Factory Audit China Checklist: China Manufacturing Readiness Check (CMRC)

China Manufacturing Readiness Check (CMRC)

A China Manufacturing Readiness Check (CMRC) is a structured, evidence-based way to assess whether a product is ready for production in China before you commit to deposits, tooling, or a first full production run. A CMRC is designed to surface risks early, while changes are still practical and low-cost. Ardencraft Technology’s CMRC is designed for teams moving from prototype to mass production, entering a first production run in China, switching suppliers because of quality issues or delays, or scaling and needing stronger quality control and documentation.

Why manufacturing readiness matters

Preparing a product for manufacturing is not the same as building a working prototype. Manufacturing readiness means a product can be made every day, in higher volumes, with the same quality, cost, and delivery time. Many production problems arise from gaps in three key areas: the factory, product documentation, and test or compliance evidence. Most expensive production problems start as missing information, not bad intentions.

This checklist is written for teams planning to manufacture in China. It explains what to confirm before paying deposits, cutting tooling, or shipping a first order. It focuses on supplier capability, quality controls, controlled product documents, and clear inspection and sampling methods, including pre-shipment inspection and AQL sampling based on ISO 2859-1. The aim is to reduce avoidable delays, rework, and disputes by making sure requirements are written down, agreed, and supported by records that can be checked.

What does “manufacturing readiness” mean?

Manufacturing readiness means your product is ready to be produced repeatedly, at the volume you need, with stable quality and predictable delivery, not just built successfully as a prototype. It means the design and build requirements are clear enough that the factory can assemble the product the same way each time. It also means the supplier has the people, equipment, and quality controls to meet your agreed targets for defects and delivery. If the factory can “interpret” the design, you will get variation.

Manufacturing readiness also means you have a defined inspection plan that covers incoming materials, in-process checks, and final checks. Final checks usually include pre-shipment inspection (PSI), which we treat as part of Final Quality Control and refer to as an FQC inspection, because it verifies finished goods and packed product close to shipment.

Many companies use acceptance sampling, often described through AQL sampling plans, and ISO 2859-1 is the international standard that sets sampling schemes indexed by AQL for lot-by-lot inspection by attributes. Acceptance sampling only works when pass and fail rules, and defect definitions are agreed in advance.

Finally, manufacturing readiness includes readiness for the markets you sell in, which means your labelling, manuals, and compliance documentation are complete before shipping. Market readiness is part of manufacturing readiness because missing compliance evidence can block shipment or sale. EU rules link technical documentation and the EU Declaration of Conformity to demonstrating compliance and, where required, affixing the CE marking. US rules require third-party testing and certification for children’s products covered by CPSC-enforced safety rules. If compliance evidence is missing, the product can be “built” but still not sellable.

When any of these areas are weak, the results often show up as rework, scrap, delays, or shipments that fail inspection.

Manufacturing readiness checklist: documents to review

A factory audit and an inspection plan help you assess a supplier, but they do not replace product evidence. These documents make manufacturing clear for the factory and verifiable for you because they define what the product is, how it must be built, how it must be tested, how changes are controlled, and what market requirements apply. Controlled documentation turns expectations into enforceable acceptance criteria.

Product definition and requirements

Include a Qualification Summary that states what the product must do, the key risks, the operating environment, and the target markets and standards. Add a Technical Review that confirms the design can be produced at scale by addressing materials, tolerances, assembly method, and the test approach. Add a factory-facing Product Specification Report that becomes the source of truth for what is acceptable, including critical-to-quality features, cosmetic standards, defect definitions, and pass and fail criteria. Your factory-facing specification should be the single source of truth for what “acceptable” means.

Design and build files that the factory must follow

Provide released drawings with tolerances and revision control, an approved BOM with approved sources and written substitution rules, and material and finish specifications. For electronics, include schematics and PCBA diagrams so the factory can build correctly, design fixtures, and troubleshoot faster during pilot runs. Include IC data sheets and critical component specifications so proposed substitutions can be checked for performance and compliance impact. Without controlled revisions, factories can build to yesterday’s drawings and still claim they followed the specification.

Process and quality control documents

Add a clear process flow showing every step, including outsourced steps, plus product-specific work instructions for operators and inspectors. Include your inspection plan showing what is checked at incoming, in-process, and final stages, and your defect classification rules. If you use acceptance sampling, keep a controlled reference to ISO 2859-1 sampling plans so sample size and accept and reject rules are not negotiated during shipment pressure. If work instructions are vague, operators will fill gaps with inconsistent tribal knowledge.

Test and reliability evidence

Manufacturing readiness needs proof that the product meets requirements in a repeatable way, not only that a sample works once. Keep a controlled test plan, detailed test procedures, and test reports tied to product version and configuration. Add reliability testing evidence that matches expected field conditions, because early reliability gaps often turn into warranty returns and rushed factory changes. Reliable products come from controlled tests, not from hope.

Packaging, labelling, and customer documents

Include final retail pack artwork, label layouts, and carton marks, plus pack-out instructions so what ships matches what you approved. Include a user manual that matches the final features and safety warnings, because late manual or label corrections often cause reprinting, repacking, and shipment delays. Packaging and labelling mistakes can delay shipment even when the product is correct.

