Inline vs final inspection: where the money actually leaks

Catching a stitch fault while the machines are running costs pennies. Catching it in a polybag costs thousands. A field guide to DUPRO.

Final inspection feels like the safety net. In reality, by the time goods are folded, tagged, and polybagged, every expensive mistake has already been made. The net catches the failure — it doesn't prevent the cost.

DUPRO: during production

An inline check (DUPRO — during production) happens while the sewing line is still live. Catch a recurring stitch error at 30% output and you correct one machine setting. Catch it at final, and you're reworking the entire run or eating a chargeback.

“Finding a defect in a polybag is not quality control. It's an autopsy.”

The factories that win on margin treat inline inspection as the main event and final inspection as confirmation. The software should make that cheap and routine, not a special request buried in an email.