The inspection is the product. The factory is the vendor.
A low quote is easy to find. What you're paying us for is the system that makes the tenth reorder look like the golden sample — written down before the first PO, so nobody negotiates it after a bad shipment. Every checkpoint below is included in the fee.
From the first factory visit to the sealed container.
| Checkpoint | What happens | Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Factory audit | On-site before any PO: capability, capacity, quality records, working conditions, sub-supplier list. | Photo report, 40-point checklist |
| Golden sample / FAI | Approved sample locked and retained in three places: you, us, the factory. Engineered parts get a first-article report against the drawing. | FAI in AS9102 format, ballooned drawing |
| In-process check | Inspection at 20–30% of the run, while a problem is still cheap to fix. | Dimensional + visual, sampled |
| Pre-shipment inspection | Statistical sampling of finished goods before the container is loaded. You read the report before you release the shipment. | ANSI/ASQ Z1.4 · AQL 2.5 major / 4.0 minor default |
| Loading supervision | Carton count, marking, container condition, seal number photographed. | Loading report + seal photo |
| Defect remediation | Rework, replace, or credit — the sequence and the timelines are agreed in writing before the first PO. | Remediation policy in the supply agreement |
What rides with every SKU, so a border hold is an inconvenience and not a crisis.
Three numbers, every month, for every active account.
Measured at the factory gate against the confirmed ship date, per PO. Slips are explained, not averaged away.
Major and minor defects found at pre-shipment, and anything you report on receipt. Both go on the factory's record.
Actual landed cost per unit against the baseline from the original re-quote, so the saving is verified every month, not promised once.
Questions we get on this
What does a pre-shipment inspection in China (or any other origin) cover?
Statistical sampling of finished, packed goods before the container is loaded, against the approved golden sample and spec: workmanship, function, dimensions, color, labeling, packing, carton markings, and quantity. Sampling follows ANSI/ASQ Z1.4 with AQL 2.5 for major defects and 4.0 for minor by default; tighter levels are available. You receive the report with photos and release the shipment — or don’t.
What does a factory audit check?
A 40-point on-site checklist: business license and legal identity, ownership (factory or trading company), production equipment and capacity, quality management system and records, incoming inspection, calibration, engineering capability, sub-supplier list, working conditions and social compliance, and financial stability signals. With photos, before any PO.
Can we use our own third-party inspector (QIMA, SGS, Intertek)?
Yes. Our inspection is included in the 10% fee, but if your customer or your quality system requires a named third party, we coordinate it and reconcile the reports. Many clients use both on the first two shipments.
What happens when an inspection fails?
The shipment does not leave. The remediation policy agreed before the first PO sets the sequence — sort and rework at the factory, re-inspect, replace, or credit — and the timelines. Because it was agreed in advance, nobody negotiates it under deadline pressure.
What is supplier verification versus a factory audit?
Verification is a desk check: business registration, export records, references, and whether the address is a factory or an office. It filters candidates before we spend a day on site. An audit is the on-site visit. Both happen before a factory is quoted to you.
Send us your top five SKUs. Get every viable origin back.
No commitment. In ten business days you’ll have a landed-cost comparison you can put in front of your CFO, with named factories behind every number.