Regulatory and chemical compliance file

For EU sales, include the technical documentation set and the EU Declaration of Conformity that your compliance claim relies on. If your product falls under EMC requirements, keep evidence aligned with the EMC Directive 2014/30/EU. For electronics, keep RoHS evidence aligned with Directive 2011/65/EU, which restricts certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment. Compliance evidence must be complete before shipping, not assembled after a problem is found.

For REACH, keep SVHC declarations and, where needed, test evidence, because ECHA states that suppliers of articles containing a Candidate List substance above 0.1 per cent by weight must provide sufficient information to allow the safe use of the article. If SCCPs present a material risk in plastics, rubbers, coatings or additives, keep supplier declarations and test evidence, because SCCPs are listed under the Stockholm Convention as persistent organic pollutants and restrictions and exemptions may apply. Chemical compliance is often documentation-led, so missing declarations can stop goods at the border.

Change control and traceability

Include a written change control process for drawing revisions, materials, and component changes, plus a traceability plan that links key part batches to finished goods and to inspection and test results. This is what lets you isolate affected lots when defects appear and helps you transfer production to a new factory without losing design intent. Change control and traceability protect you when suppliers substitute parts or processes under pressure.

Factory audit China checklist

A factory audit in China checks whether a supplier can make your product consistently, at the volumes you need, with stable quality and reliable delivery. A factory audit should focus on the production floor, not on sample rooms or sales presentations. It should produce a written list of risks and corrective actions, ranked by impact, with owners and deadlines. A good audit is not a tour; it is evidence, risks, and corrective actions.

Factory capability

Confirm that the factory has the right equipment, tooling, fixtures, and trained people for your specific process, and ask to see similar work running under normal conditions. Identify which key steps are done inside the factory and which are outsourced, then document those subcontracted steps because they can affect quality, lead time, and accountability.

Outsourced steps must be disclosed and controlled because they can become hidden sources of defects and delays. Review line-level work instructions for your product or process, and check that they are specific and usable. Verify capacity for ramp-up and peak months by reviewing shifts, staffing, bottlenecks, and how the factory plans production when multiple customers need output at the same time. If capacity is unclear, delivery promises are guesses.

Quality controls

Check that the supplier has controls at three points: incoming parts, checks during assembly, and final checks before packing and shipment. Incoming quality control and in-process quality control are standard control points used to catch problems early, so ask to see incoming inspection criteria, sampling rules, quarantine practices for non-conforming parts, in-process checkpoints for key steps, and final inspection checklists tied to your acceptance criteria. If problems are only found at final inspection, you will pay for scrap, rework, and late shipments. Ask for defect records, scrap and rework logs, and corrective action reports, and confirm that problems are analysed and fixed, not only sorted out at the end. If you cannot see defect data, you cannot judge whether quality is improving.

Document control and change control

Confirm that the correct drawing revision, work instructions, and inspection criteria are used on the line, and that older versions are removed. Review how the factory handles changes to materials, components, suppliers, or processes, including who approves changes, how the change is recorded, and how operators and inspectors are updated. Uncontrolled changes are one of the fastest ways for quality to drift between orders. Most repeat-order failures are change-control failures.

Traceability

Verify whether the factory can trace batches for key parts and link finished goods to inspection and test records. If a defect appears, the supplier should be able to isolate affected lots quickly by date, shift, line, and batch, instead of stopping or recalling everything. Ask to see how they label, record, and retrieve traceability data, and test the system with a sample lot and a sample defect scenario. Traceability limits the blast radius when something goes wrong.

Audit output

A good audit report is not a yes-or-no result. It should document findings with evidence, assign risk levels, and list corrective actions with clear due dates and responsible owners. Audit value comes from documented risks and tracked corrective actions, not from a simple pass statement. If there are no owners and deadlines, there is no improvement plan.

How to vet a supplier in China

Many buyers search “how to vet a supplier in China” because supplier risk is not only fraud. It is also whether the supplier can keep quality steady when orders increase, and whether problems are handled quickly and clearly when they happen. Vetting reduces the risk of quality drift, late deliveries, and unclear accountability. A supplier that cannot show evidence early often cannot fix problems fast later.

Step 1. Verify the company

Before discussing production, confirm the supplier is a registered business and that the company name you are paying matches the registered entity. China’s official National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System provides public company information for searches by company name or Unified Social Credit Code. Always ensure the paid entity matches the registered business to reduce legal and payment risk. Payment risk increases when the payee is not the registered entity you audited.

Step 2. Ask for proof of capability

Request evidence that matches your product type and process, not only marketing photos. Ask for examples of similar products they make and the main process steps, photos or videos of the production line and test stations used for similar products, and a clear list of which steps are done in-house versus subcontracted. Evidence should match your exact process because “similar” is often too vague to be useful. Subcontracted steps can affect quality control, delivery time, and responsibility, so they should be disclosed early. If a key step is outsourced, document who does it and who is accountable.

