Test the new product side by side with the one you use today, in your own process and under your own conditions. Set pass limits before you start, then confirm the result with a production-scale trial.
A certificate of analysis tells you a product is what it claims to be. It does not tell you the product will work for you. Performance testing answers that second question.
Set up a fair comparison
- Use your current product as the control in every test run.
- Use your own raw materials, such as your fabric, cement, water or substrate.
- Match the dose on an active-content basis, not just a drum-to-drum basis.
- Test at your real conditions, including temperature, pH, mixing time and equipment.
- Repeat each test at least twice to separate real differences from test noise.
- Write down the pass limits before the first result comes in.
Choose tests that match the job
The right test depends on what the product does. A wetting agent can be judged by a sinking time test. A dispersant can be judged by particle size or by settling over a fixed time. A concrete admixture can be judged by slump and strength at set ages. An adhesive can be judged by peel or shear strength after curing.
Where a recognised standard exists, use it. ISO, ASTM, EN and AATCC methods make your results easier to repeat and easier to argue in a dispute. Where none exists, write your own method down in enough detail that the supplier can repeat it.
Use independent testing where it counts
For high-value or safety-related products, send samples to an accredited third-party laboratory as well. Ask that the laboratory is accredited for the specific test, not just in general. The founding guide on reading a lab certificate explains what to look for.
Keep a portion of every sample you test, sealed and labelled. If later lots differ, you can compare them with the approved sample.
Record everything in a short test report: sample batch number, date received, method, conditions, results for the control and the candidate, and the pass or fail decision. This report becomes the basis for your purchase specification. It also gives the supplier clear feedback for the next round.
Do not judge a candidate on one good sample. Ask for a second sample from a different production lot. If both pass, the supplier can probably repeat the result.
Move from lab to line
A lab pass is necessary but not enough. Scale changes things such as mixing, heating and dosing equipment. Once the lab result is good, run a trial batch on your production line, as covered in what a trial batch is. Only then fix the specification and place a commercial order.
Next step
We manage sample rounds with shortlisted plants and have samples tested to your method. Book a free sourcing review.