A factory audit is only as good as the questions behind it. A walk through a clean workshop with a friendly sales manager tells you very little. A structured visit that checks people, machines, materials, records and the product itself tells you whether this factory can make your order, at your quality, on your schedule.
This is the checklist I work from when I visit a Chinese factory for a buyer. You can use it for your own visit, or to judge what an audit report should cover.
Before the visit
Registration and court records checked in advance, so the visit confirms or questions what the records say. See how to check a Chinese business license.
Your product details: drawings, specifications, approved sample photos, quantity and delivery date. The audit is about your product, not factories in general.
An unannounced or short-notice element where possible. A factory given two weeks' notice can rearrange a lot.
1. Identity and premises
The company name on the gate, the business license on the wall and the license you checked are the same company.
The address matches the registered address, or the factory can show a lease or property document for this site.
The site size and buildings match what the supplier described.
Other companies on the same site, and how they are related.
2. People
Number of production workers present, compared with the claimed workforce and the insured headcount.
Key people: production manager, quality manager, engineering. Are they employees, and how long have they been there?
Skilled roles your product needs: welders with certificates, electricians, CNC programmers.
Working conditions and safety basics: protective equipment, fire exits, extinguishers, guarding on machines. Poor conditions are an ethical issue and also a quality and continuity risk.
3. Machines and processes
List the main machines for your product, with make, size and condition. Are they running?
Follow your product's process from raw material to packing. Mark each step as in house or outsourced.
For outsourced steps, who does them and how are they controlled?
Maintenance records and spare parts for critical machines.
4. Materials
Raw material storage: labels, grades, supplier names, and whether material for different customers is separated.
Incoming inspection: what is checked, with which equipment, and records for recent lots.
Material certificates for critical inputs, matched to lot or heat numbers.
5. Quality control
Where inspections happen: incoming, in process, final.
Measuring and test equipment, with calibration labels in date.
Inspection records for a recent order: do they exist, and do they match the product?
How nonconforming parts are marked, separated and handled.
Quality certificates such as ISO 9001: valid, issued for this site, and checked with the certification body.
6. Capacity and current load
Realistic daily or monthly output for your product, based on machines, shifts and the slowest process.
Orders currently in production and the production schedule. Where would your order fit?
Seasonal issues, such as the Chinese New Year shutdown.
7. Your product
Products similar to yours in production or in the finished goods store.
A sample of a similar product, checked against your key specifications on site.
Packing materials and methods for export.
8. Export and paperwork
Customs registration and export experience, or the company that exports for them.
Product certificates and test reports for your market, checked by number.
Who will sign the contract, issue the invoice and hold the bank account.
What a good audit report gives you
Photos and video of each area, a clear statement of what was seen versus what was claimed, the list of in-house and outsourced processes, the main risks for your order, and a recommendation you can act on: proceed, proceed with conditions, or do not proceed. For a large or custom order, follow the audit with a pre-shipment inspection before the balance payment.
Remote checks come first. A supplier verification with registration checks and a live video walk-through often tells you which factories are worth a visit at all.
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LocalAuditChina is an independent verification service, not a certification body. Reports are findings to support your purchasing decision.
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