FACTORY AUDIT / 01
Check the processes your product needs.
Start with your product and the decision you need to make. Use the brief below to tell the reviewer what to check.
AUDIT BRIEF / 02
Write these six fields before the audit starts
Give the reviewer a written brief. Name the product, site, evidence to examine and person who will decide what happens next.
| Audit field | Define before the review | Record in the audit file |
|---|---|---|
| Claim or control | The capability, process or control being tested against the order | Criterion used and whether the observation conformed, did not conform or remained unverified |
| Evidence and sample | Required document, record, item, batch or time window, including how examples will be selected | Exact record title, date, sample identity and any selection limitation |
| Site and person | Named production location, relevant area and accountable role | Location observed, people interviewed and any entity or site mismatch |
| Observation | What the reviewer must see instead of infer from a sales statement | Dated fact, linked evidence and the boundary of what was not observed |
| Exception | What counts as missing, contradictory or nonconforming evidence | Finding, affected product or process, containment and required correction |
| Owner and decision | Who can accept risk, require correction, re-audit or stop approval | Owner, due date, release block and next decision state |
Social, environmental, worker-safety and destination-market product compliance require separately scoped criteria and evidence.
Match the legal entity and its registered role
Match the exact Chinese legal name and Unified Social Credit Code to the current company record, licence, quote and contract.
Read the full business scope (经营范围), including limits and licensed activities. Manufacturing wording records an activity; it does not show who runs the workshop.
A foreign register can add a separate filing to review. The NHTSA study covers manufacturer-reported records, not proof that a factory operates.
Next: match the company, check the payee and follow the supplier due diligence sequence.
Bind the manufacturing claim to one named site
Ask for the full Chinese production address and the company that runs it. Record its link to the seller: owner, tenant, branch, affiliate or subcontractor.
For a live walkthrough, agree which areas to see: signs, the relevant line, materials and quality checks. Keep the date and what was actually shown.
A video shows selected conditions at one time. It does not prove site control, steady capacity or who will make the final batch.
Before sharing drawings, ask your legal adviser which parties the NNN agreement should cover. The seller and site operator may differ.
Translate your product into process questions
List the processes your product needs. Ask for evidence of materials, equipment, tooling, tolerances, test methods and batch tracking. Identify any outsourced steps.
Write the product specification before assessing the site.
Compare the quoted output and lead time with shifts, maintenance and other booked work. Name each outside processor and decide which steps need review.
Staff counts, capital, badges and catalogues do not show whether this site can make your product to the agreed standard.
Verify the certificate, then read its scope and sites
Match the certificate holder, number, status, standard, scope and sites. Check the issuer through a contact you found independently.
Management-system certification is not product certification. Your model, materials and test results need their own evidence.
ISO does not issue certificates. It links to IAF CertSearch for accredited certificates. If a search fails, contact the certification or accreditation body.
Finish with proof tied to your order
Agree a dated product specification, test method and pass limits. Tie the approved sample or pilot run to that version. Record how changes will be approved.
Choose a review that fits the product and cost of failure. This may include a technical review, pilot run, independent audit or pre-shipment inspection.
Keep batch records, test results and change notices. A past sample or audit does not cover every future order.
Company records can change too. Recheck affected fields when the seller, site or order changes.
EVIDENCE MAP / 03
What each source can show
Use each source for the question it can answer. Keep the date and any gap alongside the finding.
| Evidence | Useful for | Does not establish |
|---|---|---|
| Current GSXT identity record | Matched legal identity, registered status and displayed scope at the query date | Factory ownership, equipment, capacity, quality or order performance |
| Manufacturing wording in business scope | A first-pass consistency check between the registered role and quoted activity | Which site will make the order or whether production is current or outsourced |
| Dated live site walkthrough | Selected site, process and material observations at one moment | Independent site control, stable capacity or final-batch conformity |
| Verified management-system certificate | Certificate status, named organisation, covered scope and listed locations | Product certification, superior product, or 100% conformity |
| Approved sample or pilot | Evidence against a frozen specification and test method | Unchanged materials, scaled production or every future batch |
| Scoped independent audit or inspection | Third-party observations against stated criteria, location and date | A risk-free supplier or performance outside the assessment scope |
MEASURED / THE “WE HAVE THREE FACTORIES” CLAIM
Check each claimed site separately
A branch entry is a registered relationship. It does not prove that production takes place at that address.
