Quality & compliance
Quality here is a sequence of checks with a record attached, not a word on a slide. This page sets out the four checkpoints a batch passes through, the materials we run and their service temperatures, and how we handle certification requests: tell us the destination market and the product, and we will confirm which tests apply.
The inspection sequence
Inspection runs with production, not after it. Each checkpoint below produces a record that stays with the batch, so a question asked six months after delivery can still be answered from paper rather than from memory.
Every incoming lot of resin, board, masterbatch, coating and carton stock is checked before it is released to production: material grade, board grammage, coating weight, colour reference and the condition of the packing. The supplier's lot number is recorded against the production batch that uses it, so a finished carton can be traced back to the material it was made from.
The first parts off the tool are checked for wall section, unit weight, dimensions, lid fit and colour against the approved sample. The run is then checked at set intervals and again at the end of the shift. Parts that fall outside the agreed tolerance are taken out at the machine, not sorted out of the pile afterwards.
Finished goods are inspected against the approved sample and the sampling plan agreed with the buyer before the run. Critical, major and minor defects are counted separately, so a decision about a batch is made on numbers rather than on impression. Cartons are checked for count, print, marks and stacking before they are sealed.
Each run carries a record: production date, machine and tool, material lots, colour reference, inspection results, packing configuration and the approved sample it was matched against. Retention samples are kept from the run. The batch number on the carton is the start of the answer to any question about a delivery.
Materials and applications
Material is chosen per item, not per catalogue. A container that has to be reheated, a lid that has to show the food and a tray that has to hold a cut of fruit are three different specifications, even when they are packed in the same container.
| Material | Typical applications | Why it is chosen | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| PP | Containers, bowls, boxes, lids, juice cups | Rigid, microwave-capable, low unit weight | Standard choice for hot food and reheating |
| PET | Clear lids, oyster boxes, cold cups | High clarity, good stiffness for lids | Keep to cold and ambient service |
| PS | Cutlery, cold cups, portion items | Precise moulding, rigid handle and bowl | Not a reheating material |
| Paperboard | Food containers, bakery boxes, printed boxes | Print-friendly surface, packs flat | Uncoated board needs a lining for liquids |
| PE-coated board | Paper cups, soup containers, board boxes | Liquid and grease barrier on board | Standard lining for hot and greasy service |
| PLA-coated board | Paper cups, board containers | Plant-based lining option | Lower heat ceiling than PE — confirm the drink temperature |
Board grade, coating and colour availability are confirmed per order and per item. Where a specific lining or grade is essential to your market, say so in the enquiry and it becomes part of the specification rather than an assumption.
Temperature windows
These are the typical service windows of the materials we run. They describe the material — not a guarantee for a particular order. Fill temperature, holding time, fat content, and the microwave or oven cycle all move the ceiling, so the grade is confirmed against the dish you are packing.
| Material | Typical service window | Suitable for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| PP | −20 °C to +120 °C | Hot fill, microwave reheating, chilled and frozen storage | Long exposure above the ceiling; high-fat recipes |
| PET | −20 °C to +60 °C | Cold display, chilled transport, iced drinks | Hot fill and microwave reheating |
| PS | −10 °C to +70 °C | Cutlery, cold cups, warm service | Reheating; very hot food held for long periods |
| Paperboard, PE-lined | Up to +90 °C, short contact | Hot drinks, hot and greasy snacks | Sustained contact with very hot food |
| Paperboard, PLA-lined | Up to +55 °C | Cold drinks, cold food, warm service | Hot drinks — the lining softens earlier than PE |
| Paperboard, uncoated | Dry and cool food | Bakery, dry snacks, cold service | Liquids and grease without a lining |
Send us the dish, the fill temperature and the process — microwave, oven, blast chill, hot-hold — and we will confirm the grade, the wall section and the tests that go with that combination. Where a container is used outside the window we would recommend, we would rather tell you at quotation stage than after delivery.
Compliance and certification
Certification is granted to a specific product, against a specific standard, for a specific scope. It is not a status a factory can simply claim for everything it makes. So we handle it the other way round: you tell us the destination market and the product, and we confirm what applies and what we can put in your hands.
Records and documents
Documentation is part of the product for an importer: it is what clears the goods, what your own quality team reads, and what answers a complaint two months later.
| With every shipment | Packing list, commercial invoice, and the carton marks agreed on the order — item, quantity, batch number and your own shipping marks where specified. |
|---|---|
| On request | Certificate of origin, container and seal numbers, loading photographs, and any additional document your market or your forwarder requires. |
| Against the batch | Inspection results from the run, the material lots used, the colour reference, and the retained sample from your production. |
| For the agreed standard | The third-party test report arranged for your destination market and product, shared before dispatch. |
| For repeat orders | The original approved sample, the drawing and the packing configuration, so the second order is matched to the first rather than rebuilt. |
Questions buyers ask
Yes, on request. We can host your team or an independent inspection company, and we prefer to schedule the visit around a production run so you see the machines working and goods being packed. Send the proposed dates and the scope — a general factory audit and a pre-shipment inspection need different days, and we will confirm which fits the schedule.
In-process and finished-goods inspection happens on every production batch, and the results are recorded against it. Laboratory testing is arranged for the standard, material and market you specify; it is common at new-product stage, or per shipment where a buyer's own specification requires it. Tell us which of the two you need and it becomes a line on the order checklist rather than a conversation after dispatch.
Send photographs of the goods, the carton marks and the batch number. We open the batch record and the retained sample, compare them against the approved sample, and come back with a finding — what it is, how many cartons are affected and what we propose. Resolution then follows the contract of that order. What we will not do is work without the record.
The approved sample, the colour reference, the drawing, the packing configuration and the inspection results stay with the batch record. A repeat order is matched against those references instead of being set up again from the beginning. It is also why approval of the physical sample matters more than approval of a photograph.
Send your sizes, materials and target volume. We reply with a full quotation, packing plan and lead time within one business day.