With the rise of globalization all over, imports are no longer new. Every year the importers in the USA import huge sums of goods. In 2018 alone, US goods imports from China reached 539.5 Billion dollars! Huge, right? But with these huge counts of imports comes huge responsibilities and risks too.
Businesses are constantly struggling to stand out and get more market share. One thing that wins battle all the time is product quality.
Just imagine, why would anyone buy a low-quality product that doesn’t stand up to customer expectations, no matter how impressive the cost or marketing campaign is? This makes product quality the ultimate king.
Importers these days face a lot of trouble with goods. For example, sometimes the products called are different from the ones which were ordered. At other times, the quality of the product is not as expected. This turns in huge embarrassments for importers and results in losses.
Additionally, Contrary to local businesses, it is more difficult for importers to return the faulty items, considering the cost and legal formalities involved.
The COVID-19 epidemic has made things even worse recently. Earlier, a lot of importers used to fly directly to China to assure the quality of the goods. But recent virus outbreak in China has made it complicated for importers. It is obvious that no one wants to risk their lives and that is why importers are hesitant to visit the manufacturing facilities.
And that’s where the role of 3rd party inspectors comes in.
But hold your horses. CoronaVirus is not the only reason why an importer should hire a third party inspection company.
Below are the 5 most important reasons an importer should seek the help of third-party inspection firms:
Saves resources
Profit is the ultimate objective of any business out there. To scale up profits, businesses aim to increase revenues and decrease costs, without neglecting quality.
But please tell me, while many importers think they should go to the manufacturing unit directly, isn’t it a sheer waste of time and money? Imagine the cost of travelling along with the time it will require to and fro. Doesn’t seem a wise choice anymore, right?
On the other hand, you can easily hire a 3rd party inspection company for a lot less cost and less time. This is why most big importers rely on inspection companies as they can’t manually check everything on their own, nor do they have time to do so.
Now hiring a third party inspection agency might seem like an additional cost. In the long run, when you compare it to hiring your own inspection team and costs involved due to poor quality control, this definitely makes up for a better choice.
Smoothens the process
3rd party inspectors not only help in quality control, but they can also assist importers in other issues. No doubt imports and exports require a lot of processes. Paperwork, precautions, NOCs, customs, and whatnot. A trusted 3rd party inspector means you don’t need to go through us the hard way. These third-party inspectors work as a one-stop solution for these importers.
These guys can act like someone who liaison with you and manufacturers, and government bodies to ensure a smooth and hassle-free process. On top of it, these services are provided by experts who are aware of market rules and standards, therefore reducing the risk of product rejection.
Expert inspections
Let’s say you visited the unit yourself. But do you have the expertise to check the quality yourself? For example, you ordered a Tee Shirt of 200 GSM and the manufacturer has delivered 150 GSM. Unless you have the right kind of expertise and equipment, it gets very hard to assess the quality.
Obviously, this is not your home country where you can easily source whatever equipment you want. And unless you have huge resources handy, it is worthless to buy them just for inspection. This is where a trained staff from a 3rd party inspection company can help you out. With the right expertise, these guys can save you a lot of pain and hassles.
Better communication
It is very common that many times the manufacturing unit owners are not savvy with English communication and that creates issues in later stages. Though, some of the manufacturers have started hiring bilingual staff. But honestly, would you be able to trust them fully?
Hiring an inspection company in such situations saves this pain as they always have bilingual staff to assist you all the time. These companies have teams which are much more acquainted with the local language and culture forms. Due to this reason, hiring a local inspection team means they will better understand the production process without facing any language barrier.
Risk-free
Hiring a 3rd party vendor makes the whole process risk free. They know the job and have a detailed idea of all ins and out of the product. They adhere to market standards and rules. Once the product goes in the hands of the inspector, he ensures you as an importer get what you are looking for. This helps a lot in avoiding surprises at later stages.
Wrapping it up
Inspection is a crucial part of quality control. It reduces the ultimate cost while enhancing product quality. As mentioned above, hiring a third party inspection company works relatively efficient and makes it a low-cost solution
Hiring a 3rd party inspection company might sound like a daunting task for many. But in reality, it is very easy to hire one. Once hired, a trusted inspection company can save you a lot of resources in the long term.
So what are you waiting for? Hiring a 3rd party inspection company today!
Interesting related article: “What is an Inspection?“