Business licence and factory audit addresses differ
Ask for separate details of the registered company and production site, documents connecting them, and written confirmation of where your order will be made. Check the explanation against the audit before paying a deposit. Cambridge China Bridge can check the documents and production site through its own staff in China.
Record the company and site separately
An address mismatch needs an explanation, but does not by itself prove deception. Ask whether the difference reflects a registered office, leased workshop, relocation, another group company or subcontractor. Keep the original Chinese addresses alongside translations so that different English renderings do not create a false mismatch.
Record the registered company name, unified social credit code and licence address separately from the production site's address, operator and site contact. Include the building or workshop details needed to locate the line. Use our factory versus trading company guide for the broader supplier identity checks.
Request evidence connecting the company to the site
Ask for a written explanation naming the contracting company, site operator and their relationship. Request supporting documents appropriate to that explanation: a lease naming the company and premises, ownership records, group relationship documents or a manufacturing agreement with the site operator. Relevant extracts can be supplied with unrelated commercial details redacted.
Compare names, addresses, dates and document parties across the evidence. A lease supports use of premises; it does not establish production capability. A shared logo or salesperson does not establish the company relationship. If another entity operates the site, request its identity documents and ask it to confirm its role directly.
Reconcile the explanation with the audit
Ask the auditor to confirm the exact site visited, the operator identified there, the visit date and the evidence used to connect that operator to the supplier. Request clarification if the report uses a trading name or lists only an industrial park. Keep the original report and any correction together.
Compare the report with current entrance photographs, site signage and a live walk to the proposed production line. If the supplier has moved, ask which findings still describe the new premises and arrange a check there before relying on the old report. Our factory audit checklist covers the wider capability assessment.
Confirm where this order will actually be made
Request an order-specific confirmation naming the contracting company, production operator, full site address and processes performed there. Ask separately where outsourced processes, final assembly, packing and inspection will happen. An audited site should not remain merely the address shown in a sales presentation.
Put the agreed locations and processes into the production purchase order. Agree that site transfers or additional subcontracting need your written approval before they happen, with fresh checks where appropriate. Ask who will provide production records linking your order to the agreed site; our subcontracting guide explains the wider controls.
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Decide whether the evidence is sufficient
Hold the deposit or production approval if the supplier cannot identify the operator, refuses evidence connecting it to the site, or will not confirm the order's location. Keep unresolved questions in writing. Proceed when the explanation, supporting documents, audit and order confirmation tell a consistent story, with any remaining limitations recorded.
For consumer products, UK government guidance states that you remain responsible for product safety after placing them on the market. As a practical check, ask whoever holds the test reports to explain any company or site differences and confirm their relevance to the ordered product. Keep this explanation with the supplier checks; an address reconciliation does not establish product safety.
Frequently asked questions
Is a different factory address a sign of fraud?
It is a reason to investigate. Ask for the explanation, evidence connecting the company to the site, and confirmation that your order will use that site. Judge the evidence together.
What documents should I ask for?
Request the licence, full production address, operator identity and written explanation. Then ask for evidence fitting that explanation, such as a lease, group relationship documents or a manufacturing agreement.
Can I rely on an audit of the supplier's old factory?
Ask which findings still apply after the move. Premises, equipment and working arrangements may differ. Check the actual production site before using the old audit to approve your order.
What should the supplier confirm before I pay?
The contracting company, production operator, exact production address, outsourced processes and inspection location. Put these into the order and agree written approval before any site change.