More China Plant Tour Tips - How To Check The Plant

The time that a buyer spends at a plant is crucially important. The main goal of taking a plant tour is to observe and judge the plant. So, taking full advantage of this visit comes down to a few very important considerations: What aspects should you pay particular attention to during the trip? and What questions should be asked in addition to inquiries about the product itself?

Here I want to share some tips based on my personal experience.

• The boss/decision maker of the plant

  In general, the boss/decision maker's attitude or working style is conveyed to his/her subordinates, and hence it will affect the efficiency of the whole production/delivery procedure. So if you find the boss is unprofessional or uncooperative from the very beginning, you should think twice about your choice of supplier.

• The equipment of the plant

  The equipment can normally give a clear impression of the abilities of the plant. We are not necessarily saying the equipment has to be imported equipment; rather, we try to understand if the given equipment can deliver the ideal product. Asking the plant for the equipment list and maintenance status will be a smart test.

• The production procedure and quality control

  Asking the plant if they have proper production procedures/quality control systems is very important. That helps us to understand if there is a systematic way to audit the whole process of implementing our order and insuring the right product is delivered on time. Normally, our questions would be along the following lines:

1. Does the factory have daily production reports?
2. Does it keep a weekly production progress report to identify and compare in-process and completed orders with order delivery dates?
3. Does the factory have a written QA procedures or manuals?
4. Does the factory complete its own final audits?
5. Does the factory have documentation inspection standards?
6. What percentage of received raw materials is inspected?
7. Is there an inspection process between each production section?

• The working environment of the plant

  People sometimes tend to neglect the working environment of the plant. But this is actually an important indicator of the quality of the plant and of some aspects that will affect the quality of the product, such as cleanliness and tidiness of the production areas, and adequate lighting in the factory, especially in areas that will affect the quality of the product (inspection, hand operations, painting, silk screening, printing, packing, testing, etc.), etc.

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