Why Enterprises Need a Network Quality and Compliance Platform

As organizations scale and become enterprises, the issue of managing quality and compliance becomes critical to success. Even modest supply chains have many moving parts and complexities. On the other hand, enterprise supply chains are increasingly complex, comprising multiple vendors, suppliers, factories and locations.

Without a comprehensive approach to managing quality and compliance, enterprises are vulnerable to risks related to non-compliance, customer dissatisfaction, and litigation.

The state of today’s enterprise quality management

More than 60% of the fashion and apparel industry, from small businesses to the biggest household names, still rely on manual supply chain management. The term “manual” covers a range of conventional practices, including:

• Pen-and-paper factory inspections
• Excel spreadsheets 
• Emails, messages, and other disconnected communication channels
• No remote visibility into factory floor operations

These practices have led to a problematic status quo of disconnected data and non-standardized processes. These practices are especially alarming considering the fact that industry defect rates are as high as 8.5% on any given day. Brands and retailers constantly find themselves in a cycle of reactive compliance — putting out fires as they come and hoping for the best, spending far too much money to fix problems, and policing their suppliers, often with inadequate resources. 

Information and communication between stakeholders is often siloed and difficult to access. Even gaining insights from analytics or data requires significant time, money, and effort. Factory workers suffer from audit fatigue, and those extra audits don’t even provide meaningful value to the enterprise.

Enterprises can't afford to take these risks in an era where regulations are increasing, and major disruptions are more frequent. They need a dependable tool that helps them ensure quality and compliance and keep their networks running smoothly.

What is a network quality and compliance platform? 

A network quality and compliance platform is a new breed of supply chain management that ensures consistent quality and regulatory compliance. It replaces all of the drawbacks of manual supply chain management — low visibility, decentralized data and communications, and so on — with real-time monitoring, automation of all routine tasks, and predictive risk management. 

One underlying technology is the cloud, which offloads the burden of data management from the user while aggregating, sorting, and storing data autonomously and securely. A network quality and compliance platform remains as open as possible by utilizing the cloud instead of an in-house legacy system or another walled-off software solution, which gives it far more versatility, flexibility, and value density. 

Machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) feed all historical data into analytics, automatically generating insights that guide decision-making. In this way, a network quality and compliance platform replaces and outperforms a team of analysts, providing objective and trustworthy insights whenever needed while also autonomously predicting potential problems.

Another differentiator is continuous improvement. Whereas conventional quality and compliance systems might receive sporadic updates, a network quality and compliance platform has a dedicated team continuously enhancing the product for the betterment of all users. 

Many network quality and compliance platforms provide a comprehensive set of features, including:

• Automated workflows
• Configurable rules and standards
• Detection and resolution of performance issues
• Proactive network monitoring
• Reporting

With these capabilities, enterprises can quickly identify and rectify problems and keep a close eye on their network for potential threats. 

8 benefits of a network quality and compliance platform for enterprises

With the capabilities described above, here are eight benefits a network quality and compliance platform provides for enterprise organizations:

1. Cost savings

Network platforms are more cost-effective than legacy systems, as organizations do not have to invest in expensive hardware, software licenses, and IT personnel to maintain the system. Furthermore, such platforms automate repetitive tasks and functions, saving money while freeing time for employees to focus on higher value-added activities. Inspectorio Sight, for example, is associated with 70% time savings on quality control activities and 94% improvement in inspection pass rates. 

In addition to these upfront savings, network quality and compliance platforms generate compounding savings by detecting issues before they become costly problems. Armed with a bird’s eye view of your supply chain and the ability to zero in on granular details, you can minimize downtime, reduce multiple risks, and orchestrate and manage your supply chain like never before.

2. Improved efficiency

A network quality and compliance platform roots out and solves inefficiencies by automating processes and creating shared ownership among all stakeholders. Because employees no longer need to manage paperwork or manually enter data, they can focus on higher value-added tasks, such as analyzing and improving the network for better performance. Users of Inspectorio Sight have reported productivity increases of up to 85%. 

Whereas a factory might have been able to conceal poor quality in the past, a network platform makes everyone’s performance visible and verifiable. This way, all parties can improve and hold themselves to higher standards, which irons out inefficiencies at the source. 

