Factory Profile
Review available business information, site details, operating history, workforce and general facility profile within the agreed mandate.
Audit Framework
Assess the factory behind the quotation.
A factory audit should answer a practical question: does the facility appear capable of producing and controlling the required scope with the systems, equipment and resources it claims to have?
Equipment & Production Environment
Observe production areas, key machinery, warehouse space, line status and whether the visible equipment supports the claimed process.
Quality Management System
Review available quality procedures, inspection instructions, nonconformance controls, records and relevant management-system certificates.
Calibration & Maintenance
Check whether relevant inspection instruments show calibration control and whether equipment maintenance records are available.
Production Process Control
Walk the manufacturing flow and review work instructions, in-process QC, nonconforming-product handling and any outsourced processes.
Laboratory & Testing Capability
Review available in-house test equipment and identify where third-party testing is required for the product or client specification.
Raw Material & Incoming Quality
Review storage, identification, incoming inspection records and acceptance controls for raw materials where relevant.
Traceability
Assess whether raw materials, semi-finished products and finished goods can be identified and traced through available records or labels.
Engineering & R&D Capability
Where relevant, review design resources, product-development capability, technical staff and supporting evidence.
Evidence-Based Audit
Documents, observations and photographs should support the conclusion.
- Document review.
Business records, quality procedures, certificates, inspection records, maintenance records and other scope-relevant documents. - Site walkthrough.
Production lines, raw-material areas, work-in-process, finished goods, warehouses, QC areas and test facilities. - Capability evidence.
Machinery, production flow, staffing and observed operating conditions compared with the supplier's stated capability. - Risk observations.
Gaps such as weak segregation, missing status labels, limited testing capability or process-control concerns are documented for buyer review.
PROFILEFacility, workforce and operating background
PROCESSProduction flow, machinery and outsourcing
QUALITYQMS, QC, calibration and records
CONTROLRaw material, testing and traceability
CONCLUSIONStrengths, gaps, evidence and recommended next actions.
Audit Output
A conclusion with a visible basis.
Depending on the client's mandate, the audit can be structured as a narrative capability review or a scored assessment across defined modules.
Overall Assessment
Clear conclusion or rating based on the agreed audit framework and evidence collected onsite.
Strengths & Capability
Documented evidence supporting production capacity, quality controls, equipment, staffing and technical capability.
Gaps & Improvement Points
Specific observations that may require supplier clarification, corrective action, further testing or commercial protection.
Important: a factory audit is an evidence-based capability assessment, not a guarantee of future product quality. For meaningful supplier risk control, audit findings should be combined with appropriate product inspections, contractual controls and other due diligence as required.
Factory Audit vs Product Inspection
They answer different questions.
Factory Audit
Can this supplier's facility, systems and resources support the intended manufacturing scope?
Product Inspection
Do the goods presented at a specific stage conform to the agreed inspection criteria?
Used Together
Audit the supplier before commitment, then inspect the product during production or before shipment when the risk justifies it.
Before the Audit
Define what you need the audit to answer.
01
Supplier Details
Factory name, location, website, contact and product scope.
02
Buyer Requirement
Product, specification, expected capacity and quality expectations.
03
Audit Priorities
Key risks such as machinery, welding, testing, traceability, capacity or QMS.
04
Report Format
Define whether a scored audit, narrative review or custom checklist is required.
Audit Methodology
Capability assessment beyond the factory gate.
Our methodology covers production equipment, QMS, calibration, process control, testing capability, incoming material control and traceability.
Read inspection & audit methodology →Need to audit a factory?
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