Tightened Inspection
Meaning ~ High-severity attribute sampling protocol triggered by consecutive lot failures to increase buyer protection and pressure suppliers to improve quality.
Defect Class
Meaning
Categorization systems that group product flaws based on their severity. Each defect class determines how a specific issue affects the final outcome of a quality inspection. This ranking ensures that minor cosmetic marks do not cause the same penalty as a mechanical failure.
Severity Gradient
Quality standards like ISO 2859-1 typically divide issues into critical, major, and minor categories. A critical defect class is reserved for hazards that could cause injury or violate a regulation. Issues that reduce the usability of the product without making it dangerous are placed in the major category.
Minor faults include small scratches or variations in color that do not affect the basic function of the item.
Tolerance Threshold
Acceptable quality limits are assigned to each defect class to define the maximum number of errors allowed in a sample. Buyers often set a zero-tolerance policy for critical defects while allowing several minor ones. This approach focuses the attention of the factory on the most dangerous potential failures.
Sampling Sensitivity
The number of units checked by an inspector varies depending on the assigned defect class and the history of the supplier. Frequent failures in a major category often lead to more rigorous testing in the next batch. Persistent problems in any category force a review of the manufacturing process and the training of the workers.