For factories with good performance rankings, brands and retailers can empower them to perform self-inspections. The gold standard of efficiency: factories audit their manufacturing lines, and brands and retailers periodically perform a third-party verification to validate their results. 

3. Streamlined communication

Your network quality and compliance platform should also centralize all communication and collaboration between stakeholders, making it easy for everyone involved in the supply chain to access the information they need quickly. No more missed emails, texts, and other disconnected communication channels — all communication is under one roof, the same roof where all related quality and compliance activities take place. 

4. Greater visibility

The top pain point of traditional supply chain management is its lack of visibility. With a network quality and compliance platform, enterprises can gain 100% real-time visibility into what’s happening on the factory floor in any facility across their supply chains. 

Gone are the days of waiting for inspectors to transfer pen-and-paper inspection results to an Excel spreadsheet, then waiting for that spreadsheet to arrive via email, and then manually analyzing the results for insights. You can see the big picture, monitor progress, and measure data in real-time through your network platform's dashboard, giving you unprecedented protection against downtime, quality defects, and compliance violations.

5. Enhanced security

Security is another area where network platforms excel, as they have dedicated security teams that stay ahead of cyberattacks, security breaches, malicious activities, and data loss. Advanced network and compliance platforms detect suspicious activities and alert you to potential threats. 

These platforms are regularly updated with new features, bug fixes, and security patches to ensure top-of-the-line security.

6. Improved compliance

Compliance regulations constantly evolve, and organizations have no choice but to remain current. Network compliance platforms provide a way to stay ahead of an increasingly complex regulatory landscape by keeping track of new changes and implementing the appropriate measures to remain in compliance. Furthermore, they reduce the risk of fines and other penalties, minimizing disruptions and helping businesses focus on growth opportunities.

7. Ease of use

Network quality and compliance platforms are often easy to use, reducing the need for specialized technical expertise and setting the stage for rapid adoption across your production ecosystem. Apps and interfaces are simple and intuitive, making them accessible to all stakeholders regardless of their technical proficiency.

8. Scalability

Whether an enterprise is scaling up or down, network platforms can adapt. Their scalable architecture and fast deployment can be easily integrated into existing systems, allowing enterprises to remain agile and future-proof their operations. Adopting a network platform can also help reduce costs, eliminating the need for additional hardware, software and personnel.

Inspectorio Sight: your modern network quality and compliance platform

Inspectorio Sight is a robust cloud-based network quality and compliance platform that provides total visibility across the production ecosystem. This innovative solution enables all stakeholders to make data-driven decisions while ensuring accountability and compliance with industry standards.

Inspectorio Sight users have seen tremendous savings in labor costs and product defects, with those using self-inspections reporting an average ROI of 221% in the first year of use. Additionally, suppliers save 40% on costs compared to traditional third-party quality audits. 

Inspectorio Sight boosts efficiency by automating routine tasks, helping you to make more data-driven decisions with fewer resources. A leaner and more agile supply chain enables you to respond to problems quickly. And with the capability for verifiable self-inspections, Sight gives you the potential to reward your highest performers while incentivizing others to improve.

Inspectorio Sight centralizes all messaging, inspection data, and reports in one platform, ending fragmented communication and improving stakeholder collaboration.

With Inspectorio Sight, you can gain full visibility into your supply chain through real-time reporting. You can track an auditor’s progress through the assembly process with capabilities like GPS-enabled “Moving Too Fast” alerts and instantly retrieve results as they enter them into the mobile app. Inspectorio Sight records all inspection results from your supply chain, with each data point stored forever, creating unparalleled visibility. 

Inspectorio’s security division employs state-of-the-art technologies and tactics to protect your enterprise’s data from malicious actors.

Inspectorio offers several related yet distinct products. These include Rise, a comprehensive command center for managing compliance. Collaborate with your supply chain partners to drive measurable improvements via sustainability, environmental, and social compliance audits and leverage capabilities such as automated CAPAs, reports, and robust data analytics.

Easy onboarding and implementation are a hallmark of Inspectorio’s solutions. Enterprise customers receive dedicated support 24/7, helping you to get up and running with Inspectorio quickly.  

Finally, Inspectorio is fully scalable, which means it can grow with your business — no matter the size or complexity of your supply chain.

For more information on how Inspectorio can help your enterprise become more profitable and resilient, contact us for a free demo.