Managing Multiple Chinese Factories for One Product

Decide what to split and who coordinates it

Separate parts by manufacturing process or specialist capability, rather than simply choosing the cheapest quote for each item. Compare the complete assembled cost, including transfers between factories, incoming checks, assembly, rejected parts and rework. Keep tightly interacting parts together where splitting them would make faults difficult to diagnose.

Create a BOM showing each part, its supplier, drawing revision and assembly destination. Appoint a coordinator who controls the master specification and an assembler who accepts incoming parts. Agree who supplies consumables, owns tooling, stores unfinished goods and authorises changes. For supplier capability checks, use the factory audit checklist.

Specify the interfaces, then prove the fit

Give adjoining suppliers the same controlled interface drawing. Define mating dimensions, tolerances, reference surfaces, fasteners, material requirements and visible finish boundaries. For electrical connections, specify connectors, pin assignments and operating requirements. Review how tolerances combine across adjoining parts; individually acceptable parts can still fail to fit together.

Ask the intended assembler to build a trial using parts from the intended suppliers. Record fit, function, appearance and the assembly method against written acceptance criteria. Resolve adjustments before approving production. Keep an approved assembled sample as well as component samples; the guide to matching production to the sample covers sample control.

Route every proposed material, tooling or drawing change through the coordinator. Identify affected parts, obtain the assembler's review and decide whether another trial is needed. Withdraw superseded drawings from active production and record which batches use each revision.

Schedule accepted arrivals, not factory finish dates

Work backwards from assembly and shipment. Link component approval, production, inspection, transfer, incoming acceptance, assembly and final release in a shared schedule. Ask each factory what must arrive or be approved before it can start. Identify the part whose absence stops assembly and review its progress using production evidence.

Plan transport and protective packaging between factories. Track usable accepted quantities, not just quantities dispatched. Allow for replacements and rework when agreeing the schedule, without promising a buffer unsupported by factory capacity. When a dependency slips, record the effect on assembly and shipment; use the factory delay guide for supplier follow-up.

Give defects an owner at every handover

Agree written acceptance criteria and evidence at each handover. The component supplier checks its output, the assembler checks incoming parts and assembly, and the nominated release owner reviews the finished product. Record who can reject a batch or stop assembly. Do not let an incoming signature automatically close responsibility for hidden defects.

Agree a defect investigation process before ordering: quarantine affected stock, preserve samples, identify component batches and compare findings with the approved drawings. Set out who arranges sorting, replacements, rework and repeat checks, and how costs will be resolved. Keep this operational agreement visible to every supplier.

Inspect the assembled product for fit, function, finish, completeness and packaging against the agreed specification. Separate delivery delays from defects caused by assembly or components. A shared issue log should name the action owner, evidence needed and release decision, so suppliers cannot close a problem merely by passing it elsewhere.

Release the finished product with its records

Manufacturers and importers placing products on the UK market need to demonstrate compliance with relevant safety requirements. In your project plan, distinguish the factory's assembly and quality tasks from the manufacturer's or importer's compliance work. Identify the applicable product guidance before approving the design and testing plan.

Maintain a release file linking the finished batch to component suppliers, revisions, inspection findings, assembly checks and relevant test reports. Check that reports relate to the materials and configuration actually used. Make final shipment approval depend on resolved defects and the agreed release evidence.

If goods move through a consolidation warehouse, specify whether it only stores and dispatches them or also performs assembly and checks. Agree handling instructions and who approves release before transfer. Cambridge China Bridge's staff in China can coordinate factory handovers and assembly follow-up; consolidation services can support the agreed shipping arrangement.