Secondary path · On-site audit
Audit an Existing China Factory Before You Scale
Secondary path inside China sourcing: when you already know the factory, we walk the floor, review quality systems, verify certifications, and report back in Australia. For new-supplier projects, start on services or a priority industry page.
- Production capacity & equipment verification
- Quality management system (ISO 9001-aligned) audit
- Documentation, certifications & export-history review
- Social & environmental compliance screening (BSCI/SMETA-aligned)
Secondary path in China sourcing
This page supports visit or verify — not the primary commercial offer
Primary path for Australian businesses is finding and vetting new suppliers in China. Use this page when you already have a factory contact to assess. For end-to-end agent support (shortlist through shipment), use the China sourcing agent service. For multi-service comparison, start on services or a priority industry page.
Find and vet new suppliers · Visit or verify an existing supplier
Priority industry landings
- AV & LightingFind and vet China AV and lighting suppliers for Australian projects.Open industry page
- Construction MaterialsSource building materials with AS/NZS, NCC, and WaterMark risk in view.Open industry page
- Agricultural MachineryFind farm-equipment suppliers that can clear Australian biosecurity.Open industry page
1,200+
Pre-screened factories
4
Audit dimensions assessed
160+
Factories on record since 2010
25+
Provinces covered by our network
Why it matters
A factory's sales pitch tells you what they want you to believe. An audit tells you what is true.
Suppliers evolve
Equipment ages, skilled workers leave, cost pressures mount. A factory that met every standard two years ago may have quietly slipped. On-site audit is the only way to know.
Real manufacturer vs middleman
Many suppliers who present as factories are intermediaries. The production line, workforce size, and equipment age tell a different story from the sales profile — but only if someone walks the floor.
Buyer codes demand it
Major retailers and Australian regulators increasingly expect documented factory audits — especially for social compliance (BSCI, SMETA) and environmental management. A clean audit report is becoming a condition of supply.
How this secondary-path factory audit works
Opening & Facility Tour
The audit begins with an opening meeting to confirm scope, followed by a structured walk-through of the entire facility — production lines, raw-material storage, warehousing, maintenance areas, and workforce stations.
Documentation & Certification Review
We examine the supplier's quality management system documentation, product certifications, past audit reports from accredited firms, and export transaction history.
Production Capability & Workforce Assessment
We evaluate machinery condition, maintenance records, production throughput, shift structure, and workforce size against the supplier's stated capacity.
Social & Environmental Compliance Screening
We conduct an initial screen against common buyer compliance frameworks: worker age verification, wage-record sampling, working-hours assessment, health-and-safety conditions, and environmental management.
Why us
We benchmark every factory against real, comparable plants
Our auditors have walked the floors of more than 1,200 Chinese factories across 25-plus provinces. When we assess a supplier's equipment, workforce, and quality systems, we measure them against the genuine spread of competing manufacturers — not against their own marketing materials.
- On-site audit follows a six-step protocol: opening meeting, facility tour, documentation review, production sampling, confidential worker interviews, and closing briefing.
- Quality management systems are assessed against ISO 9001-aligned procedures — documented procedures, QC processes, machinery maintenance records, and raw-material storage practices.
- Social compliance screening covers worker age verification, wage-record sampling, working hours, and health-and-safety conditions (BSCI/SMETA-aligned).
Who should commission a factory audit?
Most of our clients order a factory audit when they are evaluating a new supplier for a significant order, revalidating an existing supplier whose quality has drifted, or meeting a buyer code that requires documented due diligence.
Factory Audit FAQs
Need a secondary-path audit for a known factory?
Tell us the existing factory, product, and any buyer-code requirements. We'll scope the audit as support — primary commercial intent stays on find-and-vet sourcing pages.
- Production capacity & equipment verification
- Quality management system (ISO 9001-aligned) audit
- Documentation, certifications & export-history review
- Social & environmental compliance screening (BSCI/SMETA-aligned)