Factory Visits & Audits – Seeing Beyond the Brochure
When sourcing or manufacturing in China, nothing replaces seeing the factory with your own eyes. A factory visit or audit goes far deeper than glossy catalogues, polished showrooms, or an impressive online profile. It’s about confirming capabilities, verifying compliance, and understanding whether the supplier can deliver consistently to your standards.
1) The Purpose of Factory Visits & Audits
1. Verify Legitimacy
We confirm that the facility exists, is operational, and matches its stated business license and production scope. This eliminates the risk of dealing with fake addresses or traders posing as manufacturers.
2. Assess Capabilities
We inspect production lines, machinery, staffing levels, and process flows to ensure they align with your product requirements. We check whether the factory has the right equipment for your materials, dimensions, and tolerances.
3. Review Quality Systems
An audit covers quality control processes, from incoming material inspection to final packaging. We evaluate if the factory follows ISO standards or industry-specific QA protocols, and how they handle non-conforming products.
4. Evaluate Compliance & Certifications
We confirm the validity of certifications like ISO 9001, BSCI, CE, or others relevant to your market. Our team checks test reports and documentation for authenticity and applicability to your product category.
5. Understand Working Conditions
A responsible supply chain means ensuring safe working environments, fair labor practices, and compliance with local laws. Our audits include basic social compliance observations.
2) Common Problems Found During Visits
Outdated or Insufficient Equipment: Promised capacity exists only on paper.
Poor Material Storage: Raw materials stored in damp or contaminated conditions.
Inconsistent QC: No documented inspection process; quality relies on operator skill.
Overloaded Lines: Factory taking on more orders than it can realistically produce on time.
Subcontracting: Parts or whole orders sent to unapproved subcontractors without informing the buyer.
3) How CBIC-Europe Adds Value
Structured Audit Checklists: Covering legal, operational, quality, compliance, and social responsibility points.
Bilingual Experts On-Site: We communicate directly with management and operators in Mandarin to get accurate answers.
Visual & Document Evidence: Detailed photo/video reports and scanned documentation, so you see exactly what we see.
Actionable Recommendations: If the factory falls short, we propose corrective actions or suggest alternative suppliers.
4) With CBIC vs. Going Solo
Going Solo: You might rely on the supplier to “show you around” during a guided tour, which often means you see only what they want you to see. Critical areas or processes may be hidden, and questions left unanswered.
With CBIC-Europe: We go in with a structured, checklist-driven approach and the authority to ask direct questions, request document proofs, and inspect key areas without being brushed off. You receive a report that’s honest, thorough, and in your language.
A factory visit or audit is your insurance policy before placing large orders. It confirms the supplier’s real capabilities and prevents expensive surprises down the line.
What Our Partners Say
CBIC helped us avoid expensive mistakes and made the entire process smooth from day one. Their local team in China was a game-changer.
We tried importing on our own before — it was chaos. With CBIC, everything is organized, transparent, and reliable. Now we can scale confidently.
We reduced lead times and costs by 25% thanks to their logistics optimization. CBIC is now our permanent import partner.
Their sourcing intelligence saved us weeks of research and negotiations. We now work with trusted suppliers we never would have found alone.
As a small business, I was hesitant to import from China. CBIC gave me the tools and confidence to succeed — and my first shipment arrived flawlessly