Third Party Inspection (TPI) Services by Arotec Inspection Partner
Arotec Inspection Partner GmbH is a third party inspection company with vast and extensive experience in the field of TPI services in different fields with a focus on industrial equipment in Oil & Gas industries. Arotec Inspection Partner GmbH benefits from having more than 100 highly qualified and specialized experts including inspectors, expeditors, auditors, inspection coordinators which can bring third party inspection services to a wide variety of industrial areas in most European countries.
As a partner in the field of third party inspection services, Arotec Inspection Partner GmbH cooperates with the most leading and globally renowned TPI agencies such as TÜV NORD, TÜV Rheinland, TÜV SÜD, SGS, DNV.GL, Lloyd’s Register, APPLUS, Intertek, Bureau Veritas, DEKRA, ABSG Group, GIS, etc. due to our very high quality, efficient and competitive services by ensuring whole aspects and requirements of our customers in every particular inspection, expediting, and audit jobs are covered and providing the clients with very professional and well-details reportings and responding to their queries in the shortest plausible time.
In order to get acquainted with the services we provide in Arotec Inspection Partner GmbH, firstly we have to introduce to you the principles of third party inspection (TPI), then we mention some of our qualities and privileges which make us one of the best and most competent TPI partners, afterwards, we explain why we are very beneficial and advantageous to our client’s, and finally, we supply you with some useful information about different TPI services that we can offer.
What is Third Party Inspection?
Third Party Inspection (TPI) refers to independent inspection services that are provided by inspection agencies with the purpose of certifying compliance of purchased products or services to the requirements of international standard, code and customer technical specifications and requirements before, during and after manufacturing.
In purchasing and procurement projects there are three common types of parties. The sellers and vendors are first parties. The second parties are purchasers or buyers. Third party is an independent inspection company, usually hired by the buyer, to ensure that all the products are up to the needed quality standard and the manufacturing process itself meets the international standards.
First party inspection refers to quality control measures that are made by equipment manufacturers, vendors, or sellers, while second party inspection relates to inspection activities that are carried out by equipment buyers or purchasers. In fact, the first party is the vendor and the second party is the purchaser. Therefore, when it comes to second party inspection, inspection and quality control activities are performed by a purchaser and when first party inspection is indicated, it means that inspection and quality controls are executed by the vendor in its manufacturing shop.
Apart from these two parties, the third party inspection services refers to all those independent inspection activities that are done by a Third Party Inspection Agency (TPIA), particularly Arotec Inspection Partner GmbH, either hired typically by a purchaser (owner or its contractor) or seller.
Characteristics and Privileges of Arotec Inspection Partner as a competent third party inspection company
Choosing the right third party inspection provider is an important step in ensuring thorough quality control in the interest of the end-costumer. Arotec Inspection Partner possesses entire characteristics and requirements of the operation of various types of bodies performing an inspection in form of Third Party Inspection Agency as specified by ISO 1720, based on which, TPIAs must be impartial, independent, and qualified in their inspection activities and inspection reports and outcomes which are offered to interested companies such as traders, sellers, contractors, purchasers, engineering and consulting companies, construction companies, plant owners, etc.
In order to be impartial and independent, which are highly important aspects of third party Inspection activities, Arotec Inspection Partner does not participate or be involved in any design, procurement, purchasing, fabrication, and installation activities. The inspectors who performing third party inspection activities on behalf of Arotec Inspection Partner are unbiased by either side (vendor or buyer) and can thus deliver a verdict that is fair without compromising the interests of either party – while, of course, looking out for the customer and the requirements put forward. In simple words, in Arotec Inspection Partner, we can assure that the decisions of our inspectors will only be influenced by hard facts and both participants of the manufacturing process will be able to get a clear picture of where they stand in the current project.
A third party inspection is critical to delivering quality products on time with decreasing product life cycle and time-to-market. If a product is found to not meet the appropriate quality specifications for the marketplace — either after or late in the production stage — the result can be loss of product and revenue, delayed shipment or wasted materials, and the potential risk of a product recall. Arotec Inspection Partner inspectors and expeditors will ensure to precisely discover and report such issues by taking proper and accurate actions towards finding and tracking down any deviation from the project specifications and client’s requirements.
Some buyers and sellers make the argument that they are the client, and a Third Party Inspection Company is the contractor, so the contractor must fully obey them. But in Arotec Inspection Partner, we believe that based on the third party independent inspection concept, this judgment is not correct and will damage the independence and integrity of the Third Party Inspection Company. If this happens, then nobody can trust the third party inspection company’s inspection and judgment. The procedures under which Arotec Inspection Partner third party inspection services and operations are administered in a nondiscriminatory manner. So, when a buyer or seller makes a contract with us, the judgment will be done independently and not in one party’s interest.
Third party inspection activities are usually performed by ISO 9001- certified companies with relevant experience, trained and specialized teams on several product categories. Arotec Inspection Partner is certified by ISO 9001, which ensures we are of the highest international quality and integrity in inspection activities and our Quality Control System in place, is followed, reviewed and updated to be in line with industrial changes. Being ISO 9001 – certifies also means we have a system to conduct Internal Audits and strive for continuous improvement.
