China factory audit

Factory Audit in China for UAE Buyers

A supplier's website shows what they want you to see. A factory audit shows what is actually there.

GulfCN is a Dubai-based China sourcing company (office in Meydan, Dubai). Our China-side team visits the production site in person for UAE businesses and other international B2B buyers — before you commit a deposit, whether the supplier was found by GulfCN or by you. You receive a written audit report with photos and video from the site. See China sourcing agent for UAE businesses.

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Audit types

Types of factory audit we run

GulfCN runs the factory audits below.

Pre-order factory check

Before the first order: the factory exists, is a manufacturer (not only a trading company) and makes the product you are buying.

Manufacturing capability check

Whether lines, equipment, workforce and capacity fit your product, specification and volume.

Social and ethical audit

Working conditions and practices observed on site, as agreed in the scope.

Audit of a supplier you found yourself

Alibaba, 1688, a trade fair or a direct contact: send the details and we check the site.

Repeat audit

Re-checking a factory you already work with, for example before a new or larger order or after a change at the supplier.

The scope is agreed for each audit. Audits are not a third-party certification.

Scope

What a factory audit can check

Scope depends on the assignment and what is available at the site. Where applicable, GulfCN checks:

Location and identity

Whether the site address matches the documents shown for that supplier.
Whether the company named on the quotation is the company at the site.
Signs that the counterpart is a trading company rather than a factory.

Facilities

As visible on the visit.

Workshops used for the product.
Equipment on the floor.
Production lines.
Warehouse space for raw materials and for finished goods.

Capacity

Staff on shift, as observable during the visit.
How the lines are loaded at the time of the visit.
Whether the volume stated for the order looks realistic against what is on the floor.
Workforce and operational capacity relevant to the requested goods.

Quality process

As observed.

Incoming check of materials, where that step is visible.
Checks on the line.
Final check of the goods at the site.

Documents

Which licences and certificates are shown during the visit.
Whether those documents match the company at the site.
The documents shown are recorded for the assignment.

Not a legal certification service.

Capability & subcontracting

Whether the factory makes the goods itself.
Whether production is passed to another site.
Product-specific requirements from the brief.

Evidence

Photos of the site, the lines and the warehouse.
Video of the site, the lines and the warehouse.
Photos and video are included in the written audit report.

Working conditions (social / ethical audit only)

Working conditions observed during the visit.
Practices observed on site.
Limited to the scope agreed for that audit.
Noted in the written audit report for that visit.

A factory audit is a practical on-site check. It does not replace laboratory testing.

Workflow

How a factory audit runs

The steps run in this order.

Send the supplier and product brief

Name, link or quotation — also for a supplier you found yourself.

Agree the audit type and scope

The audit type and the scope are agreed before the visit.

Visit the site in person

Our China-side team visits the site in person.

Record the findings

Findings are recorded with photos, video and notes.

Written report and recommendation

The next step can be verification, an order, production monitoring, quality control, or a repeat audit.

Timing is agreed for each job.

Report

What the factory audit report contains

This is the structure of the report, not a filled example.

Supplier and site details
Date of visit
Audit type and scope agreed
What was checked
Photos and video from the site
Findings and concerns
Documents seen
Recommendation and next step

What was checked follows the checklist sections agreed for that audit.

Next step

Send supplier details for a factory audit

Found the supplier yourself? Send the link or quotation — our China-side team will propose the right audit. No automatic pricing.

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Separate checks

Factory audit vs supplier verification vs quality control

Each row is a different check. Production monitoring sits between the deposit and the final inspection.

	What is checked	Where	When	Result
supplier verification	The company, its documents and commercial fit.	Checks of the company and its documents. Where the situation requires, our China-side team also visits the factory.	Before the supplier is chosen.	A written verification report and a recommendation.
Factory audit	The production site, lines, capacity and processes. Working conditions when a social or ethical audit is in scope.	On site in China. GulfCN's own team visits in person.	Before a deposit, or as a repeat audit.	A written audit report with photos and video from the site.
quality control	The goods against the specification or approved sample: during-production inspection (DUPRO), pre-shipment inspection (PSI), container loading check and re-inspection after correction.	On site in China. GulfCN's own China-side team inspects in person.	During production, before shipment and at loading — before the second part of the 50/50 payment.	A QC report with photos and video.
production monitoring	How the order is progressing.	At the factory.	Between the deposit and the final inspection.	A monitoring report with photos and video from the factory.

Timing

When to order a factory audit

Buyers ask for a factory audit in these situations.

Before the first deposit.
The supplier was found on Alibaba or 1688, at a trade fair, or by you directly.
Several factories are being compared.
The order is a large B2B order. GulfCN works from USD 15,000 FOB China.
The supplier claims to be a factory but may be a trading company.
Before a new or larger order with an existing supplier (repeat audit).
Working conditions matter to your business or your customers (social and ethical audit).

Payment is 50/50. How those terms are used is explained in MOQ, FOB and T/T terms.

Case

Factory audit in a GulfCN case

For an Abu Dhabi manufacturer, our China-side team visited the manufacturer, inspected the embroidery and quilting machine and recorded it in operation — the client did not need to travel to China. See the factory audit for an Abu Dhabi embroidery machine buyer.

The pasta equipment case was an pasta equipment inspection at a trade fair. That visit was an on-site equipment inspection at a trade fair, not a factory audit.

All GulfCN cases

FAQ

Factory audit questions

What does a factory audit include?

Where applicable: the site, company identity, facilities, machinery, warehouse, capacity, quality processes, available documents, manufacturing capability and photos or video, with a written report. Exact scope follows the assignment.

Can you verify an Alibaba supplier?

Yes. An Alibaba, 1688 or other supplier listing can be the starting point. The audit still checks the actual production site, not only the listing.

Do you provide photos and a report?

Yes. The client receives a written audit report and photo or video evidence where it can be collected on site.

Can you audit a factory before a deposit?

Yes. An audit is normally most useful before the buyer commits funds and production. Send supplier details and product requirements.

What types of factory audit does GulfCN offer?

Pre-order factory checks, manufacturing capability checks, social and ethical audits, audits of suppliers you found yourself, and repeat audits. The scope is agreed for each job; audits are not a third-party certification.

Who visits the factory?

GulfCN's own China-side team visits the site in person.

What does the factory audit report look like?

A written report covering supplier and site details, date of visit, audit type and scope, what was checked, findings and concerns, documents seen and a recommendation, with photos and video from the site. The audit report is issued to the client for their order.

Can you audit a supplier I found myself, or audit the same factory again?

Yes. Send the supplier details and we check the site. Repeat audits are available, for example before a new or larger order.

How is a factory audit different from supplier verification and quality control?

Supplier verification checks the company and its documents; where the situation requires, our China-side team also visits the factory. A factory audit physically checks the production site. Quality control is done in person by our own China-side team: during production, before shipment, at container loading and after corrections.