Visiting a Chinese auto-parts factory: the one-day agenda

A factory visit is not a tour. It is the one day where a supplier’s process becomes visible — the mould shop either exists or it does not, the QC room either has records or it has posters, and the person answering the fitment question either knows the generation or reaches for a catalogue. The trap is spending the day on hospitality and the last twenty minutes on questions.

This field guide is the agenda we suggest to buyers who visit us, and the same agenda works for a video walk-through. It complements the desk-side factory verification checklist: that one covers what to check before and after, this one covers what to do during the visit. It is method content, not a claim about any individual supplier.

1. Before you book

A productive visit is scheduled, not dropped in. Two to three weeks ahead is usually enough.

• Send the agenda and questions first. A supplier who receives them in advance can put the QC manager and tooling engineer in the room; one who receives them at the gate gives you the sales manager only.
• Name the products — the SKUs or vehicle generations you care about, so the relevant line and examples are prepared.
• Say what you want to review: certificates, inspection records, packing specification, a specific sample.
• If your designs are involved, request an NDA before the visit, not after the meeting.

For our own campus in Changzhou, the factory page describes the four workshops.

2. The one-day agenda

One day is enough for a focused audit if the agenda protects the shop-floor hours.

Time	Station	Why it earns the slot
09:00	Introduction and company file	Ownership, founding year, products, export history, certificates
09:30	Mould shop	Tooling capability: design, CNC, EDM, bench fitting, maintenance
10:30	Injection, moulding and paint	Machine range, material handling, colour matching, first-article checks
11:30	Assembly and lighting line	Assembly sequence, electrical test, light/beam test, IP sealing test
13:30	QC lab and inspection room	Test equipment, incoming inspection, in-process and final records
14:30	Warehouse and loading dock	Finished-goods control, carton marks, packing, container staging
15:30	Document room	Certificates, test reports, E-MARK scope, packing spec, traceability
16:30	Wrap-up	Open questions, sample requests, action list with owners and dates

Insist on a continuous walk between stations: a visit that jumps between prepared rooms shows the presentation, not a normal day.

3. Ten questions to ask on the floor

Ask at the station, not in the meeting room. What matters is whether the answer is specific and whether someone can show the thing being described.

Station	Ask	What a good answer sounds like
Mould shop	Which tools we saw were made in-house this year?	A specific count, a current project, a maintenance log
Mould shop	How do you handle a mould repair mid-order?	Named process, in-house repair, impact on delivery date
Moulding	What material grades do you run, and who supplies them?	Grade and supplier named; certificates available
Paint	What happens to a part that fails the finish check?	Rework or reject path, containment, re-inspection — not “it never happens”
Assembly	What is tested on every lamp, and what is tested by batch?	A clear split between 100% tests and batch tests
QC	Can I see the incoming inspection record for a recent batch?	A real record with date, SKU and a person’s sign-off
QC	Which standards apply to the part I am buying?	The quality system by name, and the specific lighting approval for lamps — not “all certified”
Warehouse	How are carton marks assigned and checked?	Print spec, verification at packing, photo evidence at loading
Loading	How is a mixed container planned and photographed?	Load plan, count verification, photos before and after sealing
Documents	What exactly does the E-MARK scope cover for these SKUs?	Regulation, holder, part numbers in scope, market variants — in writing

A supplier that cannot answer a floor question at the station is telling you something useful.

4. What to read in the document room

Bring the questions; review the evidence on paper.

• Quality system certificates — quality system documentation and ISO 9001 documentation, with the issuing body and the certification scope.
• Product approvals — for lighting, the E-MARK approval and the scope that names the part numbers. Selected lamp families carry E-MARK documentation approval in our case; the scope is available on request and should match the SKUs you are buying.
• Test reports — photometrics, water ingress, vibration and temperature, as applicable to the part family.
• Inspection records — incoming inspection, in-process checks and final inspection for a recent production batch; the buyer-side pre-shipment inspection checklist covers what to check after the order is produced.
• Packing specification and traceability — carton size, inner protection, stacking limits, carton marks, and how a carton number links back to a production batch.

Photograph the index, ask for copies to review afterwards, and note which documents were shown versus promised.

5. The 48-hour action list

The value of a visit decays quickly. Before leaving, agree who sends what by when:

1. Meeting notes with open questions, sent by you and corrected by the supplier.
2. Document copies promised during the visit, including certificate scopes.
3. Sample request for the SKUs that matter, with a fitment note.
4. Revised quotation if the visit changed specifications, packing or quantities.
5. Next step and date — typically a sample evaluation or a trial order.

6. If you cannot travel

Run the same agenda as a video walk-through: ask for a live, unedited walk from reception through the shop floor to the warehouse, with the camera on machines rather than on people. Photo packs are useful for documents and weak evidence for process.

7. Red flags that should end the visit early

• No access to the mould shop, or a mould shop that only watches.
• Production lines that stop when you pass, or parts that look like show samples.
• No inspection records with dates and sign-offs; test equipment present but unused.
• Certificate claims without a scope, a holder or a regulation.
• A meeting that never reaches the document room.

Come and check the process

We host distributor visits in Changzhou — walk the mould shop, the moulding floor, the lighting assembly line and the warehouse, and review the quality documentation with the team that owns it. Arrange a visit through the contact page; the quality page lists the certificates we hold and the records provided with a shipment. If a visit is not practical yet, start with a sample and a written quotation.

FAQ

What should I bring to a factory visit? Bring your open order list, sample references, the inspection checklist and a named contact. Ask in advance which records you will see: batch inspection reports, packing specification and fitment confirmation for your SKUs. A camera and notes are more useful than a brochure collection.

Which records should I ask to see? Ask for recent batch inspection records with dates and sign-offs, the packing specification with carton dimensions, and the method used to confirm fitment by generation. For lamps, ask for the approval number and the part numbers it covers, not a logo on the wall.

Can a video call replace a visit? For a first small order, a scheduled video walk-through can cover the production line, packing area, sample review and records. A physical visit is stronger for private tooling, new designs or a large first container, because you can inspect the parts and the paperwork in person.

What are the red flags on a visit? No inspection records, a company name on documents that does not match the invoice or bank account, vague answers about which generation a part fits, and an approval claim with no scope letter. Any one of these is a reason to pause before the deposit, not after.