On 22 August 2026, we checked returned branch and investment records for the 45 uniquely matched companies in the NHTSA study.
| Registered structure | Companies | Share |
|---|---|---|
| No branch or investment record returned | 24 | 53% |
| Investment records returned | 18 | 40% |
| Branch records returned | 8 | 18% |
The rows overlap: a company can have both branch and investment records. This is one defined cohort, not a survey of all Chinese factories.
Ask which legal entity runs each proposed site. Obtain its Chinese name, credit code and evidence of its role in your order.
No returned branch record does not mean no factory, no other site or outsourced production. Site control remains a separate question.
DECISION RECORD / 04
Record the next action
Record the finding, open questions, decision owner and next action. The buyer makes the commercial decision.
These states help track unresolved findings. They do not certify the supplier.
| Decision state | Use it when | Required next control |
|---|---|---|
| Not ready | The product, site, critical process, criteria or evidence sample is not defined | Complete the buyer brief before reviewing or commissioning an audit |
| Review open | Required evidence is incomplete or a material contradiction is unexplained | Assign an owner and evidence deadline; keep the affected release blocked |
| Conditional | A narrow exception can be controlled without pretending it is closed | Write the condition, owner, deadline, verification method and prohibited release |
| Correct and re-audit | A material control failed and objective correction must be observed | Contain the risk, obtain corrective evidence and repeat the affected audit scope |
| Do not approve | Evidence fails buyer criteria or the risk cannot be reduced within the order constraints | Record the reason and stop the affected supplier, product or order release |
METHOD / 05
How this checklist was prepared
This checklist is Currawong’s synthesis of the sources below. We rechecked ISO’s public guidance on 5 September 2026.
ISO 19011:2026 concerns management-system audits. Using that guidance does not itself certify a supplier or approve an order.
We have not inspected your supplier, product or order. This guide helps you prepare a review; it is not a factory audit or legal opinion.
PRIMARY SOURCES / 06
Official sources used for this guide
ISO guidance rechecked 5 September 2026. These are source routes, not checks of your supplier. Reopen the relevant record before deciding.
- National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity SystemOfficial China market-entity identity and public registration record used for the first evidence layer.
- State Council: Regulation on the Administration of Registration of Market EntitiesCurrent regulation. It requires market entities to register their business scope under the published classification and separating general from licensed activities.
- ISO 19011:2026: Guidelines for auditing management systemsCurrent guidance on audit principles, audit programmes, conducting audits and auditor competence. It is not supplier certification or buyer approval.
- ISO: Certification and accredited-certificate verificationExplains certification and accreditation roles, that ISO does not issue certificates, and how to verify accredited certification.
- ISO: ISO 9001 in the supply chain (archived explanatory guide)Older official buyer guidance used only for the distinction between purchaser requirements, management-system certification, product conformity and supplier assessment.
- IAF CertSearch: Certificate searchAccredited-certificate search route. Access was unavailable during our review; contact the issuer or accreditation body if needed.
COMMON QUESTIONS / 07
Keep factory-audit conclusions narrow
- What should a China factory audit checklist include?
- At minimum: the matched supplier and site, the product and critical processes, buyer-defined criteria, evidence and sampling instructions, dated observations, exceptions, an accountable owner and the next decision state.
- Is a trading company always the wrong supplier?
- A trading company is not automatically unsuitable. It may add sourcing, export or coordination value. Require the seller to disclose the actual manufacturing site and make responsibility for your order clear.
- Does manufacturing wording prove it is a factory?
- No. It supports a registered-role hypothesis. Site control, current processes, capacity, subcontracting and order fit need separate evidence.
- Is a live video tour enough?
- No. It is a dated observation selected by the supplier. Use it to ask better questions, then escalate according to order risk.
- Does ISO 9001 certify my product?
- No. ISO 9001 concerns a quality-management system. Match the certificate’s organisation, locations and scope, then verify product requirements separately.
- Does following ISO 19011 approve the supplier?
- No. ISO 19011 provides guidance for auditing management systems. The audit criteria, evidence, findings and buyer decision still need to be defined and recorded for this supplier and order.
- When should I use an independent audit?
- When the order value, safety impact, custom tooling, process complexity or cost of failure makes supplier-selected evidence insufficient. Define the site, processes, documents and acceptance criteria before commissioning it.