China Factory Audit
We put an auditor on site against the standard your buyer requires, or against a scope we define with you. The output is a report you can hand to your own customer, with findings graded and corrective actions listed.
Quick answer
A factory audit is an on-site assessment of a supplier's processes, quality control and compliance against a stated standard. An auditor walks the floor, interviews staff, reviews records and issues a written report with findings, evidence and a corrective action list.
Factory Audit in China: what is different here
China still holds the widest manufacturing base in Asia. Export production clusters into three belts: the Pearl River Delta around Shenzhen, Dongguan and Guangzhou for electronics and consumer goods, the Yangtze River Delta around Shanghai, Ningbo and Suzhou for machinery, textiles and auto parts, and inland hubs such as Chengdu and Chongqing that have grown on lower labour cost. Company records are public through the National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System, which makes the first identity check fast and cheap.
- · Social compliance audits such as BSCI, SMETA and SA8000 are well established here. Most export plants have been audited before and know the process.
- · Ask for the previous audit report and the corrective action plan. A plant that cannot produce either has usually not been audited recently.
- · Product testing is straightforward through local laboratories with recognised accreditation.
- · Be specific about which entity and which building is in scope. Larger groups will sometimes show the newer plant and ship from the older one.
What is included
- ✓ Opening meeting and management interview
- ✓ Full site walkthrough including production, warehousing and dormitories where relevant
- ✓ Document and record review covering quality, compliance and labour
- ✓ Employee interviews conducted off the production floor where the standard requires it
- ✓ Findings graded by severity against the audit standard
- ✓ Corrective action plan with owners and target dates
What you receive
- · Written audit report with photographs
- · Findings graded by severity
- · Corrective action plan
- · Evidence pack: records reviewed, interview notes, site photos
- · Risk summary for your sourcing decision
- · Optional re-audit after the corrective action period
How it works
- 1. Scope the audit
We agree the standard, the site, the number of man-days and the date. No standard in mind? We define a scope from your product and market.
- 2. Schedule the auditor
We assign an auditor with the relevant standard and industry experience and confirm travel.
- 3. Audit on site
Opening meeting, site walkthrough, record review, staff interviews, then a closing meeting with the findings summarised.
- 4. Report and follow-up
You receive the report within two business days. We can run a re-audit once the corrective actions are due.
How pricing works
Quoted per man-day plus travel. The number of man-days depends on site size, headcount and the standard. Single-site quality audits start at one man-day; full social compliance audits such as SMETA usually take two or more.
Online payment is not open yet. Every item above is quoted and invoiced by our team, so nothing here is a subscription and nothing renews.
Frequently asked questions
Which audit standards can you audit against?
Quality audits against ISO 9001 and your own specification, social compliance audits against BSCI, SMETA and SA8000, plus environmental and security assessments. If your buyer has a proprietary checklist, send it and we will audit against that instead.
Do you issue certificates?
No. We are not a certification body and we do not sell certificates. We assess and report. If you need a certificate, our report tells you whether the plant is likely to pass and what still needs fixing.
Can the factory fail the audit?
We do not pass or fail a plant. We grade findings by severity and report them. Your organisation decides what it will accept, and we can run a re-audit to check the corrective actions were actually done.
Factory Audit in China: what is different here
Social compliance audits such as BSCI, SMETA and SA8000 are well established here. Most export plants have been audited before and know the process. Ask for the previous audit report and the corrective action plan. A plant that cannot produce either has usually not been audited recently. Product testing is straightforward through local laboratories with recognised accreditation. Be specific about which entity and which building is in scope. Larger groups will sometimes show the newer plant and ship from the older one.
How long does this take in China?
Documentary checks are usually finished within two business days. A package that includes a site visit in China is normally scheduled within a week, longer outside the main production hubs.
Relevant tools
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Request Factory Audit in China
Tell us the supplier and your requirements. We reply with a scoped proposal, a timeline and a price.