Incoming goods inspection simple explained

The aim of incoming goods inspections is to provide companies with economic security. They are intended to maintain the processes in the company and prevent follow-up costs from arising.

The main task of incoming goods inspection is to ensure that the quantity and quality of the goods or products received correspond to the order.

Typically, all companies whose products have to meet certain quality requirements carry out incoming goods inspections.

Employees from the warehouse or purchasing department, quality inspectors and supplier representatives are usually responsible for carrying out warehouse receiving inspections.

There is no law that prescribes the inspection of incoming goods. However, standards and requirements regulate the guarantee of quality and safety of goods. In order to comply with these, companies usually carry out incoming goods inspections.

These are standards such as

• Product liability laws
• Quality management systems according to ISO 9001
• Industry-specific regulations

1. General information such as supplier name and contact information, purchase order number and invoice number, date and time of receipt of goods.
2. Quantitative comparison of the purchase order and units with the quantity delivered
3. Check the enclosed documents, e.g. delivery bill and invoice
4. Checking the packaging for integrity and conformity
5. Checking the packaging for transport damage
6. Checking quality by means of random samples, tests and certain inspection procedures
7. Recording deviations and defects and escalating them to the responsible department
8. Documenting the checks, results and measures, including for traceability and in the event of queries during quality audits

The process of an incoming goods inspection usually comprises steps in the following order:

1. Preparation
   The inspection is prepared. The necessary information is gathered and tools and equipment are provided.
2. Warehouse receiving
   The goods arrive at the company and are accepted.
3. Inspection
   The accompanying documents and the quantity are checked and it is ensured that there are no defects.
4. Record deviations
   Any defects or deviations in temperature are documented by the deviation management system and escalated if necessary.
5. Documentation
   All steps carried out during the incoming goods inspection are documented.

There is a whole range of methods for incoming goods inspection. The main ones are

Most companies use the 4-step method, which includes the following steps:

1. Visual inspection
2. Document control
3. Quantitative control
4. Qualitative control

Time pressure

Checking goods, especially in large quantities, quickly leads to time bottlenecks.

Complexity

In order to reliably inspect some goods, special knowledge is required that not all inspectors have access to.

Managing suppliers

Working with suppliers can become a challenge if the mutual understanding of quality and performance changes. To avoid problems, close contact with suppliers is recommended.

Defects

During the warehouse receiving inspection, deviations may become apparent and complaints may arise. It is particularly important to document and escalate these reliably.

Incoming goods inspection plays an essential role for companies to maintain the set quality standards. The following tips can help to improve the incoming goods process:

• Use a checklist to work through during incoming goods inspection.
• Digitize warehouse receiving with scanners to reduce manual errors.
• Set times for the delivery of goods so that there is sufficient capacity for processing.
• Define quality standards that inspectors can use as a benchmark for the inspection.
• Check in random samples to save time and still ensure safety.
• Automate incoming goods inspection processes in order to work more efficiently.
• Regularly review and analyze your own incoming goods inspection to identify and implement potential for improvement.

More information on how to optimize your warehouse receiving.

In regulated industries, incoming goods inspection processes are subject to special requirements and standards to ensure the safety, quality and traceability of products. Here are some of the most important features of incoming goods inspection in these industries:

Strict legal and regulatory requirements

• Regulatory authorities such as the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) in the USA or the EMA (European Medicines Agency) in Europe set strict requirements for quality control and traceability.
• Guidelines such as GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) in the pharmaceutical industry or ISO 13485 in the medical device industry stipulate that every product that enters the supply chain must meet high quality standards.

Documentation requirements

• Comprehensive documentation is required to prove compliance with all regulations.
• Batch records, test certificates, certificates of conformity and other quality documents must be carefully checked, archived and linked.
• In the pharmaceutical industry in particular, it is often necessary to check detailed certificates of analysis to ensure that raw materials meet specifications.

Traceability

• In regulated industries, material and supplier data must be traceable back to the source. Each batch must be identifiable and traceable back to the original producer.
• Companies often have to use special identification systems such as barcodes or RFID tags to ensure seamless lot tracking.

Specialized testing methods

• In addition to visual and quantitative checks, specialized testing methods are often used in these industries. These include, for example, chemical analyses, microbiological tests or physical tests to ensure that the materials do not contain any impurities or deviations.
• deviations.
  In the medical device and pharmaceutical industries, particularly high sterility and particle-free requirements must be observed.

Process validation and qualification

• Regulatory authorities often require process validation of the processes and equipment used in incoming goods inspection. This means that all test methods and instruments must be demonstrably reliable and reproducible.
• Suppliers must be regularly audited and qualified to ensure that they comply with regulatory requirements.

Risk analysis and sampling procedures

• Risk analyses play a particularly important role in the pharmaceutical and food industries. A comprehensive risk assessment (e.g. in accordance with the HACCP concept in the food industry) determines which checks must be carried out at warehouse receiving.
• Random checks are carried out taking the risk assessment into account. High-risk products or products from new or unknown sources require more intensive checks.

Temperature and storage conditions

• In certain industries, such as the pharmaceutical industry, it is crucial that products remain within certain temperature limits during transportation and storage in order to maintain their quality.
• temperature limits during transportation and storage to ensure their quality. Temperature protocols or special storage conditions (e.g. cold chains) are often checked.

Training and qualification of personnel

• Staff working in incoming goods inspection must be specially trained and qualified to understand and implement the requirements of the respective industry.
• In regulated industries, training is monitored particularly closely and all employees in quality-related positions are expected to undergo regular further training.

ERP solutions offer numerous functions for digital warehouse receiving. Essentially, this involves

• Automatically creating documents such as delivery bills, acknowledgements of receipt and invoices to save time and reduce sources of error.
• Updating data in real time to keep information on incoming goods up to date and to be able to view stock levels correctly.
• Quality assurance for incoming goods by allowing inspectors to retrieve stored standards from the system and compare them with the goods received.
• Connecting suppliers to automate communication around data exchange and make it more efficient.
• Deviation management to ensure complete documentation in the event of defects and to be able to provide information and be on the safe side in the event of queries and quality audits.

Yaveon 365 is an industry-specific ERP solution based on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, which was developed specifically for the requirements of the process manufacturing industry. The software supports companies in complying with regulatory requirements and optimizing business processes - especially in the areas of batch management, traceability and quality control.

Yaveon 365 offers numerous useful functions for incoming goods inspection:

• Batch management and traceability: tracks every batch from warehouse receiving to delivery, which is essential for quality audits and legal requirements.
• Quality control: Integrated checks can be triggered automatically upon warehouse receiving and the results documented.
• Compliance and auditability: Documents the entire inspection process and facilitates preparation for quality audits through comprehensive traceability and process validation.
• Release workflows: Materials are blocked until quality checks are completed, preventing untested goods from entering the production process.
• Risk-based inspection plans: Automates inspections based on risk assessments and saves resources while meeting regulatory requirements.
• Supplier relationship management: Supports supplier qualification and monitoring by systematically capturing inspection reports and quality data.
• Automated processes: Reduces manual effort by automating inspection processes and real-time data.
• Reporting: Provides integrated dashboards and reports to monitor incoming goods inspection and quality assurance.