If you’re like most business owners, you probably put a lot of time and effort into ensuring your products are of the highest quality. But what about your packaging? Is it just as good as your products?
Unfortunately, many business owners don’t think about packaging quality control until it’s too late. As a result, they’ve already shipped their products out to customers by then, with disastrous results.
That’s why it’s so important to include quality control in packaging on your inspection checklist. In this article, we’ll cover some of the most important things to consider when checking the quality of your packaging.
What is Packaging Quality Control?
Packaging quality control is the process of ensuring that your products are properly protected during shipping and storage. This includes everything from the quality of the materials used to building the packaging to how the product is packaged and shipped.
What is a Packaging Quality Control Checklist?
A packaging quality control checklist is a document that contains a list of things to look for when inspecting your packaging quality. This can include anything from the condition of the packaging materials to the way the product is packaged inside the box.
Suppliers, retailers, manufacturers, and packaging companies should use a quality control checklist to ensure that their products are packaged correctly and safely. At the same time, they should also use it to mitigate the potential risks of packaging defects.
7 Things to Consider When Performing Packaging Quality Control Inspection
A checklist will serve as the inspector’s guide when conducting a packaging quality control inspection. It’s important to keep in mind that if an item isn’t on the checklist, the inspector will most likely not check for it. That’s why it’s important to be sure that the checklist reflects with regards to the quality of your packaging.
Here are seven of the most important checklist items to consider when inspecting your packaging quality:
Shipping Marks Should Be Clear and Legible On the Outer Carbon
All handling marks, carton numbers, consignee marks, country of origin marking, and size and weight markings should match the information on the outer surface of the carton. If any of these marks are missing, illegible, or incorrect, it could result in delays, damages, or even a complete shipment loss.
At the same time, illegible shipping marks can lead to many problems. For example, your carton might be unrecognizable, mishandled, or not delivered to the correct location.
Correct Number of Assortment and Units
The number of units per retail carton and the amount of retail cartons per master carton should be accurate with your specifications. Product assortments should also be correct; otherwise, you will encounter potential issues once the shipments reach the retailer.
If the number of units or assortments is incorrect, it can cause many problems. For example, you might end up with too much or too little product at the retailer, leading to overstocks or stock-outs. Inaccurate packaging can also lead to pricing errors and incorrect barcodes.
Package Printing, Content Size, Material, and Color Should All Match Your Sample
You must have a signed sample of your packaging on file to reference it during quality control inspections. This will help ensure that the printing, content size, material, and color all match your approved sample.
If any of these elements don’t match your approved sample, it could result in delays and shipment returns.
There Should Be No Damage to the Carton, Label, or Product
Any damage to the carton, label, or product can result in loss of shipment or shipment returns. That’s why it’s so important to ensure that there is no damage to any of these items before they leave your facility.
The package should be sealed completely using all the appropriate methods and materials. In addition, the structural integrity of your cartons needs verification, including sealing, binding, and strapping methods. Always include these items on your checklist. Otherwise, you risk having damaged products that need to be reworked or disposed of.
Perform Carton Drop Testing
Carton drop testing is an important quality control measure, as it helps ensure that your packaging can withstand the rigors of shipping and handling. To conduct this test, a carton is held up at a specific height, determined by how heavy the product is and how it will be shipped.
The carton is then dropped onto a solid surface—such as a concrete floor—from different angles to ensure that the retail packaging quality is not compromised and the product inside does not get damaged.
This test will help you determine if your packaging quality is up to par and whether or not any changes need to be made.
Barcodes and Labeling are Clear, Accurate, and Legible
The Universal Product Code (UPC) label on the carton should be printed clearly and accurately. All other labels on the carton, such as the shipping label, should also be legible and accurate.
This is important because if the barcodes or labels are unreadable, it could result in delays, errors, and lost profit. In addition, the UPC should scan correctly to avoid any potential issues at the retailer. Finally, the barcode should be crease-free and shouldn’t be too close to the edge of the sticker.
Pallet Packaging Matches with Specifications
Finally, if you’re shipping with pallets, make sure you have pallet specifications. The pallets should be checked to ensure they match your specifications. The importance of this quality control measure cannot be overstated, as it helps ensure that your products are safely and securely shipped. If the pallets don’t match your specifications, it could potentially compromise your packaging quality.
Why Use DataMyte’s QPS & Digital Clipboard
If you’re looking for quality control software that can help you with all of these packaging quality control checks, look no further than DataMyte’s QPS and Digital Clipboard. These tools are excellent at ensuring quality control and will help you avoid any potential packaging quality issues.
QPS
The DataMyte Quality Planning Studio is a single, integrated FMEA software tool that helps plan, document, and monitors core quality requirements. It offers an efficient and user-friendly interface that helps users plan and analyzes quality requirements, identify risks, and track actions.
Digital Clipboard
The DataMyte Digital Clipboard is a workflow automation software that helps users create, collect, manage, and analyze data. It offers a variety of features that will greatly help you with your quality control inspections. One notable feature is the checklist builder, which lets you create, edit, and share comprehensive packaging quality control checklists.
Another great feature is the data capture, which allows you to collect quality data quickly and easily. You can also use the software to create quality reports, which will help you track and trend quality data over time.
At DATAMYTE, we’ve got the solution to your quality management needs. Visit our website now to learn more about our awesome tools and services.
Conclusion
By following these quality control measures, you can help ensure that your products are safely and securely shipped to their destination. Guarantee quality from raw materials to distribution using a digital packaging quality control checklist from DATAMYTE! This will help save you time and money in the long run.
