Quality Control · Factory Audit & Supplier Assessment
Factory Audit in China: How We Assess Suppliers Before Your Order
Before your order goes to a factory, we assess the supplier. What sounds like a casual first call is really our first interview of the factory, and from that call on, every point is recorded and scored.
It is the first step of the production we manage for you, from approved sample to shipment.
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- Every point recorded and scored
- Part of one managed order
What do we score when we assess a supplier?
We look at the whole factory, from the person who answers our first call to the packing line. These are the points we record and score:
01Category fit
Does the factory already make products like yours, at the level your brand needs?
02Production & QC management
How production is planned and how quality is checked on the line.
03Sampling speed
How quickly an accurate sample comes back.
04Work efficiency
How fast quotes, updates and fixes move.
05Technical answers
How quickly, and how well, technical questions get answered.
06Senior management support
Whether management backs your project, not just the sales contact.
07Requirements into the production order
Whether every department carries each of our requirements into the production order and follows it.
08Packing speed
How quickly finished goods are packed and ready to ship.
09Original samples returned
Whether the original samples we send come back on time, complete and intact.
We also check whether our contact can move the workshop supervisor, production manager and quality manager when a deadline is tight or a quality problem needs fixing.
Checks we add when your brand requires them
Some brands need more than the standard assessment. When a client requires it, we can:
- arrange an audit of worker and working conditions;
- verify whether the factory's certificates are genuine;
- write your compliance requirements into the inspection standard before production starts.
The audit report is typically delivered within 3 working days. Factory audits are quoted separately from the all-in unit price.
Where supplier assessment fits in your order
Assessment picks the factory. The same team then manages quality through the order, and we send our people to the factory floor for each order.
- STEP 1 · THIS PAGE
Supplier assessment
We score candidate factories and recommend one before you commit.
- STEP 2
Approved sample & written standard
Your compliance requirements are written into the inspection standard.
- STEP 3
Mid-production inspection
On every order, so problems are caught while they can still be fixed.
- STEP 4
Inspection before shipment
Goods that fail are held until rework passes re-inspection.
Already have a supplier? We can assess it before we manage your next order under our 5–10% service fee. See all four checkpoints →
Factory audit and supplier assessment: FAQ
What does a supplier assessment with Owl Sourcing cover?
We record and score nine points: category fit, production and QC management, sampling speed, work efficiency, technical answers, senior management support, whether requirements are carried into the production order, packing speed and whether original samples come back on time, complete and intact.
When do you assess a supplier?
Before the first order with a new factory, before you switch factories, and before we manage an order with a supplier you already use. The assessment starts from our first call with the factory.
Can you audit worker conditions or check certificates?
Yes, when a client requires it. We can arrange an audit of worker and working conditions and verify whether the factory's certificates are genuine. These checks are added to the assessment on request, not done on every audit.
How is a factory audit priced, and when do I get the report?
Factory audits are quoted separately from the all-in unit price. The audit report is typically delivered within 3 working days.
What happens after the assessment?
We recommend the factory that fits your product. The same team then agrees the approved sample and written standard, runs a mid-production inspection on every order and inspects the goods before shipment. Goods that fail are held until rework passes re-inspection.
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