Supplier audits involve reviewing or evaluating factories according to specific standards. Brands request factory audits to strengthen supply chain management, ensure stable product quality, and avoid risks such as negative publicity and product recalls. These audits also serve to identify new, high-quality suppliers and improve the quality control of existing suppliers. Factory audits generally fall into categories such as human rights audits, quality audits, environmental audits, and anti-terrorism audits. A supplier audit is a comprehensive assessment and verification process of a factory's production capabilities and performance. Its core purpose is to ensure that all aspects of the supply chain, including production processes, environment, and management systems, meet established quality and safety standards, thereby ensuring that customers receive satisfactory products. Supplier audits focus not merely on inspections at a specific point in time or for a particular product. Instead, they emphasize a thorough and accurate assessment of the factory's overall quality management capabilities. This includes a comprehensive evaluation of the factory's policies, procedures, and records to ensure its ability to consistently deliver high-quality products. The audit examines the factory's quality system and related documentation, its size, production capacity, equipment, and processes, covering all areas including workshops, warehouses, offices, power distribution rooms, and boiler rooms.

Qualification and Compliance Verification:

Verify the supplier's business license, industry qualification certificates, etc., to ensure they possess the legal qualifications and conditions for operation.

Assess whether the supplier complies with relevant laws and regulations, industry standards, and the company's procurement policies, including but not limited to requirements related to environmental protection, labor rights, and business ethics.

Quality Management System Audit:

Review the supplier's quality manual, procedural documents, work instructions, etc., and assess the completeness, standardization, and applicability of its quality management system.

Conduct on-site inspections of the supplier's production site, laboratory, warehouse, etc., to verify the actual operation of its quality management system, including process control, personnel training, equipment maintenance, etc.

Perform sampling inspection or 100% inspection of the products provided by the supplier to ensure that they meet quality requirements and technical standards.

Supply Chain Management Capability Audit:

Assess the adequacy of the supplier evaluation and selection process, ensuring it is based on objective and reliable indicators and criteria.

Review the supplier's supply chain management processes, including procurement, production, logistics, and inventory management, to ensure efficiency, stability, and traceability.

Social Responsibility and Sustainability Audit:

Assess whether the supplier respects employee labor rights, including working hours, wages and benefits, and non-discrimination principles.

Review the supplier's environmental protection measures and energy conservation and emission reduction efforts to ensure compliance with environmental requirements and promotion of sustainable development.

Assess the supplier's business ethics, including integrity in business operations, fair competition, and intellectual property protection.

Industry-Specific Audit Requirements:

Depending on the industry and the characteristics of the products purchased, supplier audits may also include specific requirements. For example, the food industry may require auditing the supplier's food safety management system; the pharmaceutical industry may require auditing the supplier's GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) compliance.

Audit Report and Improvement Recommendations:

Upon completion of the audit, the audit team will prepare a detailed audit report, summarizing the issues and highlights identified, and providing improvement recommendations. Suppliers should implement the recommendations in the audit report to continuously improve their capabilities and quality levels.

Key aspects of factory technical assessment:

1, Manufacturer basic information

2, Production machinery and equipment

3, Human resources

4, Quality control system

5, Production capacity

6, Management system and capabilities

7, Production processes and production lines

8, Environment

Key points of factory production control:

1, Production plan analysis

2, Material ledger review

3, Material P/O (Production Order) issuance review

4, Equipment and tool maintenance status review

5, Shipping management plan

6, Defective product handling methods

7, Progress management analysis

8, Work instructions and training

9, Document management

10, Production personnel skills management

11, Management personnel

12, Assembly line management

Key points of factory environmental assessment:

1, Factory environment

2, Living environment

3, Industrial safety

4, Fire safety

5, Chemical safety

6, Other aspects of assessment

Key points to check and photograph during supplier audit site visits:

1, Factory gate, factory name, office photos

2, Factory sample room photos

3, Factory equipment photos, names (in English) and quantities (equipment list and measuring instrument list); photos of measuring instrument calibration certificates; photos of equipment maintenance plans and implementation sheets

4, Do workers have written operation manuals? If so, please take photos (work instructions on the assembly line or at other workstations). Take a group photo of all procedure documents.

5, How many people are in the QC department? How many engineers? How many employees are in the factory? Employee training records.

6,Does QC have a written quality manual for reference? If so, please take photos.

7, Are there incoming material inspection records? If so, please take photos. Photos of the incoming material inspection area and inspection standards.

8, Are there in-production inspection records? If so, please take photos. Product inspection area photos and inspection standards:

9, During production, are there customer or factory drawings for reference? If so, please take photos.

10, Before shipment, does the factory have inspection records? If so, please take photos (finished product inspection record sheet).

11, If rework is required, is there a rework re-inspection report? If so, please take photos.

12, Does the factory accept third-party inspections?

13, Raw material warehouse photos.

14, Are raw materials correctly labeled? If so, please take photos.

15,Is the warehouse clean and orderly? Please take photos.

16, Is the product packaging area clean and orderly? Please take photos.

17, Are there written packaging instructions for workers' reference? If so, please take photos.

18, Is the packaging area protected against severe weather? Please take photos.

19, Is the warehouse protected against severe weather? Please take photos.

20, Is the production area well-lit? Please take photos. Are protective clothing and gloves provided?

21, Does the factory have a safety production manual? If so, please take photos.

22, Ventilation conditions in the workshop and warehouse?

23, Are there finished product inspection records? If so, please take photos.

24, Supplier directory (qualified supplier directory) and evaluation records. Please take photos.

25, Product identification records (qualified, unqualified, pending, and their area classification);

26, Management review records;

27, Corrective and preventive action records;

28, Emergency supplies (first-aid kit);

29, Workshop fire safety facilities and safety exit signs; Inspection records;

30, Organizational chart and product process flow diagram;

31, Laboratory photos, sample room, meeting room, offices, general manager's office, quality and technical departments;

32,  Business cards, general manager's business card and business signature (see last page);

33, Inquire about the availability of a canteen and employee dormitory;

34, Bank account opening and export registration;

35, Number of production lines, online checklists, online packaging, and other processes (photos).

The factory provides the following verification documents:

1, Factory Business License

2, Whether the factory building is rented or owned, please provide relevant documents

3, Whether the factory's legal representative or shareholders own other factories, if so, please ,provide relevant documents

5, Factory floor area (area in square feet or square meters)

6, Number of factory employees (how many people are in each department)

7, Company annual sales (three years)

8, (Main products manufactured by the factory) RoHS, IEC, CE, etc. certificates

9, Product-related certification certificates

10, Does the factory have import and export rights? If so, please provide relevant documents

11, Does the factory sell on e-commerce platforms? If so, please list them

12, Has the factory participated in trade shows? If so, please provide relevant photos

13, Does the factory have ISO or other quality system certifications? If so, please provide scanned copies of relevant certificates

14, What products does the factory mainly produce?