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Service · QC milestone 2

DUPRO—inspectwhilethere'sstilltimetofixit.

During-Production Inspection (DUPRO) is the mid-cycle QC check that catches quality drift while it can still be corrected. Between the initial production check (day 1-3) and the pre-shipment inspection (day 45+), a lot can drift — supervisors change, workers rotate, tooling wears, raw material batches switch. DUPRO happens at 30-60% completion and verifies the middle of the run against the tech-pack. This is the milestone that separates programs that ship consistent quality from programs that ship one great PO followed by three mediocre ones.

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When

30-60% completion (typically day 20-30)

Cycle

1 manday on-site + 24hr report

Sample size

AQL 2.5 per ISO 2859-1

Fee

$220-380 per PO

Escalation SLA

Critical findings → 2 hours

Repeatable

Multiple DUPROs per PO for large runs

Why the middle of a production run is where quality drifts

Every production run has a quality curve. The first 10% is inspected closely — the factory has your golden sample fresh in mind, the supervisor is engaged, and IPC just verified everything. The last 10% is inspected closely too — PSI is coming, everyone is on their best behaviour. The middle 80% is where reality lives. This is when tooling wears, when raw material batches switch, when weekend shifts hand off to weekday shifts, when a worker who was trained on the SKU rotates to another line.

DUPRO puts an inspector on the factory floor at exactly the moment when supervision typically slackens. The presence of a third-party inspector during that middle 80% is often as valuable as the actual defects found — it maintains the accountability curve and prevents the drift from starting.

The DUPRO checklist — 18 items across 4 categories

In-line quality (6 items)

AQL 2.5 sampling on WIP inventory. Dimensional check against tolerance. Finish quality (colour match, defect count per Pantone reference). Assembly integrity (fasteners tight, joints aligned). Hardware inclusion (all screws, hinges, cable clamps present). Packaging condition (inner boxes not damaged, hangtags aligned).

Process integrity (4 items)

Verifies the SAME process is being used as at IPC — same operators, same machines, same materials batch. Common failure caught: factory swapped to a cheaper raw material batch mid-run without notifying. Weekend / weekday shift comparison — quality parity across shifts.

Line balance (4 items)

Production velocity vs planned lead time (are you on track for ship date?). WIP inventory vs finished inventory ratio. Bottleneck identification. Corrective actions from IPC — has the factory closed them out?

Environment (4 items)

Cleanliness of work area (critical for coated/plated products where dust causes defects). Lighting on QC stations. Temperature and humidity where relevant (wood, ceramic, glass). Worker PPE where required.

When one DUPRO isn't enough

For large POs (5,000+ units) or high-risk programs (first PO with a new supplier, new material, high-value SKU), a single DUPRO at 40% completion isn't enough. We recommend the following escalation:

Small PO (<1,000 units)1 DUPRO at 50% completionOne check is usually sufficient.
Medium PO (1,000-5,000 units)1 DUPRO at 40% completionStandard practice for our full-service engagements.
Large PO (5,000-20,000 units)2 DUPROs at 30% + 60% completionReduces defect propagation window.
Very large PO (20,000+)3+ DUPROs at 25% / 50% / 75%Continuous production monitoring model — see /services/production-monitoring.

Escalation protocol on critical findings

A DUPRO can surface findings that require the buyer's immediate attention. Our escalation protocol prevents 'the report will explain it' delays.

  • Critical defects (safety, compliance, contract-breach) — WhatsApp to buyer team within 2 hours of finding.
  • Major defects (visible quality, deviation from tech-pack) — call within same working day.
  • Minor defects (cosmetic, non-conformance) — captured in written report, delivered within 24 hours.
  • Trend defects (defect rate rising through the run) — flagged even if under AQL threshold, so buyer can decide whether to intervene.
  • Production pause authority — inspector can request pause pending corrective action; requires buyer authorisation before resumption.

Frequently asked

During-ProductionInspection(DUPRO)—commonquestions.

When exactly should DUPRO happen in the production cycle?

At 30-60% completion of bulk production. For a 30-day lead time, that's typically day 10-18. For a 60-day lead time, day 20-35. We coordinate with the factory to time DUPRO for a day when 40% of the WIP inventory is available for inspection.

How is DUPRO different from IPC?

IPC (day 1-3) verifies materials, tooling and first-off pieces. DUPRO (30-60% completion) verifies in-line quality on WIP inventory and catches drift that's crept in since IPC. Both cover different failure modes; both are needed on high-risk POs.

Can DUPRO catch defects that PSI wouldn't catch later?

Yes — DUPRO catches defects while there's still time to correct them cheaply. PSI (day 45+) catches defects on finished goods, when correction means rework, scrap or a delayed shipment. Rule of thumb: every dollar of DUPRO saves 5-15x in avoided rework at PSI stage.

What happens if DUPRO reveals systematic quality issues?

Critical issues are escalated to buyer within 2 hours. Production is paused pending corrective action. Root-cause analysis with factory. Corrective actions verified via re-DUPRO. In extreme cases (repeat systematic failures), we recommend PO cancellation and re-sourcing — we've done this maybe 4-6 times in 23 years.

Is DUPRO required for repeat POs from a proven supplier?

For low-risk repeat POs (same SKU, same supplier, no material changes), DUPRO is optional. For repeat POs with any variable changed — new colourway, new material batch, new sub-supplier — DUPRO is strongly recommended. The cost is low ($220-380) and the defect-avoidance ROI is high.

Can we schedule DUPRO ourselves against factory dates?

Yes — full-service buying-office and sourcing-company clients see the production calendar and can request DUPRO on specific dates. Standalone DUPRO clients typically leave scheduling to us; we coordinate with the factory to time it for the 30-60% window.

Where this fits

Adjacentservices,categoriesandclusters.

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Product categories we cover

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