How to prepare for a factory visit in China
Agree what the visit must resolve, request documents against your specification and book access to the relevant staff and working processes. Afterwards, record observations, missing evidence and actions with owners and deadlines. Cambridge China Bridge can support this work through its own staff in China.
Make the appointment about a buying decision
Write down the decision the visit should support: whether to commission a sample, resolve a production concern or continue assessing the supplier. Turn each uncertainty into a question with evidence to request. Use the factory audit checklist for the assessment itself; this guide covers organising the appointment and recording its outcome.
Send the agenda and ask the factory to confirm the production address, attendees, relevant processes running during the visit and access restrictions. Agree photography, document copying and interpretation arrangements beforehand. If the relevant line will be idle, decide whether to rearrange or record that production could not be observed.
Request an evidence pack before travelling
Send your current specification, drawings, packaging brief and unresolved questions. Ask for a process map identifying work done elsewhere, records from comparable production, sample identification and the names of the people responsible. Use writing a product specification to settle the brief before asking the factory to prepare.
For consumer products, UK manufacturers and importers must demonstrate compliance with relevant safety requirements. Request available product-specific reports before travelling and flag gaps for review. Our guide to verifying product test reports explains the document checks. Mark each item as received, missing or needing clarification; use unresolved items to shape the visit.
Arrange access to the people doing the work
Ask the sales contact to arrange discussions with the production supervisor, quality lead and whoever controls materials and specification changes. Allocate agenda questions to these roles. Bring an interpreter who can handle technical terms, and agree who will take notes so that explanations are captured while you follow the process.
Ask each person to explain the same proposed order from their role: which specification they receive, what they check and whom they contact when something is wrong. Record conflicting answers and ask to see the working instruction or record that resolves them. Use verifying factory capability for equipment questions rather than repeating a general tour.
Follow an actual job through the process
Ask the factory to select a current job comparable to yours and explain how it relates to your product. Follow its materials, working instructions, production checks and packing records. Where customer confidentiality prevents copying, ask to view redacted records and note what you could actually examine.
For each observation, record the process, document revision, sample or batch reference and person explaining it. Distinguish what you saw from what staff described. A staged demonstration, an unavailable subcontractor or a different product may still provide useful information, but record the limit instead of treating it as proof about your order.
Leave with a written follow-up record
Before leaving, read back unresolved findings and proposed actions with the factory. Send a written record afterwards, ask for corrections and keep the original notes alongside the agreed version. Attach permitted photographs and document references so a colleague who did not attend can understand the basis of the findings.
Make your buying decision separately from the supplier's promises. Keep an unresolved finding open until the requested evidence has been reviewed. If it changes the specification or production arrangement, update the buying documents before proceeding.
| Record field | What to write |
|---|---|
| Visit details | Date, site address, attendees and purpose |
| Finding and evidence | Observation, document or photograph reference, and any access limitation |
| Open question | What remains uncertain and why it affects the buying decision |
| Action and owner | Requested evidence or change, named responsible person and agreed deadline |
| Closure and decision | Evidence reviewed, reviewer, outcome and conditions for proceeding |
Frequently asked questions
What should I send before a factory visit?
Send the current specification, drawings, packaging brief and unresolved questions. Request relevant records and confirm the site, attendees, working processes and access arrangements.
Who should I meet at a Chinese factory?
Ask to meet the production supervisor, quality lead and people handling materials and specification changes, alongside your sales contact. Match questions to their responsibilities.
What if the production line is not running?
Ask whether the visit can be rearranged. If you attend, record that production was not observed and identify what still needs checking before you decide to proceed.
What should a factory visit report include?
Include the site, attendees, objectives, observations and evidence references. Record access limits, open questions, actions, owners, deadlines and the evidence needed to close each finding.