s factory, preventing subpar products from entering your supply chain and ensuring that you only pay for the shipments that meet your specifications.

Quality inspectors specialized in your product category can be on-site within 48 hours of your booking. We offer several product inspection services to help you maintain quality throughout the manufacturing process:

• IPC – Initial Production Check
• DUPRO – During Production Inspection
• PSI – Pre-Shipment Inspection
• CLC – Container Loading Check
• PM – Production Monitoring

Supplier Audits in India

Our supplier audits help you ensure your suppliers meet your criteria for quality management, ethical conduct, and environmental protection. With consumers and governments alike demanding that global brands put greater scrutiny on their supply chains, the importance of ethical and sustainable sourcing has never been higher. As with most low-cost sourcing destinations, India’s manufacturing sector still struggles with a number of CSR issues, including human rights, factory safety, and pollution.

A supplier audit is a crucial component of getting visibility into the true state of things in your supply chain and taking actionable steps towards lasting improvement. QIMA supplier audits in India are not a mere formality; we investigate the real situation at your supplier’s factories, develop Corrective Action Plans (CAP), and provide the training necessary for you and your supplier to make improvements together.

Depending on which aspect of your supplier’s business you want to focus on, QIMA offers the following types of supplier audits in India:

• Manufacturing audits
• Ethical audits
• Structural audits
• Environmental audits
• C-TPAT audits

All of our supplier audits in India can be conducted to internationally recognized standards, our own best-in-class protocol, or the requirements of your in-house CSR program.

Lab Testing in India

We provide accredited laboratory testing for textile products in India. With a state-of-the art testing lab in Tiruppur, our team of experts is equipped to help brands and suppliers achieve product compliance through physical and chemical testing.

Why QIMA?

Transparent Pricing

• All-inclusive pricing for product inspections in China
• All-inclusive pricing for supplier audits in China
• Instant online quotes for lab testing in China

Fast Turnaround

• Inspectors and auditors can be on-site within 48 hours
• Same-day inspection reports

Easy and Flexible Scheduling

• Manage orders and inspections online or via mobile app
• Modify or cancel orders up until 4:00PM CST the day before the scheduled inspection

Your Eyes in the Supply Chain!™ - We are an independent, certified and licensed quality control company, working on your side to protect your business interests in the supply chain.

QC Management System - Create your free account, schedule your inspections online, make payments, and receive your detailed inspection report electronically.

Comprehensive Reports - Inspection reports include detailed pictures to let you see what our inspectors see. Audit reports include copies of factory records, management interviews, and images, ensuring a complete profile of your supplier.

Challenges and Specifics of Sourcing from India

The current decade is already seeing promising development for Indian manufacturing, as the country is fast evolving from its traditional role as a textile and apparel hub into a supplier market serving a variety of consumer product categories, including electronics. Our years of experience working with suppliers in India allows us to keep an eye on trends in Indian manufacturing and regulations, helping avoid quality issues and take advantage of a growing sourcing market.

Some issues that a business sourcing from India should keep in mind include:

• Product quality. As is often the case with low-cost manufacturing countries, products made in India can suffer from quality issues, especially in sectors with lower-value outputs (e.g., textiles, promotional products). The ongoing push to innovate manufacturing and keep India competitive on the global arena is good news for overall improved made-in-India quality down the line. However, these transformations don’t happen overnight and product quality can vary greatly supplier to supplier, so consistent QC/QA efforts are instrumental to making sure your orders meet your specifications. QIMA inspections and laboratory testing can help you ensure high-quality, compliant products.
• Environmental impact. With the ever-increasing scrutiny on the environmental impact of businesses and global supply chains, it is important to have a clear idea of your Indian suppliers’ pollution footprint and waste management practices. India’s government understands that eco-conscious manufacturing is a must for remaining a competitive partner to international buyers, and is thus making efforts to facilitate the country’s green transition. This includes initiatives such as promoting higher levels of renewable energy production, implementing more stringent pollution regulations, and improving the assessment of emissions, among other measures. Consequently, businesses that engage in sourcing from India need to equip themselves with the necessary tools, such as environmental audits and regulatory guidance, to effectively measure and mitigate their suppliers' environmental impact.
• Human rights. Critical human rights issues such as child labor, forced labor, abuse and harassment are still present in India’s manufacturing sector, and the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the situation for low-income and vulnerable populations. If you work with Indian suppliers, it is more important than ever to investigate your supply chain for human rights violations and take steps to mitigate them – especially if your business falls in the scope of any supply chain due diligence laws. QIMA’s ethical audits in India help you assess your suppliers’ practices and ensure you’re compliant with all relevant regulations.
• Factory safety. Rapid industrialization, cost concerns, and local climate conditions too often result in factories that are unsafe for worker life and health. Industrial fires and collapses in India still regularly make the headlines, causing the global community to worry that India’s manufacturing expansion may come at the cost of workers’ safety. This makes it especially important to professionally assess the state of structural, fire and electric safety at your suppliers’ facilities, address risks proactively, conduct regular follow-up on remediation efforts, and drive improvement in the long term with safety training for factory staff and management. QIMA manufacturing, structural and ethical audits, and other quality control services in India help you ensure proper safety measures are being taken in your suppliers’ factories.

With India’s importance as a sourcing partner to Western and global brands poised to keep growing, brands sourcing from India can benefit from long-term cooperation with their suppliers. Comprehensive quality control and audit programs, carried out by experienced third-party providers with knowledge of local market and culture, are an important tool for driving sustainable and meaningful improvement in product quality, working conditions and environmental compliance.