Factory Inspections for Lighting: What to Check and When

An inspection does not need to be exhaustive to be useful. It needs to happen at the right moment, on the right sample, with a written checklist that the factory has seen before the production run starts.

Three moments that matter

During first article, before mass production, when changes are still free. Mid-production, when tooling and process are settled but volume is not finished. And pre-shipment, when the decision is binary: ship or hold.

The pre-shipment checklist

For a lamp programme, these items account for most of the value:

1. Sample size calculated properly, not three units from the top of a pallet
2. Functional test of every switch position and every joint on each sampled unit
3. Stability check with the head in its worst-case extended position
4. Finish inspection under consistent light, including under the shade and at the weld
5. Carton check: dimensions, artwork version, drop test result, and whether bulbs are actually included
6. Rating label check against the intended market, including any required warnings

Photograph everything against a reference

A defect report without a scale reference is an argument. Photograph the same point on an approved golden sample and on the production unit, side by side, and the discussion ends quickly.

Sample the carton, not just the lamp

Packaging defects appear at volume: a shorter inner tray, thinner foam, a substituted corrugate grade. These are invisible in a hand-built sample and obvious in a loaded pallet, which is why inspection should happen after packing rather than before.

What an inspection cannot fix

A design flaw, a component substitution that is still dimensionally correct, and a supplier who intends to cut corners on the second order. Inspections manage variance; they do not replace choosing the right factory or writing a specification with tolerances in it.