When should you audit a factory again?
Audit an established factory again when changes, unresolved findings or order results cast doubt on its ability to repeat approved production. Define the decision and evidence needed before booking a visit, rather than assuming a universal interval. Cambridge China Bridge can follow up with its own staff in China.
Start with the decision, not the calendar
Write down what the repeat audit must establish: whether a changed line is ready, whether a corrective action works, or whether the supplier remains suitable for your next commitment. Set a review date as a reminder to assess the evidence, and bring that review forward when a trigger appears.
Check any audit timing or scope your customer or contract specifies separately. For retailer requests, use our ethical audit guide. For an established supplier, use the factory audit checklist as a baseline, then concentrate the visit on what has changed or remains uncertain.
Identify changes that weaken the old evidence
Ask the factory to declare changes since the previous audit: production site, subcontractors, equipment, tooling, key materials, quality staff, supervisors and workload. Compare its answer with current order records and observations. A familiar supplier name does not establish that the same people and processes still make your goods.
Connect each change to a possible failure. A new finishing subcontractor may call for checking incoming acceptance and traceability; a moved line may call for checking setup, measuring equipment and production approval. Our repeat-order change guide explains how to control individual changes; a repeat audit checks whether the surrounding controls still work.
Use unresolved findings and actual order results
Bring the previous findings register, with each action, owner, agreed completion date and proposed closure evidence. Treat an action as open until the evidence supports closure. A photograph of repaired equipment may show a repair; it does not show that operators use it correctly or that the defect has stopped recurring.
Review inspection failures, rework, goods-in rejects, customer returns and delivery problems by product and process. Compare like orders and distinguish factory causes from buyer changes or transport damage. Repeated defects after claimed closure justify checking the cause and the corrective action in production. Our recurring defect guide covers the corrective-action work.
Choose the smallest scope that answers the question
A records review may resolve a documented change or straightforward closure. Choose a targeted site visit when you need to observe a process operating. Broaden the audit when the site has changed, records conflict, failures span several processes or the factory cannot explain who controls production. Arrange the visit while relevant work is running.
Separate supplier capability from batch acceptance and product testing. An audit cannot release a shipment merely because the factory's controls look sound. Our audit and inspection report guide explains the evidence each check provides. For UK consumer products, you must not sell goods you know, or should have known, are unsafe. Treat a suspected safety issue urgently rather than waiting for an audit.
| Trigger | Question to answer | Evidence to seek |
|---|---|---|
| Changed production line | Can the changed process reproduce the approved product? | Setup records, operator instructions and observed production checks |
| Recurring defect after closure | Was the cause removed, and does the control work? | Cause analysis, revised controls and results from subsequent production |
| Unexplained delivery deterioration | Is capacity or production planning undermining the order? | Order schedule, work in progress, bottlenecks and subcontracting records |
| Conflicting or missing records | Can the supplier's production evidence be trusted? | Records traced to actual batches and checks witnessed on the floor |
Record the decision and the next trigger
Ask the report to identify the site, product, process, evidence examined, limitations and unresolved findings. Record your decision separately: continue, continue subject to named conditions, hold the affected commitment, or assess another supplier. Give each condition an owner, a completion date and evidence needed for release.
If performance is stable, findings are evidenced as closed and relevant controls remain unchanged, record why another site audit is not currently warranted. Keep reviewing order results and change declarations. Set the next review around the remaining uncertainty or upcoming commitment, and specify which event would bring it forward.
Frequently asked questions
How often should I audit an existing Chinese factory?
Set review timing from changes, open findings, order results and your next commitment. Check customer or contract conditions separately. Bring the review forward when evidence raises a concern.
Does a failed inspection mean I need another factory audit?
Investigate the failure first. A targeted audit helps when the cause points to process control, recurring defects or unreliable records. Keep the affected batch's acceptance decision separate.
Can I close factory audit findings remotely?
Yes, where records provide convincing closure evidence. Use a site visit when closure depends on observing behaviour, equipment or process controls working during production.
Do good repeat orders mean I can stop auditing?
Good results support a decision to defer a visit when findings are closed and controls remain unchanged. Keep checking changes and order performance, and record what would trigger another audit.