Poor Quality from Inconsistent Processing in Cutting and Conditioning

$10,000–$40,000 per month from extra testing, rework, and potential contract penalties or forced discounts when quality variation is traced to primary processing. • $20,000–$70,000 per month from small but high-value batches being reworked, held, or redirected to lower-margin channels due to perceived quality risks tied back to primary processing. • $30,000–$100,000 per month in incremental rework, downgrading of inventory, credits to distributors, and higher lab and logistics costs caused by inconsistent primary processing quality that escapes to the market.

Lab staff track these contracts separately in spreadsheets and paper binders, doing additional sampling and tests whenever the primary plant reports deviations or when prior lots raised complaints. • Laboratory staff maintain brand- and lot-specific Excel trackers of test results, manually correlate them to primary processing batches, and coordinate corrective actions through email and meetings when wholesaler feedback or returns spike. • Laboratory teams maintain country- and brand-specific Excel matrices of required tests and limits, overlay extra checks on suspect batches, and manually reconcile lab data with export documentation and primary batch records.