How to Avoid Packaging Quality Problems When Ordering from China – Customized packaging ordering from China can result in high-quality packaging at a very low price, as well as dealing with experienced manufacturers. However, quality issues like wrong measurements, inconsistent colors, poor quality of the material, low print quality, and even broken packages may become obstacles to cost-effective business.
But don’t worry! All of the mentioned packaging quality issues when ordering packaging from China can be avoided using appropriate selection of the supplier, specification of the requirements, sampling, and quality control.
So what should you do to make sure you get the right quality of packaging you ordered?
1. Choose the Right China Packaging Supplier
The first step toward avoiding quality issues in packaging is choosing a reliable China packaging supplier. Remember that a low-price quotation is not always enough for a quality supplier. The production capacity, experience, equipment, communication, and quality control system also matter. So before ordering, check the following aspects of the manufacturer:
- Factory experience and production capability
- Past packaging jobs
- Material types and printing methods
- Quality control procedures
- Relevant certifications for your product
- Production capability and lead times
- Customer reviews and references
Ask the manufacturer if they manufacture the packaging themselves or outsource certain parts of the process. Knowledge of the manufacturing process may help decrease any unexpected deviations from quality standards.
2. Provide a Packaging Specification Sheet
One of the main reasons for the poor quality of packaging is not necessarily the manufacturing but the lack of detailed specifications.
Create a comprehensive packaging specification sheet that will include:
- Dimensions – exact length, width, and height
- Materials used – type and thickness of material
- Paper GSM/board grade
- Colors needed
- Any Pantone or color references approved
- Printing method
- Finishes used
- Die-cutting details
- Logo placement
- Any inserts/accessories required
- Folding & assembly requirements
- Requirements for packaging & cartons
Avoid vague requirements such as “premium quality” or “strong cardboard”. Specify measurable requirements instead.
The more detailed the requirement will be, the easier it will be for the factory and your quality control team to identify if the product meets the agreed standards.
3. Always Approve a Pre-Production Sample
Do not assume that a computer-generated mockup will give you an accurate representation of the actual product.
Before moving on to mass production, ask for a pre-production sample. Ideally, this sample should be made with the materials, printing process, and finishes that will be used for the final production. Inspect the sample for:
Dimensions
- Accuracy of colors
- Sharpness of prints
- Quality of material
- Structural strength
- Folding and assembling
- Quality of glue
- Surface finish
- Placement of logo and artwork
And finally, having an approved “golden sample” signed and/or officially approved would allow using it as the physical standard for the batch production. Sample approval before pre-production is widely used as the first major quality control checkpoint in the packaging manufacturing process.
4. Do Not Forget About Quality Control During Manufacturing Process
Checking goods after the production process is too late in case if thousand of boxes have already been manufactured. It could cause you delays and unnecessary costs to fix it.
For large orders, you may consider during-production inspection (DUPRO) and thus will be able to check if there are any defects that can be caused by color differences, wrong dimensions, printing, and/or die-cutting problems.
The China packaging quality control checklist can be as follows:
- Material
- Dimensions and tolerances
- Color
- Printing
- Structure
- Finish
- Adhesion and glue
- Assembling
- Quantity
- Carton packing
- Labels and barcodes
In this way, you can avoid turning small mistake of manufacturing into batch issue.
5. Do Pre-Shipment Inspection
Inspection of the goods before shipment from China is essential, especially in the case of large packaging orders, because when the shipment arrives at your warehouse, it will be very difficult to replace the goods if they fail to match the order.
The final inspection will help you confirm that the packaging meets the required standards and the approved sample.
Professional inspections are based on AQL (Acceptable Quality Level). The advantage of AQL is that it gives you an organized method of sampling sizes and acceptable defect levels. But AQL is a sampling plan and not a way of ensuring all units in the shipment are defect-free. Make sure that your purchase agreement includes critical, major, and minor defects with the acceptance criteria.
6. Include Quality Specifications in the Purchase Agreement
It is difficult to rely on verbal agreements only. You have to put your requirements in writing. The purchase agreement must include the approved sample, materials used, dimensions, tolerance level, finishing, artworks, defect specifications, inspection process, and consequences of failure to pass the inspection.
You should also indicate who pays for corrections and replacement if there is a need.
This makes “I want high-quality packaging” a quantifiable requirement.
7. Ensure Your Artwork and Packaging Design is Protected
Just like manufacturing defects, mistakes with artwork can cause significant problems. It is important to check all the artwork files before starting the production process. This includes checking the spelling, dimensions, bleed, color profile, barcode, and the placement of the artwork.
Request your supplier to provide a digital proof and physical sample for approval before going ahead with mass production.
Good management of the approval process is crucial because it ensures that the manufacturer produces the correct product as per your instructions and not according to their interpretation of your emails or files.
Conclusion
As you can see above, learning how to ensure high packaging quality when you order from China entails planning, communication, and consistent quality control. Selecting the right China packaging manufacturer, approving samples, specifying requirements, and inspecting the production process can go a long way in ensuring quality.
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Looking for ways to enhance packaging quality and make China sourcing easy? Check out Yiruixing Packaging for custom packaging.
FAQs
What are the issues with packaging quality in China?
The most common issues include wrong dimensions, wrong colors, bad printing, wrong materials, poor glue application, torn edges, wrong finishings, and differences between sample and bulk packages.
Do I need to order samples before ordering bulk packaging?
Yes. Samples allow you to inspect materials used, package construction, printing, dimensions, and finishings before manufacturing bulk orders.
How can I test the quality of a China packaging manufacturer?
Inspect the supplier’s experience, production capacity, quality control, portfolio of previous work, certification if any, and willingness to provide samples and quality check documents.
What is AQL in packaging QC?
AQL, or Acceptable Quality Level, is a statistical sampling technique that is used in the process of inspections to establish if the batch of production conforms to predetermined acceptance criteria. It must be established before the inspection.
Is it possible to avoid packaging problems without going to China?
Yes. Specifications, approved samples, verification of the supplier, third-party inspections, inspections during production, and pre-shipment inspections can offer good quality control without your presence on the site.
