Factory prioritises larger customers: what to do
Compare the confirmed production slot with subsequent changes and ask management to explain who reassigned capacity. Agree a written allocation arrangement with evidence checks and escalation triggers, while starting backup qualification before stock runs out. For support with factory follow-up in China, contact Cambridge China Bridge.
Establish whether your allocation actually changed
Build an order history showing the accepted quantity, specification, production slot and completion date alongside each later revision. Attach order acknowledgements, dated schedules and messages explaining the changes. Ask whether your materials, line time or work in progress were reassigned. Record a factory admission separately from your own suspicion; a missed date alone does not prove that a larger customer displaced you.
Ask for an extract of the production plan showing your order before and after the change, with other customers' details removed. Check material availability, buyer approvals and equipment problems as alternative causes. UK government resilience guidance emphasises supply-chain data and visibility for decisions. Use the factory delay guide for immediate shipment recovery; this guide addresses repeated loss of allocation.
Escalate to whoever controls production priorities
Send the history to the factory manager or production director, copying your sales contact. Ask who authorised each change, whether your accepted orders have protected capacity, and who can commit to keeping the revised slot. Request a discussion involving production planning and material purchasing rather than another reassurance from sales.
Explain the business impact using your actual stock position and customer commitments. Ask management to choose a workable response: protect the agreed allocation, offer a realistic smaller release, or state that it cannot support your ordering pattern. Send a written meeting record identifying commitments, owners, evidence and the next review date.
Write down how capacity will be allocated
Separate an indicative forecast from an accepted order and a reserved production slot. Record which products, quantities, materials and production resources the arrangement covers; when forecasts become firm; what the buyer must approve or provide; and how the factory confirms acceptance. A promise of priority is too vague without an identifiable slot and evidence that the necessary resources are available.
Agree how competing demand will be handled, who may approve a proposed change, when you must be notified and what recovery proposal must accompany it. Include update evidence, an escalation contact and a review point after a failed commitment. Record any reservation charge, purchase commitment or unused-capacity cost before accepting it. Use the production capacity guide to assess whether the arrangement is credible.
Set triggers for backup qualification
Start qualifying backup supply when management refuses a written allocation arrangement, cannot identify protected resources, repeatedly moves accepted slots, or fails to provide the agreed evidence. Also start when your remaining stock cover approaches the time needed to qualify and receive alternative supply. Base that decision on your product and customer exposure, rather than waiting for another missed shipment.
Distinguish the trigger to start qualification from the decision to transfer orders. Follow the backup supplier qualification guide for specification, pilot and approval gates. Keep the incumbent supplying where workable while the candidate is tested. Agree internally who can release work to the backup and what evidence must exist before that happens.
Judge the factory by delivery against the arrangement
Review whether accepted slots stayed in place, updates arrived as agreed and finished goods matched the promised release. Keep the original commitment visible beside the latest forecast so repeated revisions cannot appear as successful delivery. A management signature is a starting point; retained allocation and completed orders show whether the arrangement works.
If displacement continues, limit new exposure according to your stock needs and approved alternatives. Before cancelling orders, withholding payment or seeking compensation, review the actual contract and obtain appropriate advice, as explained in the delay guide. For Cambridge China Bridge support, provide the order history, management responses and allocation proposal, and agree the scope of follow-up by our staff in China.
Frequently asked questions
How do I prove a factory gave my slot to a bigger buyer?
Compare acknowledged schedules with revised plans and ask management to explain reassigned line time or materials. Keep admissions and dated evidence separate from assumptions.
Should I pay more to get factory priority?
Ask what capacity the payment reserves, how acceptance is confirmed and what happens if the slot moves. Compare the full commitment with qualifying another source before agreeing.
What should a factory allocation agreement include?
Covered orders and resources, forecast and acceptance rules, buyer obligations, handling of competing demand, change approval, notice, evidence updates and management escalation.
When should I start qualifying a backup factory?
Start when allocation commitments remain unsupported or repeatedly fail, or when stock cover approaches the time needed to qualify and receive alternative supply. Transfer orders only after your approval gates pass.