A during-production inspection in India should happen when a meaningful share of the order is made but there is still time to correct faults, which for many products means somewhere between a fifth and well over half of the lot. Earlier shows only setup; later is just a pre-shipment inspection under another name.
The textile version is explained in during-production inspection (DUPRO) for textile orders. This article is for any product and is about timing and what to do with the result.
Why do it at all
A final inspection tells you whether the lot is right. It does not give the factory time to fix it. If a lot of ten thousand units fails at the end, the options are rework, scrap or a late shipment. A check during production finds the same fault when only a part of the lot is affected, and the factory can change the setting, the material or the process.
It also reveals things a finished lot hides: the wrong raw material in use, a subcontracted step you did not approve, or a line that cannot keep to the schedule.
Choosing the moment
- Start of production: a first-article or first-lot check, to confirm the set-up matches the approved sample before volume runs. See first article inspection.
- Early run: when the first units are off the line and the process is stable enough to measure.
- Midpoint: once a large part of the order is complete, and with enough time left to rework.
- Before packing: for goods that are hard to open later, such as sealed or welded items.
What the inspector checks
- Materials in use against the approved specification, with batch or lot numbers recorded.
- Finished and part-finished units against the approved sample and defect list.
- Measurements on a sample, recorded as numbers.
- Factory in-process records: does the factory itself check, and what does it record?
- Progress against the schedule, with a written estimate of the ready date.
- Subcontracting: which steps are done off site, and by whom.
A worked scenario
Suppose an order is due in six weeks. At the end of week three, an inspector visits with about 40 per cent made. The sample shows a finish colour drifting from the approved reference on one batch. The factory is told that day, adjusts the process and reworks the affected cartons. At the final inspection the issue is gone. Without the check, the same lot would have arrived at the end of week six with the whole batch affected and no time to correct it.
The rule: the check is only worth booking if the date leaves room to act. If the order is due in ten days, skip to final inspection and loading supervision.
Tell the factory in advance that the visit will happen, but not the exact hour, and ask that production of your order is running on the day. An inspector who arrives to find the line idle has learned something, but not what you needed to know. Agree the sample size and the defect list beforehand, exactly as you would for a final inspection, so a result in week three can be compared directly with the result in week six.
Keep the findings factual. Photos, measurements and carton or batch numbers let the factory reproduce the problem and fix it; adjectives do not.
What to do with the result
Ask for a short written report with photos, within a day. Agree corrective actions and a date. Carry the findings into the final inspection checklist, described in the pre-shipment inspection checklist. A factory that responds quickly is a good sign; one that argues is telling you something too. Record it in a supplier scorecard for next time.
When to skip it
A mid-run check is not always worth the cost. For simple, low-risk goods from a supplier with a long clean record, a final inspection and loading supervision may be enough. It also adds little where production is so short that the lot is finished within a day or two of starting.
The check is most valuable for new suppliers, new products, long production runs, goods with a tight finish or tolerance, and any order where rework is possible only if it is found early. If you are unsure, ask what rework would cost you at the end of the run, and compare it with the cost of looking sooner.
How we work
We agree a production plan with the factory and track it weekly with photos, visit during production, then inspect the finished lot and supervise loading. You decide at each point whether to continue. To see how it applies to your product, book a free sourcing review.