Qualitätssicherung

Quality assurance refers to the entirety of all planned and systematically implemented measures that ensure products, processes, and data meet pre-defined quality requirements. In intralogistics, QA applies at every point in the value chain – from goods receipt through storage to dispatch.

How quality assurance works in practice

In day-to-day warehouse operations, QA begins at goods receipt: inspection plans specify which items are to be checked for dimensions, weight, condition, or documentation, and at what sample size. Goods that fail an inspection are placed in blocked stock and are only processed further or returned once the issue has been resolved.

In addition to goods receipt inspection, the following elements form the operational core of QA:

• Batch and serial number traceability, enabling rapid identification of affected stock in the event of a defect
• Process controls at critical stations such as picking, packing, or dispatch
• Complaint management that systematically records and evaluates errors and translates them into corrective actions
• Audit processes that regularly verify compliance with internal and external requirements
• Quality metrics agreed upon in service level agreements (SLAs) and continuously measured

Digital systems – such as a WMS or a production data acquisition system – support QA through automatic inspection prompts, seamless documentation, and real-time metrics. The extent of this integration depends heavily on the software in use and its configuration.

Distinction and selection criteria

Quality assurance is not the same as quality management: QM describes the strategic framework – standards, guidelines, responsibilities – while QA refers to the concrete, measurable controls and interventions in day-to-day operations. Both levels must be aligned so that deviations are not only detected but also structurally resolved.

When designing a QA concept, you should consider the following aspects: How high is the risk of error per item or supplier? What regulatory requirements apply – for example in the pharmaceutical, food, or hazardous goods sectors? How can QA data feed into supplier evaluation and purchasing controlling? And what costs arise from inspection effort compared to the costs of defective goods?

For purchasing, QA results are an important data foundation: supplier complaints, defect rates by origin and product category feed into the evaluation and selection of suppliers as well as into contractual clauses. The degree to which QA modules are integrated into ERP or WMS systems varies by vendor – a thorough requirements analysis is therefore worthwhile before any system selection.