Suppose that as an exporter you have received an huge order from Libya consists of 6,000mtons of refined sunflower oil packed in 1 Lt pet jars.
Assume that your factory can process 150mtons of refined sunflower oil per day in requested package type. You need 40 working days to complete the production of the order.
Continuous production requires day to day quality control checks, as it is possible to see deviations from the product specifications from one batch to another.
The only way to eliminate quality fluctuations under continuous production is to monitor the process daily by a qualified personnel.
In such a situation, importer company has two alternatives, either sending one or two engineers to the exporting company within their organization to follow up the production, or else sign a During Production Inspection (DUPPO) agreement with one of the independent audit companies.
Today I would like to explain the differences between During Production Inspection (DUPRO) and Pre-Shipment Inspection (PSI).
What is During Production Inspection (DUPRO)?
During Production Inspection or During Production Check, abbreviated as (DUPRO), is a type of inspection usually performed to big orders that requires continuous production and conducted by an independent audit company in order to identify any issues early in the manufacturing cycle, giving applicant company the time needed to react and fix identified problems.
During Production Inspection can be initiated as early as 10% of production is complete and can be maintained until last item is packed.
What is a Pre-Shipment Inspection (PSI)?
Pre-Shipment Inspection can be defined as a systematic inspection of sample of goods, which are selected randomly from all batches of the order.
Pre-shipment inspection can be conducted any time before shipment is dispatched from the exporter's factory. Even multiple pre-shipment inspection is possible throughout the production process of the goods.
But one time pre-shipment inspection generally conducted when at least 80% of the production is completed but before the goods are shipped.
What are the differences between Pre-Shipment Inspection (PSI) and During Production Inspection (DUPRO)?
Inspection Time: Timing of the inspection is one of the main differences between pre-shipment inspection and during production inspection.
- Pre-shipment Inspection: Pre-shipment inspection will be held after 80% of production of goods completed, but before goods are either packed or dispatched from the exporter's factory.
- During Production Inspection: During production inspection will be held as early as 10% of production of goods have been completed. This inspection usually requires regular audits in daily basis until the production is completed.
- Pre-shipment Inspection: Pre-shipment inspection's purpose is to determine whether or not the quality of the goods are in conformity with the sales contract. Exporter could only ship the goods, if they pass the pre-shipment inspection.
- During Production Inspection: During production inspection's primary purpose is to identify actual or potential defects so that they can be corrected immediately while goods are still being manufactured.
Order Scale and Production Type: Order scale and production type is one of the key difference between pre-shipment inspection and during production inspection.
- Pre-shipment Inspection: Pre-shipment inspection is suitable for small scale orders which can be shipped via single or multiple containers.
- During Production Inspection: During production inspection is suitable for big orders which requires continuous production and can be shipped via bulk shipments.
