Test a China supplier business continuity plan
Rehearse a factory shutdown using current stock records and supplier evidence. Make participants demonstrate who activates backup supply, whether tooling is accessible and when approved goods reach your UK operation. Record gaps, assign corrective actions and retest before acceptance. China-side checks can be supported by Cambridge China Bridge.
Set the shutdown scenario and acceptance criteria
UK government exercising guidance says planning and preparation cannot be considered reliable until exercised and shown to be workable. Apply that principle to a critical supplier: assume its production site becomes unavailable, its sales contact cannot confirm recovery and an expected shipment cannot leave. Choose affected product revisions and UK operations, then freeze the stock, demand and order records used in the exercise.
Agree the minimum service you need to sustain, the interruption your operations can tolerate and what evidence would justify accepting the plan. Include procurement, operations, quality, compliance, logistics, finance and supplier representatives. Appoint a facilitator and a recorder. Use the procurement risk register to select dependencies to challenge; the exercise should test responses rather than repeat the risk assessment.
Make participants activate the response
Present the shutdown notice and ask participants to use the actual plan, contact list and approval route. Record when the disruption is recognised, who declares it, who authorises backup orders and spending, and who communicates with affected UK sites and customers. Test what happens when the usual approver is unavailable. Mark every exercise message clearly and prevent simulated decisions from becoming live purchase orders.
Introduce complications during the discussion: warehouse stock is quarantined, the backup factory withdraws its provisional slot, or tooling cannot be collected. Ask participants to revise their response using available evidence. Log the decision, decision-maker, information used and unresolved assumptions. An unanswered call or unsupported promise is an evidence gap, not a successful activation.
Challenge stock, capacity and tooling evidence
Reconcile warehouse records with stock condition, approved revision, customer allocation and actual access. Exclude quarantined or unsuitable goods from usable cover. Treat incoming shipments separately until their status is checked. Apply demand to usable stock through the recovery sequence, showing which UK activity loses supply first. Do not let participants count the same stock against competing commitments.
Ask the backup supplier to substantiate its available production slot, materials, equipment, labour and approved product configuration. Check whether it shares a vulnerable component source or subcontractor with the primary factory. Use the dual-sourcing volume policy for allocation decisions and backup supplier support for sourcing work; neither replaces evidence that the backup can execute this response.
| Dependency | Evidence to request | Failure to record |
|---|---|---|
| Usable stock | Warehouse reconciliation, release status and allocations | Stock runs out before replacement goods are available |
| Backup capacity | Written slot confirmation, material availability and relevant production records | Capacity is provisional or depends on the disrupted source |
| Tooling access | Location, condition, custodian confirmation and a demonstrated retrieval route | Ownership records exist but practical access is unproven |
| Production information | Accessible approved drawings, BOM, samples and inspection criteria | The backup cannot reproduce the approved revision |
| UK delivery | Production sequence, inspection arrangements, freight availability and warehouse receiving confirmation | Factory completion is mistaken for usable UK supply |
Prove the recovery sequence beyond factory restart
Build the recovery sequence from authorisation through tooling retrieval or replacement, material procurement, pilot approval, production, inspection, shipment and UK warehouse release. Ask the responsible party to support each duration and dependency. Distinguish first usable delivery from recovery to the required sustained output. Compare the resulting arrival dates with stock exhaustion and show any gap openly.
Arrange bounded practical checks where discussion leaves uncertainty: retrieve a drawing from the authorised archive, confirm tooling access with its custodian, or run an approved backup pilot. Agree scope and spending before physical work. Use the factory-switch schedule for transition planning, manufacturer sourcing support for production checks and container programmes for recurring shipment arrangements. A tabletop discussion alone does not demonstrate production or delivery performance.
Close gaps before accepting the plan
Produce an exercise record containing the scenario, record versions, participants, decisions, supporting evidence and the projected UK supply gap. Give each failed dependency an owner, corrective action, due date and closure evidence. Separate demonstrated capability from assumptions and missing evidence. Record whether the plan is accepted, accepted with stated limitations or rejected, with buyer approval and the consequences of any residual risk.
Retest affected steps after corrective work, and revisit the exercise when demand, tooling, supplier capacity or the logistics route changes. If the shutdown becomes permanent, move to product discontinuation planning. Cambridge China Bridge can use its own staff in China to check factory records, backup readiness and practical tooling arrangements; the buyer retains activation authority and plan acceptance.
Frequently asked questions
How do we test a critical Chinese supplier's continuity plan?
Simulate a shutdown using current records. Follow the actual activation route, challenge stock and backup evidence, and compare usable UK delivery with stock exhaustion. Assign actions and retest failed steps.
Does a backup supplier quote prove continuity?
A quote does not demonstrate a usable production slot, available materials, tooling access or approved output. Request evidence for the recovery sequence and test uncertain dependencies.
How do we test tooling access during a shutdown?
Confirm location, condition, custodian and release arrangements. Demonstrate the retrieval route and check that the backup has compatible equipment and approved production information.
Who should approve the supplier continuity plan?
Name the buyer's acceptance authority before the exercise. Obtain input from operations, procurement, quality, compliance and logistics, and record limitations, corrective actions and any accepted residual risk.