Smart processes are redefining on-site inspections

Innovations such as mobile communications, predictive algorithms and machine learning have arrived in the multi-billion-dollar quality inspection and supplier compliance industry.
The impact will be transformational for the industry, which has been slow to adopt new technology. Companies (clients) that use inspection and supplier compliance services to inspect and evaluate suppliers’ production lines will benefit as well.

Eliminating slow and error-prone manual inspection processes—and replacing them with real-time reporting based on mobile platforms—will improve the efficiency of industry by an order of magnitude. But even more interesting from a client company perspective is the potential for analyzing remote manufacturing operations and their impact on the efficiency of global supply chains.

Outdated practices

Traditional on-site supplier inspections are mired in outdated practices and limited analytical capabilities.

Client companies long ago outsourced inspection and supplier compliance, and today have limited or no access to the factory inspection process. This lack of transparency and accountability makes it very difficult to manage the quality of inspection services, making them prone to error and potential corruption. For instance, there is no guarantee that an on-site inspector working independently will sample products correctly or pay attention to problem areas that the client company has flagged.

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