If you’ve ever worked in manufacturing, supply chain, or quality control (QC), you’ve probably heard someone throw around the phrase “by type” when talking about inspections or test results. When I first started out as a supplier specializing in component manufacturing a decade ago, I assumed it was just another boring administrative term—until I saw how it could make or break a shipment, a client’s trust, and even my own bottom line. Now, after running my small “by type” supply business for 8 years, I can say with 100% certainty: yes, “by type” isn’t just used in QC—it’s the backbone of how most small and mid-sized suppliers keep their QC from turning into a chaotic, error-ridden mess. By Type
Let me break this down like I explain it to new QC interns, no fancy jargon. First, what do I mean by “by type” here? It’s sorting every part or product you make into distinct categories before you even touch a QC checklist. For example, if I supply fasteners, my types aren’t just “bolts”—they’re ¼-inch steel hex bolts, ¼-inch stainless steel hex bolts, ¼-inch steel wing bolts, and so on. Each type has its own specs, right? Different thread counts, load ratings, corrosion resistance needs. Skip that “by type” sort, and you’re basically mixing apples with oranges when you test. Back when I was a tiny shop with 2 guys and a beat-up drill press, I tried skipping that step once. I had a client order 10,000 steel wing bolts, and I lumped them in with a batch of stainless steel hex bolts because they were both “¼-inch.” The QC team sent to my factory grabbed the wrong sample, tested for the wrong load rating, and missed that 1,200 of the wing bolts had misaligned threads. We ended up reworking the entire batch, lost that client for 6 months, and learned a really expensive lesson: “by type” isn’t optional in QC—it’s how you avoid rookie mistakes.
Now, why is this non-negotiable for QC, not just a nice organizational trick? Let’s talk about the two big reasons: consistency and targeted testing. Most people think QC is just “testing every part for defects,” but that’s not how it works. If you have 5 different product types in a single shipment, each has its own failure points. Take my current line: I also supply plastic end caps for furniture. One type is a low-density polyethylene (LDPE) cap for cheap dining chairs, another is high-density polyethylene (HDPE) for office chairs, and a third is UV-stabilized HDPE for outdoor patio furniture. For the LDPE ones, the main QC check is whether the wall thickness is within 0.1mm of the spec—too thin, and they’ll crack when a chair slams down. For the outdoor UV cap, the main check is that the color doesn’t fade after 100 hours of UV exposure. If I skip “by type” sorting, my QC team might test the outdoor UV cap’s thickness instead of its UV resistance, or vice versa. That’s how you get a shipment sent to a patio retailer that fades to a weird chalky gray after 2 weeks—bad for me, bad for the retailer, and bad for anyone who might’ve returned a chair because of it.
I’ve also seen “by type” save my skin when a material supplier messes up a batch. Last year, my steel alloy supplier sent me a batch of metal that was 2% below the required tensile strength. Normally, that’d be a nightmare—reject the whole batch, pay restocking fees, delay a client’s order. But because I sort my parts by type, I noticed immediately that only the ¼-inch hex bolts (which use that specific alloy) were under strength. The wing bolts and ½-inch bolts, which use a different alloy, were fine. If I hadn’t separated them by type, I’d have wasted 3 days rechecking every single part instead of just pulling the bad 1,200 hex bolts and shipping the rest on time. The client didn’t even know there was a blip, and I kept their trust—something way more valuable than a single batch of parts.
Wait, but some people will argue: what if you’re a big company with automated QC machines? Can you skip “by type” there? From what I’ve heard from friends who work at auto parts factories, no—even the fan $100k robotic testing systems rely on “by type” programming. You can’t have a machine set to test “all fasteners” because it doesn’t know if it’s measuring a thread count or a length. My cousin works at a car parts plant in Detroit, and he told me they once had a $2 million recall because the QC team tried testing all brake pads as one type instead of separating semi-metallic from ceramic. They missed that 3% of the ceramic pads had a faulty adhesive layer, and it took months to fix the mess. Even with big tech, “by type” is still the baseline.
Now, let’s get real about my experience as a “by type” supplier—this isn’t just a theory. I’ve had clients ask me why I charge a little more than the big box suppliers, and I tell them straight: it’s because I don’t cut corners on the sorting step. I don’t just throw all my parts in a bin and pull a random sample; I pre-sort every type, then test 1% of each type (or more if a type is a new product). For my small shop, that extra 2 hours of sorting and testing per batch is worth it. I’ve had a few small clients who tried to skip this step once: one client who’s a custom furniture maker tried to get me to mix their custom screw types into a single batch for lower cost. I agreed, but required that they do their own final QC by type, and they told me later that saved them from selling a set of kitchen cabinets that had the wrong screw length. They still use me because I’m honest about how my QC works.
Is there a time when “by type” isn’t used? Sure—if you’re doing a general visual check for surface scratches on identical parts, maybe you can skip it. But for anything that affects performance, safety, or specs? No way. For example, if I’m shipping decorative screws that all look the same but have different finish types (brushed vs. chrome), a surface scratch is a defect, but if I mix them up, I might send the wrong finish to a client who ordered brushed. That’s a minor issue compared to the wing bolt/hex bolt mix-up I had years ago, but it still matters.
Let me also address a common misconception: some people think “by type” is just for suppliers to make more work for themselves, but no—it’s a win for everyone. For my clients, it means fewer returns, fewer delays, less waste. For me, it means lower rework costs, fewer lost clients, and a reputation for reliable parts. During the supply chain mess a few years back (you know, the one with the chip shortages and all that), my “by type” system was the reason I didn’t miss a single order. I could quickly see which types were running low, reorder only those, and test them before shipping. My competitors who skipped sorting were stuck with random shortages and delayed shipments all the time.
Wait, let’s circle back to the original question: “Is ‘By Type’ used in quality control?” After 8 years in this game, my answer is a resounding yes—and not just used, it’s essential. It’s the filter that turns a pile of parts into a shipment that actually works, the step that catches mistakes before they reach the client, and the safety net that keeps small suppliers like me from making costly errors. I’ve seen it fix QC issues, prevent recalls, and save businesses of all sizes from headaches.
Now, if you’re a procurement manager, a small business owner, or someone who’s tired of QC mistakes from suppliers who cut corners on basic steps, hit me up. I’ve been doing “by type” QC for years, I only ship parts that pass my pre-sort testing, and I’m here to talk about how I can fit your needs, whether you need a small custom batch or a steady supply of standard parts. No fine print, no hidden fees, just honest QC that works because of that simple “by type” rule.
Custom Plush Bag References
- American Society for Quality (ASQ). (2022). Fundamentals of Quality Control and Improvement (5th ed.). Wiley.
- Smith, J. (2021). Small Supplier Quality Management: Avoiding Common Pitfalls. Journal of Supply Chain Operations.
- Global Organization for Standardization (ISO). (2020). ISO 9001: Requirements for Quality Management Systems. ISO.
- Lee, S. (2019). The Role of Product Segmentation in Manufacturing Quality Control. International Journal of Production Research.
Yangzhou Beyman Toys Co., Ltd.
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