As gas prices soar worldwide due to several worldwide factors, consumers will be looking for alternatives to growing gas and electric prices within the EU. One of these alternatives is Electric heaters, with a massive growth in orders. For example, the Global times reported that from “January 2022 to August 2022, the export rate to most of the European countries witnessed double-digit growth, with exports to Italy jumping by 74.48 percent year-on-year. Other countries like Latvia saw the biggest increase, skyrocketing by 254.44 percent” . This shows an extreme jump in sales and interest, which organizations can leverage into their selling strategy to capitalize on this market.
This article aims to describe how quality control inspections are conducted and their benefits.
Types of inspections:
During the supply chain process, several inspections can be conducted. These inspections ensure that each section of an electric heater’s construction is carefully monitored for defects and other potential issues.
Some of these inspections include:
Pre-Production Inspections (PPI)
Pre-production inspections are conducted before production begins to inspect and assess the quality of raw materials and components. Ensuring that there is enough to complete orders and the quality is satisfactory. This can be highly beneficial to electrical heaters due to the technical nature of their construction.
Pre-shipment Inspections
A pre-shipment inspection is performed once goods have been completed, packed, and shipped to the country of choice. This inspection aims to ensure that the goods the manufacturer has prepared are up to the agreed standard set out by the buyer’s purchase order.
A quality control assurance professional will select a random sample of the finished heaters during the inspection, according to the international statistical sampling procedure known as the MIL-STD-105E or ISO2859-1. Once goods have been deemed in line with regulations and international standards, a certificate is issued, and products may be shipped.
During production inspection
During Production Inspection (DPI), otherwise known as DUPRO, is an inspection conducted while production is underway and is especially good for continually producing products. This allows goods to ensure they are up to regulatory standards during the show and that quality is upheld. This information is given about the efficiency of the production line to allow for the optimization of effort and a reduction in costs.
Container inspections
Once goods have begun shipment, container inspections, or Container loading/loading supervision (LS), the purpose of this is to ensure that the products are loaded correctly and safely. Inspections will be brought onto the site to supervise the process and give guidance on the correct procedure. To do this, an inspector will ensure that all items are correctly labeled in line with regulatory specifications.
Principal regulations for electric heaters
Two significant regulations have been put in place for Electric heaters due to them being electrical goods: RoHS and REACH. Although similar, there are specific differences that change how inspections are conducted.
RoHS Compliance for electric heaters
RoHS is the Restriction of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment. This Product-level regulation is based on the European Union’s Directive 2002/95/EC. This regulation aims to ensure that products compliant with this directive do not exceed the allowable amounts of lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls, and polybrominated diphenyl ethers.
The RoHS directive applies to manufacturers, authorized representatives, importers, and distributors of products, including large household appliances, small household appliances, computing and communications equipment and electrical heaters.
What is REACH Compliance for Electric Heaters
The EU brought REACH into force in June 2007, aiming to protect human health and the environment through better and earlier identification of the properties of chemical substances. This is achieved in four processes – registration, evaluation, authorization, and restriction of chemicals. It also promotes alternative methods for the hazard assessment of substances to reduce the number of tests on animals.
REACH ensures companies comply with the regulation and must identify and manage the risks linked to the substances they manufacture and market in the EU. They must demonstrate how the substance can be used safely and communicate the risk management measures to the users.
Electric heater inspection checklist
When getting an inspection completed on electrical heaters, It is essential to understand what should be done to ensure that all faucets are covered when it comes to compliance. Some of these items can be included in an electric heater inspection:
- Carton drop test.
- Hipot test.
- Earth continuity test.
- Power cord pull test.
- Stability test.
- Internal construction review.
- Motor rotation speed measurement.
- Internal construction check.
- Working current check.
- Voltage check.
- Dimension check.
- Product function.
- Performance check.
- Impedance check.
- Product parameter check.
These tests ensure that your electric heaters comply with regulations such as ROHS and REACH. When completing a technical inspection, be sure to ask for the tests mentioned above to ensure all aspects are covered regarding quality assurance.
Why inspections are essential for the safety of electrical heaters?
Inspections can be an essential part of ensuring your products are safe for consumers. Electric heaters have had several issues in recent times regarding house fires due to either faulty electronics or issues with their construction in which. A report from Wirecutter assures that “According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, space heaters are involved in more than a thousand home fires every year.” Thus, ensuring that tests are completed to look for things such as fire resistance and electrical faults, such as earthing tests, can ensure accidents do not occur, which can cause danger to consumers.
Benefits of quality inspection for electric heaters:
Due to the nature of Electrical heating products, quality and safety are a requirement for consumers and regulatory bodies. Inspections ensures that these standards are upheld and assist in protecting the brand image from the negative repercussions of faulty or dangerous products. Implementing a 3rd party inspection/testing to your supply chain process will significantly increase your supply chain effectiveness and speed to market. Without it, goods may fail to reach regulation and be destroyed or sent back, creating significant delays or disrupting your supply chain infrastructure.
About AQM BD
AQM BD has over 25 years of experience as a 3rd party quality assurance organization, serving various industries and clients, including testing and inspection services for electric heaters We pride ourselves in high quality, a smooth process that aims to strengthen and smoothen your organization’s supply chain. With testing facilities worldwide, we can assist in giving robust and insightful reports on the quality of your goods to ensure it complies with regulatory bodies. Contact us today to find out more.
