If you could not guess from the name, "in-process quality control" is actually quality control steps that take place thought the process of fabric production or garment production.  This is also often referenced as "inline" inspections or inline audits.  As opposed to simply doing audits after the completion of production.

One of the keys to producing good quality merchandise is an in-process quality control program.  Although it is possible to control your outgoing quality with only a good final audit, it is NOT recommended to simply rely on that approach.  Unless you install an effective in-process quality control program, your cost of excessive seconds and repairs may be high.  It is far more effective to correct the problem at the operator level, then after the garment is completely assembled, pressed, packages and prepared for shipping.  Being able to deliver your merchandise on time is important to your customers.  Good in-process controls help assure that the final audit runs smoothly and allows for timely delivery.  You certainly do not want to learn in your final audit about problems that could have easily been fixed if detected earlier.

The primary purpose of the in-process auditing is to identify problems as early as possible.  A problem may be caused by the operator, the machine, or other factors.  The inline audits will help you find specific problems in production.  The only way to fix a problem is to find the problem.  It is important to find errors as quickly as possible so that they can be corrected as fast as possible.

Some companies will do their own inline inspections and others will utilize inspection services.

If you are looking to utilize 3rd party inspection services, you can check the apparel inspection services section.

Learn about top of production and work in progress from our apparel industry glossary.