XBi

    Services like Quality Control, Engineering and Import & Export (shipping) are integrated into our product range, but these services can also be bought separately. Next to these services we can perform marking research if you want to sell products into China, or a feasibility study.
Quality Control
If you have already your factory source but need Quality Control we can offer you this service to make sure that you get the product, which you ordered from a factory.

Engineering
Engineers in Western Countries are very expensive and sometimes difficult to get. In China the level of engineering is getting higher and higher, because of the competition (20 million graduates every year) and the increasing level of high tech production. We have contact with a lot of factories in different fields, ranging from electronics to metal die-casting. We can assist you in technical design and with the product sampling, which are in the Western world normally very expensive to make.
Import & Export
Even now China has joint the WTO, exporting and importing is still not a straightforward business. There are a lot of hazards to be taken. Export, Shipping and Consolidation
Not all factories have a direct export license but even if they have an export license it's sometimes cheaper to go through an export company because of the tax return, this can reduce the cost of up to 20%. Next to the tax issue there is a lot of paperwork involved and one mistake can mean that your container will be held for inspection, which can cause long delays. For a long time we have been exporting out of China so we know who to talk to get everything smoothly arranged.
We can also arrange for consolidation, if you buy from different factories and want the goods shipped in one container we can arrange for collection and export the good together.
Importation
This is a totally different ballgame. There are import regulations from the central government and from the more and more powerful local governments. Nothing is fixed everything is negotiable. You need good local knowledge to import goods into China. In the past we have already several goods imported successfully.

    Quality Control is a very important part of our operation in China. We offer this service to with all the products bought by us, but we sell this service also separately, please contact us for more information.During every production there will be Quality Control inspectors on site. From the start of the production until the goods are loaded into the container.Especially when the production starts it's very important to make sure that the products are conform the specifications, because as soon as the production is finished and the faults are found it will cause big delays in the delivery.

The following subjects will be discussed:
  Factory Audit
  Environmental concerns
  Start-up Quality Control
  In process Quality Control
  Final Quality Control & Outgoing Quality Assurance
  Quality Control information
  Conclusion
 
Factory Audit
The first step is a factory audit; this is part of the factory selection process. When a factory is found that is suitable for production of certain products, our QC people will perform a factory Audit. They will examine: the equipment, personal, quality systems and the general housekeeping. After this audit we will know what the strong and weak points are of the facility so we can adjust our own QC program accordingly.
 
Environmental concerns
China is increasingly more concerned about pollution and work floor safety. Still nothing compare to Western standards, but in the 1930's, they didn't have a clue either. XBI refuses to buy from factories that ignore work floor safety and highly pollute the environment. Over the years we have seen big improvements on these issues, partly because Western companies demand these improvements. We like to buy products cheap, but if two people lose their hands during production, we not pleased after all.
 
Start-up Quality Control
When the customer approves the samples and specifications, the production can start. There is always a big difference in they way samples are made and the actual production is done, especially when there is a lot of manual labor involved.Samples are made by people with on average a much higher skill level, then the workers in the production line. Very strict QC is crucial in the beginning of every production run.This is also the time to eliminate any misunderstandings. You will be amassed what differences we sometimes find between the samples and the actual production. The salary level, compare to Western standards, is very low; these people are getting paid to work not to think. With big productions we normally do first a pre-production run to eliminate all these problems.
 
In process Quality Control
During the production we monitor the quality, make sure that the production is running as scheduled and that the raw materials are sufficient in supply. Any delay is immediately notified to our office in Guangzhou and forwarded to the customer.Problems will always occur and it's better to know as soon as possible then to be notified at the end of the production that you products will arrive late. Due too our strict QC system, delays are kept to a minimum, but can never be banned totally. So for us an open communication with our customers is crucial. Quality or production problems will come-out sooner or later. It's better to notify the customer immediately, so he can take the necessary action, and incase of quality problems, fixing them here is much cheaper in China then in the country of destination.
 
Final Quality Control & Outgoing Quality Assurance
When the production is finish and packed, we will perform a 2% final random check, to make sure that no faults have slipped through. If required we will sent random production sample to our customers.
 
Quality Control information
Most of the time our customers are thousands of miles away, and don't know what is going on in China. To take that lack of information and fear away we can provide our customers with production information. This information is secure and only accessible by the customer in question on our website. When the customer logs in he can find information about:
  • How many units are made or how far finished, incase of time consuming items like tooling.
  • Interim QC reports
  • Photo's of your products during the production
  • Product specifications
  • Production dates
  • Shipping schedule
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    Conclusion
    All this sounds expensive but is curial for production in China. To save money on quality control can cost you 100 times more at a later date, when the faulty products arrive in your country. Our experience is that Chinese factories are starting to compromise on quality in the end or with repeat orders.They try to save money through the use of cheaper materials, less attention on quality, use of cheaper (less skilled) labor and rushing the
     
    production
    Most of the production workers work only three to five years in a factory, so the staff turnover is high, 20% on average a year. This will cause problems with repeat orders; what was not a problem last time is maybe a problem next time.A long-term relationship with Chinese factories doesn't exist, with every order everything starts all over again. As long as you know and acknowledge these problems you can prepare yourself for this.