So you’ve found a supplier you’d like to work with. What are your next steps? How do you ensure their facility is up to par? What are things to look out for? What does IFA encompass or include? Don’t worry – we will go over the answers to all your questions!

Who performs a factory inspection? The initial factory inspection will include a review by a third party or individual not affiliated with the seller (the factory). It is in your best interest to utilize a partner who will be advocating on your behalf. With one time inspections, once their job is complete – they will not assist in follow up and will be limited in how many follow ups that they provide. Instead, utilizing a quality agent will be an ongoing support system to ensure your factory partners are continuing to meet your expectations.

What is reviewed during inspection? During the initial factory inspection, your inspector will be reviewing the facility for capabilities, capacity, cleanliness, international quality certification, business licenses, alignment with the MSA, processes, safety of the facility, production lines, training records on hand, purchasing & operational controls in place, proper product labeling, and quality management system.

Here are some questions to consider:

● Does the business certificate documents line up?

● Is the facility clean?

● Does your account manager or factory owner seem knowledgeable and well informed?

● Is the factory showing you another company’s product on the floor? If they’re showing another company’s goods, chances are they’re showing yours when you’re not there.

● How is the production line set up?

● How do they react to visit requests and are they interested in developing your product?

While these are just a few of the many things to consider while working with a new factory. A quality partner agent can help find a great organization to work with and will help remove the headache from the process. While there are many reputable and excellent factories, finding them can be challenging and even harder when you’re not familiar with what to look out for. Utilizing a quality partner who can visit your suppliers and communicate with them efficiently is a must for any business to succeed.

Question for my readers:

What problems do you see by looking at the picture of this article if you’re inspecting the factory?

Join the following groups for your sourcing needs-

China Sourcing- https://www.linkedin.com/groups/4462099/

India Sourcing- https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8454669/

Vietnam Sourcing- https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8815822/

Asia Sourcing- https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8909383/

Gifts and Premiums- https://www.linkedin.com/groups/4421652/

Circular Economy- https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13908783/