Working with abroad vendors may impose more complexity on the third party inspection process. In Arotec Inspection Partner, we already have an international network and relationships with local and global providers of quality inspection services and have a database of local inspectors that leads to saving the time of having to find them by buyers themselves. When dealing with international manufacturers and vendors, Arotec Inspection Partner as a global third party inspection company, with a worldwide network of inspectors and inspection offices, can serve as the buyer’s single point of reference and vendor inspection capabilities can expedite the process while saving the client money. We can provide buyers with services in their own time zone, linking their local inspectors with vendors resulting in sparing unnecessary time, travel, and lodging expenses for buyers and end-users.
When it comes to efficient vendor inspection, Arotec Inspection Partner with all-in-one support packages can save a lot of time, effort, and hassle. We, as one the best TPI companies, can cover everything from source inspection, product assessment, vendor quality surveillance, compliance reports, and expediting services, all coordinated in agreement with buyers.
How buyers can benefit from third party inspection services of Arotec Inspection Partner?
For any firm in the business, profit is perhaps the key objective. In order to maximize this profit, the business would like to increase its revenue streams and cut down costs as much as possible, without compromising on quality, of course. To the surprise of many, even though hiring a third-party for product inspection may appear to add to the cost of the business, in a wider perspective it actually helps to cut down costs for the business: compared to hiring a personal product inspection team, as well as compared to the possible losses that may arise from no or unreliable product quality control.
Most companies consider third party inspections a well-justified expense. Arotec Inspection Partner performs third party inspection services with strong expertise, working on the ground every day. We provide a neutral opinion on the quality of the goods which allows us to keep a close eye on quality consistency on-site without having to be there. This way, the buyers are fully aware even at distance, of the manufacturing process, and can build a confident relationship with the supplier. Moreover, despite coming at a cost, assigning inspection jobs to Arotec Inspection Partner will end up saving you money by helping avoid expensive errors or employing an in-house QC team.
Arotec Inspection Partner has very stringent rules regarding unnecessary mingling with the production team, as well as receiving even the smallest of favors that might bias the judgment of the staff towards the production team or unit. These laws play a major role in ensuring that only a highly professional environment is maintained in the workplace. In addition to this, the fact that there is constant revolving of inspection staff for a given business prevents unnecessary familiarity and communication of the production team with the inspection staff. This is one of the prime advantages of outsourcing quality control to Arotec Inspection Partner because the same people are unlikely to inspect the products on multiple occasions.
Another advantage of hiring Arotec Inspection Partner as the third party inspection agency is the benefit of having need-based short-term contracts as required by the buyers. We do not need to hire a team that has to be paid and accounted for around the clock, even if the services are required only once or twice a year. Our inspection team offers highly flexible contracts that can be drafted and signed when required, saving the buyer a great deal of money. It also means that our inspection team can be called upon in a relatively short period of time, such as when the buyer lands a new client that requires an urgent product inspection. In such circumstances, hiring a new team or arranging for their travel expenses may be more costly and time-consuming than contacting our company professionals who already have in place a wide network of professional staff situated all around the world.
Perhaps a privilege that is often overlooked is that Arotec Inspection Partner as a third party inspection company is much more acquainted with the local language and cultural norms than would be the team of individuals coming from a foreign country. Many times, buyers import products from a country that does not have the same language as theirs; so even if the top management may be able well-versed in the importer’s language, it is unlikely that the junior production staff would be. For this reason, having a local team of inspectors that we can provide, would mean that they are better able to scrutinize the production process without facing any language barriers or violating any cultural norms.
One more reason that buyers might prefer outsourcing the quality inspection process to Arotec Inspection Partner is that we offer an array of different services not limited to product inspection only, such as supplier evaluations or lab testing. This can act as a great convenience for the buyer/owner for all the reasons mentioned above, as well as the idea of a one-stop-shop that offers solutions to multiple problems that a buyer may face.
On top of that, all the services offered by Arotec Inspection Partner are by highly trained professionals who adhere to given standards and rules so the risk of product rejection in the local market is greatly reduced. Overall, the cost of hiring multiple teams for each function greatly exceeds seeking the help of a third party, so that you can work in a stress-free environment.
Where third party inspection services of Arotec Inspection Partner GmbH are needed?
Some of the activities we typically perform can be customized to the client’s requirements and can be included, but not limited to, below items:
- Working with and surveillance of new vendors and suppliers
- Monitoring and expediting of fabrication, in whole or in part, from start to finish
- Performing and witnessing material tests, technical tests, measurements, evaluations, and controls
- Identification of product quality issues on time and following through corrective actions
- Purchasing premium items: high-end and expensive/sensitive goods, industrial equipment, etc.
In Arotec Inspection Partner GmbH, we apply third party inspection services to all stages of production: before, during, and/or after production:
Initial Production Check — is a pre-production inspection that tells the buyer which kind of raw materials (or components) will be used. Factories are often suspected of lowering their costs by purchasing substandard materials, and this can be disastrous for the buyer (e.g., the wrong kind of chip in an electronic device).
During Production Check (often called “DUPRO” in the industry) — allows the buyer to have an idea of average product quality early in the production cycle. It is the most useful and the most under-rated tool at the disposal of importers, who often only rely on final inspections.
Pre-Shipment Inspection (PSI) — by far the most common type of QC check. It takes place once 100% of shipment quantity is finished and at least 80% is packed, so it can be a real random inspection (this is not exactly the case if the quality is checked earlier). This inspection also helps ensure suppliers are always in compliance with the client’s specifications.
Lastly, a container loading inspection, like the pre-production inspection, is seldom used. But it can be a worthwhile option in some specific cases.