Low prices may satisfy your customers momentarily, but it’s the quality of the product that will have them returning for more purchases. Whether you are sourcing from abroad or from sunglasses manufacturers in China, similar issues concerning sunglasses quality, shipping delays, costs, and safety persist.
To reduce glasses quality risks and costs in the procurement process, we recommend 7 actions for your consideration.
1. Focus on the Design of the Glasses Products
The manufacture of high-quality glasses products begins long before production or inspection issues arise, and that’s in the design phase. Over 90% of manufacturers and brand owners cannot overemphasize this issue, which depends on a close working relationship with the sunglasses manufacturers.
The design of the product must meet consumer needs and solve consumer problems while avoiding production issues or quality risks. Ask yourself: How can I make my product’s quality better and more consistent? More efficient? To achieve the desired effects, what materials are best used? Which manufacturing processes and inspection steps are essential?
Well-designed sunglasses products are easier to use, effective, and durable. By considering a specific audience when designing a product, you can ensure customer satisfaction remains at a high level. A more satisfying customer experience means a higher repurchase rate, more positive reviews, and more recommendations.
While inspecting products is important, good quality is not added afterward, nor is it implemented by a third party after the product is finished. Before the manufacturing process begins, you need to be very specific about what you want your product to be and make it clear to the sunglasses manufacturer that quality inspection alone is not enough.
“Quality inspection does not improve the quality of glasses, nor can it guarantee the quality of sunglasses. The action of finished product inspection is already too late. Quality, good or bad, already exists in the product, quality needs to be integrated into the manufacturing process.
At the same time, we must abide by the relevant ISO regulations and testing standards for sunglasses.
Therefore, communication and guidance with your partner sunglasses manufacturer is very important for manufacturing quality.
Once you’ve perfectly designed your glasses style and precisely specified your desired sunglasses production method, you can proceed with the manufacturing process. When deciding which manufacturer to use, auditing your factory becomes crucial.
At the same time, in order to help ensure that existing manufacturers provide high-quality products, operate efficiently, and support continuous improvement, process investigations, and factory evaluation audits are needed.
- Capability: Is the person liaising with you professional enough? Can the factory produce your goods according to your timetable?
- Quality: Does the supplier have a reliable quality management system? Audits cover multiple areas, including management evaluation, quality control methods, non-conforming materials, production, corrective measures, and inspection and testing equipment.
- Safety: Does the manufacturer comply with U.S. Customs and Border Protection standards and the FDA?
- Social Responsibility: Are the working conditions good?
- Environment: Does the factory comply with environmental standards?
After selecting a manufacturer, you should continue to periodically audit your factory. This ensures that the quality and service of glasses will not decline over time.
4 . Develop Glasses Product Standards/Specifications
A good plan can only function on its foundations, so comprehensive and detailed sunglasses product specifications are critical for success. What features must the product have to “meet or exceed expectations”? What are the important parameters? Or special requirements? We can plan ahead to prevent these.
This includes the choice of glasses materials for each part of glasses, size requirements, function establishment, special standards for electroplating and color, standard levels for chemical content, etc., as well as clarifying acceptable quality levels and expectations for suppliers.
By controlling quality through product inspection throughout the entire production cycle, purchasing risks and costs can be reduced. Inspections can take place at any point in the production process, at the start (first article), during the process (30%-50% completed), and before shipment (100% produced and at least 80% packed). The idea is to identify, contain, and resolve issues as quickly as possible.
6. Require Sunglasses Manufacturers to Regularly Submit Quality Reports
Thoughtful preparation is crucial, but it’s equally important to regularly check your products to ensure nothing is overlooked.
You can ask the custom sunglasses manufacturers to periodically provide you with quality inspection reports per process, so you can accurately understand what’s happening during the sunglasses manufacturing process. This will enable you to make the best decisions for the future of your products.
Quality inspection reports include: incoming inspection reports of glasses accessories, semi-finished product inspection reports (welding/grinding), quality inspection reports for electroplating and coloring, and finished product inspection reports.
7. Pay Attention to and Support Continuous Improvement in Glasses Manufacturing
The quality of sunglasses manufacturing is a long-term commitment. It requires immediate problem-solving, case follow-up, and the establishment of comprehensive solutions and standard documents.
Continuous improvement and review will bring about the following excellent results:
- A deep understanding of the importance of prevention, pre-production assessment, and manufacturing feasibility review.
- Lower costs due to less rework, which significantly reduces the waste rate.
- Improved cycle times because less time is spent correcting errors and more time is spent on value-added activities.
- Increased productivity due to less time spent on reworking non-conforming products.
- Improved relationships with suppliers (partners).
- Overall improved service from the sunglasses manufacturer.
Please share with us your experiences in ensuring quality throughout the supply chain of sunglasses manufacturing! Alternatively, if you have other questions and/or comments, please feel free to reach out to us.
Thank you.
