The Acceptable Quality Level or well known as AQL is an international standard for determining the quality level in any product being inspected. The AQL is defined as a minimum tolerable quality level of a product, which means that any defect above the AQL level will lead to rejection. AQL standard was created to determine whether the manufacturers meet the product’s quality standards or not.
Although AQL is an internationally recognized standard for ensuring product quality, different countries and importers set a different level of acceptable quality for minor, major, and critical defects. As a result, different AQLs are required for various products. Production methods, as well as the other factors, must be considered when adjusting the AQL.
What are the factors that importers should take into account when establishing AQLs for their products? Is it really necessary to establish an appropriate AQL for your production? The answer is, of course, yes! It assists you in checking and maintaining the quality level of your products.
Receiving a perfect product without any defect is a dream of every importer. However, it is hard to do so, especially in the production and manufacturing industries. That is the reason why it is the AQL’s responsibility to keep the number of defective units in each batch under control.
How to set a suitable AQL level?
The variation of the AQL level is caused by many factors. First and most important, as an importer, you must determine your level of tolerance when selecting an appropriate AQL for your production. It is easier to set the AQL once this has been determined and understood. Tolerance levels for products are typically set and determined by the categories of defect, as follows:
3 categories of defect
Quality defects are usually classified into three main categories: minor, major, and critical.
Minor defects
Minor defects are typically small defects that do not influence the product’s function or appearance. In most cases, the customer hardly can notice this defect and they usually tolerate this defect.
Major defects
Major defects are more serious than minor defects. This defect could affect the function, performance, or appearance of a product. When a product doesn’t meet the client’s standards in terms of specification and quality is usually the main reason why a major defect appears.
These defects are noticeable by the customer. And these defects would likely cause a customer to return the product, complain, or request a refund in response.
Critical defects
Critical defects are the most serious of the three defect types. Product with critical defects is completely unusable and/or could cause harm to the user. These defects put businesses at serious risk of product liability issues, lawsuits, and product recall.
It is important to select the correct AQL level for your product. Below are several factors for your consideration to set your AQL level:
The market
The market is the first factor for your consideration to set your AQL level, you need to adjust your AQL based on the market in which your product will be sold. As we stated above, the Acceptance Quality Levels for each product vary from place to place and market to market. If your market is in North America or Europe, the tolerance standards for critical, major, and minor defects are 0%, 2.5%, and 4.0%, respectively. Having a great understanding of this will help you to properly set the AQLs for your products.
The product’s function
Items with high sensitivity such as electronics, drugs, and other edibles and consumables products cannot afford to have a high defect rate. This is because even minor defects from quality standards can result in very serious consequences, such as loss of life. As a result, manufacturers of products with this level of sensitivity must be less tolerant of flaws in their products. As a result, it is not unusual to see this type of product with a defect rate of 1% or less.
Customers’ preferences
Understanding the preferences of your customers will also help you to determine your acceptance quality levels. If you know exactly what your customers want, you will know the standard quality of your product and, as a result, it will adjust the AQL level accordingly.
There are no hard and fast rules for selecting the AQLs level for your products. As an importer, all you need to do is understand your products, the market in which you want to sell them, and your customers. The fact that defective products could cost you more money and time to handle the issue force you to find the greatest solution to at least minimize the issues. Conducting quality control inspection as a preventive action could be your solution to minimize the quality issues.
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