Factory audit in China: points to check and documents to request

A factory audit is a structured visit to a supplier's premises, in China or elsewhere. It is not limited to a workshop tour: documents are cross-checked, real production is observed, and specific questions are asked. A factory visit typically lasts a full day, including travel. It must be prepared before entering the workshop.

The audit answers three questions. Does this factory actually manufacture products of my type? Can it meet my volumes and deadlines? What happens if a batch arrives non-compliant? A video call or a photo album is not enough: distance hides exactly what an audit seeks.

An audit does not guarantee the quality of future production runs. It establishes a snapshot in time. It differs from in-factory quality control, which checks a specific production, and from pre-shipment inspection, which examines cartons ready to leave. It precedes the order; it does not replace it.

Request documents before traveling. You will filter out factories that do not deserve the trip and arrive with a list of points to cross-check. A serious factory transmits these documents without delay. A refusal or repeated delay is already information.

On site, read each document in the original and cross-check: the company name must match the bank account beneficiary name. Any discrepancy blocks the next steps. A license proves that a company exists, not that it knows how to produce your reference.

Plan a full weekday, with an interpreter. A supplier audit proceeds from the outside inward: first the site, then the workshop, then the administration. Write everything down, on a checklist prepared before the visit. Impressions fade; notes remain.

Look at the balance between production and storage areas, the number of running lines, the product actually moving on those lines, the condition and maintenance of machines, lighting, ventilation, and the flow from raw materials to shipment. Look for a quality control post or department: measuring instruments, dedicated area, completed control records.

Ask to see the line that would produce your reference and work-in-progress parts close to yours. This is the core of the factory visit: a factory showing products from other families, or samples from a neighboring workshop, proves nothing about its own capability. If the relevant workshop is inaccessible, ask why. Finally, compare the headcount present that day with the headcount stated in writing: a significant discrepancy requires an explanation. An empty factory on a weekday raises a simple question: what was it producing, and for whom?

The most important part of an audit is not seen; it is heard. Look for the real decision-maker: it is often he who makes the call, he who decides on a re-run, he who can promise a lot and deliver little. A salesperson follows a script; a boss answers differently. Our Chinese-speaking team in Guangzhou asks these questions in Mandarin, which changes the quality of the answers obtained.

Ask who buys the raw material, who decides when a batch fails inspection, which steps are done in-house and which are outsourced to a neighbor. Subcontracting is common in Chinese industry and is not illegal; it becomes a problem when it is hidden. A factory that subcontracts in cascade, without telling you, sometimes produces your reference in three different places.

Also observe what is not part of production: cafeteria, toilets, fire extinguishers, exits, signage, apparent seniority of workers, on-site housing. A clean workshop does not guarantee compliant products. But certain neglect signals real problems: deficient safety, high turnover, a factory set up only a few months ago.

A factory visit is only as good as its conclusion. Review your notes the same day and classify each point into three categories: blocking, to monitor, acceptable. This discipline prevents you from leaving with a vague impression and photos without follow-up.

A blocking point is cross-checked once more, then a decision is made. Three common examples: a company name that does not match the bank account, a refusal to show the relevant workshop, a certificate not found in public databases. In these cases, you walk away, regardless of the price quoted.

A point to monitor is turned into a written requirement: capacity confirmed in writing in the proforma, commitment on deadlines restated in the contract, subcontracting prohibited unless expressly agreed. An acceptable point is simply noted and reviewed before placing the order. A refusal to visit, without a serious alternative offered, disqualifies the supplier: a factory that hides its workshop often hides something else. The cost of a trip and a day is limited compared to that of a non-compliant batch or a lost deposit.

Sorva, a brokerage and sourcing firm, organizes and manages your factory audit from start to finish. Our Chinese-speaking team in Guangzhou prepares the question grid specific to your product, travels throughout Guangdong province and, beyond upon request, asks questions in Mandarin and reads the original documents. We cross-check the company name, certificates and bank account, then send you a structured report with blocking points and recommendations, before any transfer.

In most cases, you do not pay fees: you open a file, we negotiate the goods for you and we take a commission on their ex-works value.