Quality Control
Quality control (QC) is the process of verifying that a product or service meets a set of defined quality standards. QC is essential for manufacturing, distribution, and service industries to ensure products are reliable, safe, and fit for their intended purpose. QC principles also apply to the logistics of order fulfillment and delivery.
Quality control (QC) management plans generally include a series of tasks or steps in a company’s business processes to identify and address any problems or defects that may affect product or service quality.
Quality control practices can address a company’s specific business standards and meet compliance requirements established by its particular industry standards and regulations. These steps include audits, testing, and inspections that may be performed at different stages of the production process, from raw materials inspection to final product testing to storing, picking, packing and shipping, and may involve the use of specialized equipment, tools, and techniques.
Companies manage QC requirements using a structured quality management system (QMS). The QMS defines the policies, procedures, and processes needed to ensure quality and may include documentation, training, certification, and process control guidelines.
The Importance of Quality Control in Order Fulfillment Operations
In the supply chain realm, quality control standards are essential to successfully building a positive customer experience, a top priority for companies selling and shipping products. The best way to ensure this is to apply quality control standards that ensure compliance and accuracy at each step in the order fulfillment process, from order placement to picking, packing, and shipping.
Blog: The True Cost of NOT Automating Your Warehouse
The Risks of Manual QC Processes
Manually managing order fulfillment quality control processes inherently carries a higher risk of human error, which can lead to higher-than-necessary order error rates, customer dissatisfaction, higher returns, and lost revenue. Human error can occur at any point in the pick, pack, and ship process if manual processes and paper-based work instructions are used.
Warehouse Automation Technologies to Reduce QC Risks
Instead, warehouse automation technologies can minimize the quality control risks associated with manual processes. Solutions to consider include:
- Voice Picking Technology. Advanced voice picking systems such as Numina Group’s RDS™ Victory Voice™ Suite combine the convenience of voice-directed instruction, wireless headsets, and hands-free barcode scanners for fast, paperless order picking and task validation.
- Scan-Weigh-Dimension Solutions (SWD). Scan-weigh-dimension systems perform automatic, touchless, real-time audit checks of outbound carton/case shipments to verify that actual weights and dimensions match the expected weights and dimensions. Discrepancies are routing for further QC and correction before the shipment is released for carrier pickup. They can help to reduce errors and discrepancies in the calculation of shipping costs and improve the accuracy and speed of order fulfillment.
- Automated Packing & Shipping. RDS WES–WCS has solved this challenge Pakt™, its all-in-one post-pick, end-of-line pack-and-ship solution that automates and eliminates manual packing and manifesting tasks such as tote-based picking, order packing, keystrokes, hand weighing, & hand applying shipping labels and packing slip documentation.
When implemented as components of an end-to-end automated warehouse system, these technologies help companies maintain their quality control standards, increase order throughput, reduce warehouse labor costs, and achieve higher profitability.
Learn More
The Numina Group is a top-tier designer and independent systems integrator of warehouse automation solutions. Our team has designed and successfully implemented over 1,000 warehouse automation projects in diverse warehouse environments throughout North America. Our work eliminates wasted touches, streamlines current processes, ensures accuracy, and delivers more value to customers.
Getting Started: Warehouse Automation Preparation Checklist
Blog: The Basics of Warehouse Automation
Video Library: Customer Case Studies, Product Demos, Webinars
