Tools & DIY Products Quality Management

HomeTools & DIY Products Quality Management

Why should you entrust API with your DIY Products’ Quality Control?

Because we can supply a broad range of testing solutions in our different lab facilities and perform inspection in the main production location in Asia. Each day, API releases more than 70 DIY product inspections reports.
Because we are endorsed by the key players in the sector: API provides quality control support for the key European DIY distributors when sourcing in Asia.
Because we are constantly building on our capabilities to meet all the market needs: In 2011, we invested in new testing capacities in our lab in France. Our lab in Ningbo is also in the process of receiving electrical products testing accreditation under the CNAS scheme for the IEC 60335-1 standard.

API’s Quality Assurance Solutions for Tool & DIY Product Importers, Brands, and Vendors

Given that tool safety is not covered by a general standard, API can help you to assess the various aspects of overall product quality. In specific terms API can provide with:

Product material evaluation in terms:

Hardness.
Resistance using a corrosion test.
Composition ( chemical analysis ).

A range of testing based on the ISO and BS standard for the different types of tools and DIY equipments. For a more comprehensive list and lead time please follow this link.
Product dimensions.
User safety assessments. For example, the hammer head should be fixed firmly to the handle to avoid any risks when hammering.
Third-party inspections based on in-house procedure.

User tests that evaluate product ergonomics and user friendliness.
Comparative testing between your product and its peers.

Ensuring that your tools are safe and meeting market place standards is of course your main concern. But you must also be sure that the products that you have selected are meet your specifications and are able to the long-term performance for which they have been designed. In terms of safety testing, our laboratories in Hong-Kong and Ningbo can perform most of the electrical and mechanical tests.The Hong-Kong lab can also provide chemical testing as well as corrosion testing.

Audit: Evaluating the Factory from which you are Sourcing Tools & DIY Products

To improve your overall product quality, you will also need to analyze the production process in closer details. API Audit has developed Audit grids to help you understand overall factory capabilities in term of:

Product development
Identification and traceability
Handling of incoming goods
Manufacturing process
Finished products control
Quality assurance

User Testing

“Most people make the mistake of thinking design is what it looks like. People think it’s this veneer – that the designers are handed this box and told, ‘Make it look good!’ That’s not what we think design is. It’s not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.” – Steve Jobs

It goes without saying that those products that deliver the best end user service for its category will always enjoy the most market success. Assessing product performance in a realistic and professional manner is a role that API can play in your overall quality control approach. In our various labs, located near to your production line, we can review product performance based on your internal criteria:

Overall functionality
Handling tests
Durability
Energy consumption
Product performance

These tests can be either performed by experienced technician, or else involved inexperienced or mixed group of users for a superior product evaluation.

A customized protocol will be developed in conjunction with your Quality Assurance department and our teams of electrical or mechanical engineers.

Comparing apples to apples? Our Comparative Testing Approach

To build your brand loyalty, your product needs to deliver the performance for which it was designed and marketed. Selling at a fair price for fair service reinforces customer trust and helps your brand to build its reputation. Comparing your various product lines against the leader’s best performing products will help you to: