100% Product Inspection


As consumer demands increase, manufacturers and packers are faced with the need to constantly improve product consistency and safety while maintaining a competitive price position.

Protect your brand & increase ROI

100% of products? That sounds expensive and time-consuming

Not only do we believe 100% of products should be inspected, customer after customer tells us that 100% inspection at various stages of production has not only saved their line employees time and reduced error, but they also experience reductions in chargebacks, fees, and even lawsuits or expensive recalls.

One of the reasons these manufacturers are so successful is because they inspect throughout their stages of production.  The reason for this is that hazards or non-conforming products can pose a risk at various points, and finding those contaminants or deformities as early in the process can save on rework, product/packaging materials, etc.

For example, many companies choose to inspect during the phases such as the following:

Mixing
During the mixing process because the wet or dusty environment could cause components to break.

Pre-Packaging
As exposed product runs across conveyors before final packaging to avoid wasting packaging costs.

Pre-Shipment
When product boxes are constructed or during the package seal process because incorrectly prepackaged products can lead to spoilage or breakage.

Because A&D Inspection’s automated systems can process items so quickly and reduce human error, manufacturers often achieve ROI on their inspection equipment in a matter of weeks, depending on throughput, while increasing your product inspection rate to 100%.  This reduces your risk and protects your brand from potential recalls.


Benefits of 100% Product Inspection

Product inspection is an integral part of quality control for many manufacturers and businesses. In many sectors it’s also a legal prerequisite, especially where reporting and analysis are crucial to both safety standards and fundamental requirements for high-tech products. Implementing automated inspection can yield numerous advantages for your company including:

  • Error Prevention: Automating product inspection enhances quality control and reporting with the assistance of data capture and auditing reports. Manufacturers can keep records of each inspection, and the risk of human error and mix-ups is significantly reduced, or in many cases, eliminated entirely.
  • Enhanced Speed and Efficiency: While improved product quality is often the primary driver for automation, substantial reductions in cycle times can also be achieved. Eliminating redundant steps optimises processes and increases throughput.
  • Workforce Optimisation: By reducing the need for manual inspection, businesses can re-deploy their staff to focus on other critical thinking and high-value tasks.
  • Data Capture and Analysis: Data capture systems enables real-time monitoring of production trends. Precise, objective inspection data readily available for monitoring facilitates the identification of production standard trends or deviations.
  • Government regulations: Certain agencies mandate that 100% inspections are implemented to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.

Is 100% product inspection expensive?

Not at all, especially given the amount of money it can save you in the immediate and long run. Numerous customers have told us that flagging errors and non-conformance early in the production line has saved their line employees precious time with reworking products, as well as identifying overfills, which can help with the bottom line.

Is 100% product inspection time consuming?

Our A&D inspection systems can process items at a fast rate whilst reducing human error. Manufacturers will often achieve full ROI on their inspection equipment within a matter of months, depending on throughput. Integrating inspection systems into your processes, reduces your risk and protects your brand from potential pitfalls during production.

What is the alternative to the 100% Inspection?

Before the advent of automated inspection systems, many manufacturers relied on sample testing as an alternative approach. Sample testing provides an indication of the overall quality level rather than serving as a safety net to capture all irregularities and contaminants. In this type of sampling, decisions are typically driven by an acceptable quality level, which sets the threshold for the allowable number of defective items. However, sample testing may not be suitable in situations where customers demand zero failures and require a higher level of assurance.

During sample testing, a small portion, usually ranging from 1-10% of the total product, is randomly selected from the production line and manually inspected. This method is labour-intensive as it requires dedicated personnel to perform the inspections.

Additionally, sample testing poses certain risks as it leaves 90-99% of the product line uninspected, thus increasing the likelihood of undetected defects, hazards, or other quality issues that can find their way to retail shelves. Leaving such an opening of uncertainty in quality control can result in customer dissatisfaction, returns, recalls, and hefty fines. It can also cause irreparable damage to your brand and reputation.

While sample testing can be a more resource-efficient approach compared to 100% inspection, its limitations carry risks. The emergence of automated inspection systems has provided a more reliable and efficient alternative, offering a higher level of inspection coverage without sacrificing productivity or compromising quality.

When Should You Conduct Product Inspection on 100% of your products?

This very much depends on the nature of your product and the existing set-up of your operation. A 100% inspection is typically crucial in industries where the failure of a single component can lead to safety risks or product malfunction, such as medical products, pharmaceuticals, or food.

Regulatory compliance plays a significant role with industries such as these, with governing bodies mandating meticulous inspection to prevent subpar items from reaching the market. However, this should not suggest that you should only employ the 100% product inspection if it’s been regulated; by conducting a 100% product inspection, companies can maintain quality standards, mitigate risks, comply with regulations, meet the expectations of customers and industry standards, and safeguard brand reputation.


What about combination systems?

A&D Inspection’s systems can be paired with one another to provide a combination system. This approach often reduces cost because you can typically use one reject device across all machines. 

Furthermore, our machines will communicate with one another, ensuring that the defective product is accounted for as it passes from one system to the next, including being logged in the systems audit trail.  The detailed inspection history allows users to run reports to see how the machines are performing and what defects are in their process.


How is 100% inspection achieved?

To achieve 100% Inspection, many manufacturers can employ a combination of several inspection systems:

AND Inspection

Checkweighers

If product giveaway and fill is your concern, Checkweighing is your solution.

View A&D Checkweighers now
AND Inspection

X-ray Inspection

X-ray inspection is used to check for multiple contaminants, including glass, metal, plastic etc., and can facilitate your quality assurance programs.

Discover X-ray Inspection
AND Inspection

Metal Detectors

In-line Metal Detectors are used to validate that a product is free from metal contaminants.

Learn more about Metal Detectors

Why choose A&D Inspection?

At A&D, our focus is on bridging the gap between the analog and digital realms, recognising the significance of our technology in influencing businesses and brands worldwide. With over 40 years of expertise in technology innovation and the development of precise measurement and control products, A&D Inspection offers quality assurance at critical control points that are tailored to various manufacturing industries.

Our commitment to precision has driven us to take a leading role in delivering innovative solutions all over the world. We pride ourselves on the level of accuracy and reliability in every aspect of our products and services, and our affordable devotion to quality control is something we are more than happy to share with our valued customers.

You can learn more about our 100% Product Inspections here, and check out our vast range of products here. Need to speak to us directly? Feel free to contact A&D here.