Should inspection happen at the factory or at the forwarder’s warehouse?

Main answer · Wecent Editorial Team

Short answer: Inspect at the factory whenever you can, because that is where fixes are cheapest and fastest, and the goods have not left the supplier’s control. A forwarder’s warehouse check suits consolidated orders from several factories, and can be added as a second look for loading and carton damage. Use factory inspection as the main check.

Factory inspection

Advantages: – Defects can be sorted, reworked or remade on site. – The inspector can see the line, the test equipment and the packing process. – Findings are available before the goods are paid for and shipped. – Everything is in one place, so a re-inspection is easy.

Disadvantages: – The inspector must travel to the factory. – The factory may not have all goods packed at the time.

Forwarder warehouse inspection

Advantages: – Useful when many suppliers send goods to one point. – The goods are close to loading, so you can check cartons and marks right before shipping. – It can catch carton damage and mix-ups from transport to the warehouse.

Disadvantages: – Rework is harder and slower, and the factory is no longer present. – Defects found late may mean air freight or missed sales. – The factory may argue the problem arose in transit.

How to decide

1. If the product is new, expensive or safety-critical, inspect at the factory.
2. If the order is a consolidation from many small suppliers, inspect at the factory where possible and check cartons at the warehouse.
3. If the goods are repeat and stable, a lighter check at the forwarder may be enough.

A two-step approach

Do a pre-shipment inspection at the factory when at least most of the goods are packed. Then ask the forwarder to check the carton count, marks and damage at loading.

What to include in the contract

State the inspection place, the sampling plan, the criteria and who pays for rework and re-inspection. Make payment conditional on a pass.

Cost points to consider

Factory inspection usually costs the inspector’s day rate and travel. Warehouse inspection may cost a little less but rework there is expensive, because goods may have to be unpacked, sorted and repacked. Compare the cost of the inspection with the cost of a failed lot, not just with the cost of the other inspection place.

Where this answer says to confirm with Wecent, the detail is not published on the product page and has to come from the datasheet or the factory. General facts come from the regulators, standards bodies or device makers named in the text.