Can factory overtime recover my order deadline?
Accept a revised commitment only when the factory shows how extra staffed capacity will produce acceptable goods, with rest, process waiting times and quality checks protected. Make acceptance conditional on observed output and agreed stop points. Ask Cambridge China Bridge to check the proposal with its staff in China.
Test the extra output at the bottleneck
Ask the factory to show the current schedule beside the recovery proposal, operation by operation. Identify the task limiting finished output and what changes there: available machine time, trained operators, materials or inspection capacity. Use the factory capacity guide for the underlying checks.
Request recent records from comparable production showing acceptable units completed per staffed shift, rejects, rework and downtime. Deduct breaks, changeovers, maintenance and existing commitments from available time. Extra assembly hours are useful only if the limiting operation and downstream checks can handle the additional work. Treat an untested output forecast as provisional.
Check how the working pattern affects people
HSE explains that fatigue can cause errors, accidents, ill health, injury and reduced productivity. Use this as a practical risk lens when reviewing the proposal. Ask for the actual rota, including earlier overtime, breaks, rest between shifts, supervision and how workers can decline extra work without pressure.
Have someone speak privately with workers rather than relying solely on a manager's assurance. Ask about payment arrangements, transport home and how concerns can be raised safely. Avoid collecting unnecessary personal details. Review your own rush requests using the guide to purchasing practices and exploitation risk. Do not accept a plan dependent on coercion or exhausted staff.
Separate more capacity from shorter processes
Require the proposal to distinguish added staffed hours from changes to the production method. Ask which drying, curing, cooling, conditioning or test stages have fixed durations or conditions in the approved process. Request the relevant work instructions and records. More labour does not establish that these stages can be shortened.
If the factory proposes faster settings, overlapping operations, replacement equipment or different materials, ask for a trial and product-specific evidence before approval. Check that handling, storage and packing will not start before the preceding stage is complete. Keep maintenance and equipment checks in the schedule.
Prove quality under the proposed conditions
Ask for an observed production run using the proposed staffing, equipment settings and working pattern. Record acceptable output alongside defects, rework, stoppages and unfinished work. A brief demonstration at the start of a shift cannot establish sustained performance across the recovery schedule.
Arrange checks covering goods from the added shifts and any changed process, with batch and shift identification. Compare results with the approved specification and agreed defect limits. Confirm that trained quality staff and test equipment are available during the extra hours. Use the guide to during-production inspection to brief the inspection.
Accept against evidence and stop points
Record the proposed output, assumptions, process conditions, welfare arrangements, inspection coverage and who approves each milestone. Agree to pause and reassess if acceptable output falls short, defects rise, rest arrangements fail or an unapproved process change appears. Request actual results against the plan at each update.
Accept the revised commitment only after the evidence supports it. If it does not, compare a later completion date or an inspected partial shipment using the factory delay guide. Keep the production decision separate from the transport booking and customer delivery promise.
Frequently asked questions
Does more overtime mean more finished goods?
Ask which bottleneck gains capacity and check acceptable output from comparable shifts. Extra hours elsewhere may only increase unfinished work.
What worker welfare evidence should I request?
Request the rota, earlier overtime, breaks, rest arrangements, payment terms and safe transport plans. Check privately whether workers can decline extra work and raise concerns without pressure.
Can a factory shorten curing or drying to catch up?
Do not approve this on a delivery promise alone. Ask for the approved process conditions and a trial with relevant quality evidence supporting the proposed change.
When should I reject a factory's recovery schedule?
Reject or seek revision when output is unsupported, workers face coercion, process stages are shortened without evidence or quality checks lack staff and time. Agree an alternative completion or partial shipment.