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American-made clothing can feel like it is hard to come by sometimes. The apparel industry often will outsource much of its work overseas. Many clothing factories in the USA produce apparel just like everywhere else and are profitable.

What makes made-in-the-USA clothing any different? Clothing manufacturers in the US make apparel using quality control forms. These forms help regulate the standard manufacturing procedure, the quality of the apparel, and the record-keeping of the entire process.

Strong Workflow

There are many steps to apparel manufacturing and there are just as many forms to control its quality. Typically, there are around 20 different forms that keep track of the whole procedure. These forms track the purchases, processing, delivery, and inventory for an apparel factory.

Many of these forms function in addition to other forms. You must complete an intake form before you can complete a cutting order. Quality control forms help build structure within the clothing manufacturer. It makes it so that no process is skipped. These forms don’t just create a paper trail; they also make the trail for the manufacturers to follow.

Consistent Product

Quality control forms help apparel industry leaders track the entire manufacturing process. It ensures that the product arrives on time and in one piece. It also helps target specific areas of growth for the apparel company.

Consider that a form shows that clothing arrives late to the next part of the process. You might review the prior step to find the source of the delay. If their quality control form shows they completed their work on time, then you could focus on the delivery. In the worst case, quality control forms help a company target the areas that need improvement. In the best case, quality control forms show how well a factory is running. In either case, it would be impossible to make accurate claims about a factory’s performance without regular quality control forms. It’s the strongest tool that the apparel industry can use to monitor consistency.

Knowing what area is under- or overperforming is critical if you want to develop your manufacturing process. Rewarding a factory for quality work can increase productivity even further. Supporting a part of the process that is underperforming can help the overall process get back on track.

Keeping Records

Quality control forms are at the very least great at keeping records. Keeping track of a company’s work not only helps provide a consistent product, but it also helps protect the company. The deliveries, work product, and timelines will show how a product is made. If some clothing has a defect, your apparel company has valuable records to show the laborious but effective process that monitors the product.

In some cases, consumers or competitors may challenge the quality of production. You can’t work backwards with quality control forms. It’s something that is timely and produced before any complaint could be made, which is why they can be such a valuable asset. At the very least, quality control forms add credibility to a factory and its process.

Quality control can help companies build credibility with their customers. It regulates the creation and distribution of apparel by setting a rigid workflow, enforcing consistency in the product, and creating adequate documentation. Quality control ensures that the American-made clothing that ends up in your customer’s hands is the product you promised. You can learn more about the whole process by visiting our website.