How to manage design changes during a China order
Put the affected work on hold, identify the current and proposed revisions, and reconcile quantities against the factory's actual production status. Agree what happens to completed work, costs and delivery before issuing a written release for the revised design. Cambridge China Bridge can coordinate these checks through its staff in China.
Identify the change and hold affected work
Send a change notice naming the order, product, part and current approved revision. Give the proposed revision a distinct identifier and date, attach the changed files, and describe what changed and why. Avoid filenames such as 'latest' or 'final'. Use the product specification guide for the underlying specification; the change notice records how this order departs from it.
Ask the factory to acknowledge a hold on affected purchasing, tooling and production operations, naming exactly what may continue. Request the hold's effective time and a status report. Sending a revised drawing does not establish that work has stopped or that the factory has accepted the change.
Reconcile quantities before choosing a cut-off
Ask for dated quantities by stage: materials committed, parts made, assemblies in progress, finished goods, packed goods and goods already dispatched. Separate physical stock from purchasing commitments. For assemblies and their components, show the relationship so the same goods are not counted again. Support the report with stock records, photographs and checks on the factory floor.
Allocate the order quantity between the old revision, the revised design and goods awaiting a decision. Define the cut-off by identifiable batch, serial range or production lot, together with its quantity. A date alone is weak when work overlaps. Use batch traceability to preserve that split through packing and delivery.
Decide what happens to work already completed
Record a decision for each affected group: retain the old design where acceptable, rework, replace, or scrap. Keep undecided goods segregated and on hold. Ask which materials, tooling, components and printed packaging can be reused. Request evidence of committed costs and completed work rather than accepting an unexplained change charge.
Agree who pays each additional cost, any credit for reusable items, the revised delivery plan and the checks needed after rework. Record these commercial decisions alongside the change notice. Approval of the engineering design should not leave the treatment of existing goods or the cost of the change unresolved.
Check the revised configuration before release
Review mating parts, tooling, materials, assembly instructions, packaging, labels and inspection criteria against the revised design. Ask for a revised sample or a trial build where needed, and retain the approval evidence. An existing test report may no longer describe a changed configuration. See modified product compliance for the separate compliance review.
Manufacturers and importers placing products on the UK market need to demonstrate compliance with relevant safety requirements. Ask the person responsible for compliance to record whether the change affects existing evidence and what further assessment is needed. Keep production release and shipment approval separate if testing or document checks remain outstanding.
Issue a written release and verify its use
Have the authorised buyer issue a written release naming the order, approved revision, attached drawing and BOM versions, affected quantities, cut-off and disposition of existing work. Include agreed costs, delivery changes, sample approval and any remaining hold points. State which documents are superseded. Use order approval controls to establish who may authorise the release.
Obtain the factory's written acknowledgement and confirmation that purchasing, production and inspection teams have received the released package and withdrawn superseded working copies. Check the first output against the released design. Before shipment, reconcile quantities by revision and require packing records to identify any agreed mixed-revision delivery.
Frequently asked questions
Can I change a drawing after production starts?
You can propose a change, but first confirm affected work is on hold. Reconcile production status, agree the treatment of existing goods, costs and delivery, then release the approved revision in writing.
Does approving a new sample release production?
Make sample approval and production release separate records. The release should identify the approved files, affected quantities and cut-off, plus the decisions on existing work, costs and delivery.
Who pays for parts already made?
Check the agreed order terms and negotiate against evidence of completed work and commitments. Record the agreed cost allocation, reuse credits and disposition before releasing the change.
Can old and new revisions ship together?
Agree this expressly only where both are acceptable for their intended use. Keep quantities and identities separate, label packing records by revision, and check that receiving staff can distinguish them.