One of the important reasons buyers send a third-party inspection and quality control company to inspect their cargo is their ability to provide independent, impartial services with complete integrity. Indeed, this part of the process is important. In fact, the buyer, and especially if he is very busy, must have a high level of confidence in his QC partner.
The international benchmark standard for quality company control inspections is ISO / IEC 17020: 2012, and it requires the following:
6.1.12 All personnel of the inspection body, internal or external, who could influence inspection activities must act impartially.
All the personnel of the third-party QC company must be free from any commercial, financial or other pressure which may affect their judgment. (One reason why QC and Sourcing don't mix) Factories, suppliers and other external people or organizations should / should not be able to influence the results of inspections performed.
In the best inspection companies, all inspectors sign a very strict code of conduct and it is obviously forbidden to receive "bribes" or gifts in the factories they control. Even if this is the case, these inspectors should always be followed very closely to ensure good behavior and ensure impartial results. When there is pressure from a supplier to influence the results of the inspections carried out, you should know that your inspector will directly inform his superiors who will then inform the customer.
To be able to keep quality control inspectors at a high level of expectation, it is important to take action:
Manage them closely; with good follow-up.
Provide good working conditions for inspectors.
Perform "due diligence" when hiring inspectors (both internally and when using a third party).
Keep your inspection team as an integral part of the business and happy to work for you.
Often on-site internal audits and follow-up on the work of inspectors on a daily basis.
Pay attention to special cases and scenarios that can lead to corruption attempted by factories.
If you want to ensure integrity, independence and impartiality, it is important to either extensively train and manage your internal QC team or to work with a reliable third party quality control - inspection company.
When using your own in-house team, be aware that the intimate knowledge of your own staff for the factories they inspect may have a risk that could affect the judgments made in the checks carried out.