China order approvals across time zones
Agree named approvers, backup contacts and working hours before the order starts. Put each decision deadline in your local time, UK time and factory time, and record written approvals in a shared log. If approval is missing, hold the affected step. Agree this plan with Cambridge China Bridge.
Name the people who can approve
For an order shipped from China to your own destination port, write down the buyer’s approver, UK coordinator and factory contact by name. Give each a backup contact and state what they can approve: specification changes, additional costs, inspection concessions or shipment release. A coordinator passing on a message does not automatically have authority to approve it.
Use decision responsibilities to allocate authority, then add contact details and availability to the order plan. When buying through a UK company, agree who communicates instructions to the factory. Ask your own customs broker to confirm destination rules and identify any unresolved questions before shipment approval.
Write dated deadlines in every local time
Give each approval request a full calendar date, local clock time and time-zone name for the buyer, UK coordinator and factory. Check that these entries describe the same moment, including any change of date. Avoid “tomorrow”, “close of business” or “China morning”. Set the approval deadline before the affected factory or freight deadline, allowing time to pass on and acknowledge the instruction.
The UK returns to Greenwich Mean Time when clocks go back. Recheck calendar conversions around clock changes rather than copying an old time difference. Agree working hours, holidays, planned absences and the next review window. Where working hours do not overlap, arrange a written handover; do not assume round-the-clock coverage or a response time that has not been agreed.
Keep a shared decision log
Use a shared document or order workspace accessible to the buyer, UK coordinator and factory contact. For each request, record the order and batch, decision needed, exact document revision, supporting evidence, named approver, dated deadline in each local time, hold instruction and current status. Link to the actual drawing, sample record or inspection report rather than relying on an attachment buried in a conversation.
Record the approver’s written decision, its time and any conditions. The UK coordinator should pass the instruction to the factory and record its acknowledgement before treating the handover as complete. After a call or chat, add a written recap and ask the approver to confirm it. Use conflicting supplier instructions when messages disagree; identify which instruction replaces the earlier one.
Separate routine updates from approval requests
Agree when routine updates are issued and who reviews them. Each update should show completed work, current evidence, blockers, upcoming decisions and the next dated update. Label messages clearly as “update only” or “approval required”. Send approval requests with the affected batch and revision, the proposed action, alternatives and the effect of waiting.
For example, if a carton artwork revision arrives while you are unavailable, the UK coordinator can gather the factory’s evidence during its working hours. Your approver then reviews the complete request during their agreed window. The coordinator sends the confirmed decision back when available. Ask the factory to hold printing until it receives the authorised instruction, while identifying any unaffected work that may continue.
Escalate urgent shipment decisions with a hold
For an urgent shipment request, obtain the forwarder’s actual dated deadline and time zone, the affected booking, available options and confirmed cost or schedule consequences. Consult shipping cut-off deadlines to distinguish the deadline involved. Send the decision pack through the agreed urgent channel, then contact the named backup if the approver is unavailable. A backup may act only within their recorded authority.
Agree wording such as: “Hold dispatch of the affected batch until the named shipment approver gives written release against the current inspection report. If approval is missing by the logged deadline, keep the hold and report the available rebooking options.” Ask the factory and forwarder to acknowledge the hold within their agreed scope. Silence is not approval; do not authorise release merely to preserve a sailing.
Close each handover and reset the next cycle
After approval, record what the factory or forwarder actually did, any remaining conditions and the next owner and deadline. If the deadline passes without a decision, keep the agreed hold, record any confirmed consequences and issue a fresh dated request. Do not silently extend the deadline or carry an approval over to a changed batch, specification or booking.
For repeat container programmes, review the contact plan before each shipment cycle. Confirm absences, backup authority, calendar conversions and access to the current records. Keep earlier decisions as history, clearly mark replaced instructions and agree who checks that the latest approval has reached the people carrying out the work.
Frequently asked questions
What if our working hours do not overlap?
Use written handovers with the evidence, named approver and a dated deadline in each local time. Agree the next review window and hold the affected step until authorised approval reaches the factory.
Can the UK sourcing company approve for me?
Only within authority you have expressly agreed. Record which decisions the named UK contact may make and which need your approval. Passing on an instruction does not itself confer approval authority.
What if I miss a shipping approval deadline?
Keep the agreed shipment hold. Ask the coordinator to confirm available rebooking options and any cost or schedule consequences, then issue a fresh dated approval request. Missing the deadline is not consent.
Does a read receipt count as factory approval?
Treat a read receipt as message delivery, not approval or acceptance of an instruction. Ask the named contact to acknowledge the exact batch, revision and action, and record that acknowledgement in the shared log.