Quality Issues in Chinas Export of Electronic and Electrical Products Highlighted, Component Quality Control Becomes Key

In the first quarter of 2023, the EU Safety Gate system issued 59 notifications for non-compliant electrical and electronic products. Notably, 45 of these involved electrical and electronic products originating from China, accounting for 76.3% of the total notifications. The notified product categories mainly included lighting fixtures, household appliances, electronic products, power connectors, and power banks. The reasons for notification were primarily risks of electric shock, fire, burns, and non-compliance with chemical and environmental requirements.

In-depth analysis of the notified issues reveals that quality problems with key components accounted for 40.0% of the total notifications, posing safety risks during product use. The affected products mainly included power connectors, light strings, electric towel drying racks, massagers, headlamps, and USB chargers. The issues were primarily concentrated in four areas: non-compliant quality of external power cords, non-compliant flame resistance of plastic shell materials, malfunctioning temperature controllers, and non-standard dimensions of external power plugs. These issues could lead to risks such as electric shock, overheating, burns, and fires.

Key components of electrical and electronic products are the main parts that constitute the product, and their quality directly affects the overall products protection against accidental mechanical damage, electrical safety, fire safety, and environmental pollution. Since key components are products themselves with strong specialization and unique production processes and requirements, most export manufacturers choose to purchase them externally. While component manufacturers bear direct responsibility for product quality issues, the reasons attributable to export manufacturers themselves cannot be ignored. To ensure product quality, manufacturers should establish effective control procedures for externally purchased components.

In this context, Customs reminds export manufacturers of electrical and electronic products to strictly control the quality of externally purchased components. On one hand, based on the characteristics of the components, practical incoming inspection specifications should be formulated, with targeted inspection content, feasible inspection methods, and effective inspection procedures. The inspection process must be strictly followed to ensure thorough incoming inspection of components, avoiding superficial inspections. On the other hand, regular confirmation testing of the safety and performance of externally purchased components should be conducted. Depending on the companys testing equipment and capabilities, third-party testing can be commissioned to verify the compliance of externally purchased components, ensuring their quality and the overall quality of exported products.