Product Inspection

Our services include initial supplier audits, continuous surveillance, advising on regulatory requirements as well as a wide range of safety, quality, performance and chemical tests. Our experts can guide you on which general requirements apply to your products and any special requirements in the countries where you will be marketing them.

DEKRA is present worldwide, so you can do business with an office in your area. We are also located close to your suppliers, so we can undertake the audits, tests and inspections more quickly. Our test facilities are situated in the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Italy, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea and Japan. Most of our inspection facilities are located in Greater China. DEKRA’s solutions for retail help you build a transparent, trusting relationship with your suppliers abroad and protect your brand, because the products you market are reliable.

We inspect (production of) amongst others:

• Large and small household appliances
• Multimedia and IT
• Telecom
• Garden and power tools
• DIY: electrical fitting, socket outlet, smart home, etc.
• Lighting: indoor & outdoor, lamps, bulbs, seasonal lighting, etc.)
• Batteries
• (Electrical) toys
• Health & Wellness
• Decorative Items
• Car accessories
• Sports equipment
• Luggage
• Candles
• Furniture
• Cookware

Products and their components are checked according to the applicable standards and requirements in their constructional aspects.

In-line inspections prevent the delivery of defective products by performing quality checks in the production line or on raw materials. Products are checked according to applicable standards in the constructional aspect, preventing delivery delays and rework.

Monitor the way your products are manufactured while a batch is being produced can help improve the quality of production processes and verify consistent quality. DUPRO is recommended for:

• Shipments of substantial quantities
• Continuous production situations
• When on-time delivery is required
• When initial production inspections have revealed unsatisfactory results

Factory inspections are performed as part of the annual surveillance of factories related to ISO type 5 certification, such KEMA-KEUR, GS, ENEC and other certification schemes. DEKRA also performs factory inspections on behalf of other certification bodies such as MET, QPS, CQC, KTL, etc.

After full type testing, factory locations are inspected in order to ensure that the tested sample can be produced in larger quantities with the same level of safety at specific manufacturing locations. Type testing, annual product re-examinations, factory inspections and regular marketplace surveillance are all part of the service. Going through the certification process successfully qualifies you to display the certification mark on your product. Manufacturers of many top brands worldwide have certified their products.

Do you want to make sure your first batch of products matches your expectations? Initial production checks compare the first batch of products that have been produced with the sample and the specifications. This gives you confidence that the products you are manufacturing or sourcing are of the desired quality.

In a final random inspection (FRI) we inspect finished products just before they are shipped. This verifies whether they have been manufactured according to specifications, assesses whether they meet quality requirements, and checks whether the quantity and the packaging are correct.

A pre-shipment inspection (PSI) is a non-regulatory service that is part of the product certification procedure that is required for specific product categories, such as Christmas lighting, before the KEMA-KEUR or DEKRA GS approval mark can be awarded. Moreover, a PSI minimizes one of the main risks for importers, which occurs at the ‘transfer points’. Has the supplier understood precisely what you wanted? How safe are your agreements? Are you actually getting what you ordered?

Whether you are sourcing products in a far-away region or exporting them yourself, you need to be sure that your products are loaded and shipped correctly. Our loading supervision service checks whether your products are loaded for shipment according to the agreed conditions so that your goods will arrive in optimum condition.

In line with your predefined standards, DEKRA evaluates the quality systems and working conditions in your supplier’s factory. This audit ensures that the manufacturer has the right equipment and facilities to produce an order according to your specifications. This gives you an unbiased understanding of the following aspects of your supplier’s operation:

• Capacity and capabilities
• Facilities & equipment
• Methodology
• Product range
• Major markets & customers
• Manufacturing process
• Quality control system
• Raw material management
• Semi-finished and finished product management
• Working conditions

Products that have certification marks such as QPS, FM and MET need to be inspected periodically. During this inspection, we assess whether the products are still consistent with those products for which the certificate was originally issued. Our periodical inspection services are a logical extension to the preparation and product certification work DEKRA performs for you, enabling you to continue to benefit from our familiar standards of quality and expertise.

Other types of inspection that we can perform include:

• Sample picking
• On-site witness
• Sorting inspection