The factory audit is one of the most important steps if you want to import from China.
Often, putting oneself in the hands of a Chinese supplier generates a certain distrust, given the cultural and language barrier that exists with our country.
This type of barrier prevents us from managing the import process the way we would like to. For example, how do we know if it is really a manufacturer and not just another middleman who only raises the cost of the goods? If you haven’t thought about this yet, you should.
Another very important question is whether the quality process in the manufacture of the goods is as agreed or not. Many problems arising from the importation of products may be due to errors in their manufacture. How do you know that the instructions given and agreed upon have been followed? This is another key point for a successful import.
To avoid being taken for a ride, the best thing to do is to audit the factory in China. In this way, we will be able to know, first hand, who is behind the manufacture of the goods.
Benefits of a factory audit in China
Among the many tasks of auditing a factory in China, we can find the following:
– Corroborate that the manufacturer is the supplier of the customer’s goods.
– To witness the quality and management criteria.
– Check the suitability of the facilities, as well as the capacity and qualifications of the workers responsible for the manufacture of the goods.
– Control that the manufacturing process is adequate and in accordance with the agreement with the customer.
Performing all these tasks within a factory audit in China is not an easy task. As we have already explained above, there is a cultural and language barrier that means that these types of reviews, as well as the negotiation process, must be handled by people who are experts in Chinese trade.
In the case of factory auditing, the best option is to delegate to consultants qualified in this type of import and export business.
How to perform a factory audit?
At MingTa we are experts in auditing factories in China. We corroborate “in situ” if the contracted supplier really corresponds to a manufacturer. And not an intermediary.
To this end, we follow a strict information gathering and control process that certifies the customer’s confidence in the supplier. All this, by means of conclusive documents of this audit.
First, our workers visit the factory in person. Through this inspection, we can check how the facilities are. Likewise, this supervision is not simply ocular. We deal directly with the people in charge of the manufacturing of our customer’s goods and we are informed of the whole process until the product is finished. After this, we confirm whether the information issued by the supplier’s customer corresponds to reality.
During this inspection, we took photographs and videos of the factory. Obviously, this process is subject to industrial secrecy, so it is not possible to produce these documents in all cases.
Finally, a report with all the details of the factory audit is issued to the customer, so that he knows, first hand, in whom he has placed his trust.