Step 3. Ask for proof of control

Ask for sample inspection records for incoming materials and final inspection, and ask how they control drawing versions and process changes so the line builds to the current revision. If the supplier cannot show controlled records, you have little leverage when defects appear. Agree on substitution rules in writing, including what cannot be changed without approval. Controls, not promises, prevent quality drift.

Step 4. Check proof of communication and ownership

Ask who owns quality issues, what the escalation path is, and how quickly they respond when defects appear. A useful response is a written corrective action plan that covers containment, root cause, corrective action, and steps to prevent recurrence. Fast, structured corrective action is a stronger sign of reliability than promises. The best suppliers show you how they fix problems, not how they explain them away.

What the answers tell you

If a supplier avoids these questions or will not share basic records early, treat it as a warning sign. If they respond clearly, share evidence that matches your product and process, and show controlled documents and a workable corrective action approach, it is a stronger sign they can support repeat orders with fewer late surprises. Transparency early is a strong predictor of stability later.

What is a pre-shipment inspection?

A pre-shipment inspection, often called PSI, is a quality check carried out near the end of production, before goods leave the factory, so the buyer has a final chance to stop defects from being shipped. In our process, we treat PSI as part of Final Quality Control, and we refer to it as an FQC inspection, because it checks finished goods and packed product close to shipment. PSI only protects you if it is tied to clear acceptance criteria and clear outcomes on failure.

PSI is most useful when it is performed on goods that reflect what will actually ship, which is why it is commonly done when production is at least about 80 per cent complete. A typical PSI or FQC inspection confirms the order quantity and assortment, checks workmanship and cosmetic condition, verifies key measurements and fit, runs basic function tests, and checks packaging, labelling, and carton marks against the approved specification.

Many PSI programmes use random sampling and acceptance sampling based on AQL, and ISO 2859-1 provides sampling schemes indexed by the acceptance quality limit for lot-by-lot inspection by attributes. Sampling plans must be agreed upon up front so they are not renegotiated under shipping pressure. PSI works best when the buyer and supplier agree in advance on what counts as a pass or fail, which defects are critical, major, or minor, what happens if the lot fails, and whether rework and re-inspection are required before shipment is approved. If failure actions are not agreed upon, PSI results become an argument instead of a control.

What is AQL inspection?

An AQL inspection is a form of acceptance sampling used to decide whether to accept or reject a production lot by inspecting a sample of units from the full batch instead of checking every unit. It is commonly based on ISO 2859-1, which provides sampling schemes for lot-by-lot inspection by attributes and indexes those schemes by the acceptance quality limit used to set sample sizes and acceptance or rejection thresholds. AQL inspection balances inspection effort with risk, but it does not replace clear specifications. AQL is a decision rule, not a quality strategy.

In practice, the inspector selects the required sample size, checks the units, counts non-conforming units or defects, and compares the results to the plan’s acceptance number and rejection number to determine whether the lot passes or fails. Defects are often grouped into categories such as critical, major, and minor, and many inspection programmes treat critical defects as unacceptable, which is why the acceptance criterion for critical defects is commonly set to zero.

AQL inspection only works when defect definitions and acceptance criteria are agreed clearly in advance, including what counts as a defect, how size or severity is measured, which areas are cosmetic versus functional, and which safety-related issues trigger an automatic fail. If defect definitions are vague, AQL will not settle disagreements.

What you get from a CMRC

A CMRC brings these checks into one structured review and turns them into decision-ready outputs. Ardencraft’s CMRC deliverables include a green, amber, red readiness score across product, supplier, quality, and compliance; a top ten risk list ranked by impact on cost, quality timelines, and supplier reliability; DFM risks and quick wins; a quality and inspection plan recommendation; a compliance checkpoint for UK, EU, US, and global markets; and an action roadmap to close gaps before production commitments. The goal is to turn manufacturing risk into a clear, prioritised action plan before you commit money and time.

How the CMRC is delivered

Ardencraft’s CMRC is delivered as a fixed-scope review with a kick-off call, documentation review, analysis and scoring, and a findings call. CMRC is a fixed fee of £3,500 and includes a 120-minute kick-off call, a documentation review covering requirements, packaging, ratings and user manual review, product drawings, schematic and critical IC appraisal, reliability and ongoing safety testing evaluation, and certificate examination for UK, EU, US, and global markets, followed by analysis and scoring and a 60-minute findings call. A structured review is only useful if it ends with clear actions, owners, and next steps.

Conclusion

The safest time to find manufacturing problems is before you pay deposits, cut tooling, or book shipments, because fixes are faster, cheaper, and less disruptive when nothing is locked in. Use the checklist above to review the factory, vet the supplier, confirm the inspection plan, and make sure the key evidence documents are complete, so requirements are clear and production becomes more predictable with fewer last-minute changes. Prevention is cheaper than correction once tooling is cut and shipments are booked.

If you want a single, structured review that brings these checks into one process, Ardencraft Technology’s China Manufacturing Readiness Check (CMRC) is designed to do that and to end with decision-ready outputs, including a readiness score, a ranked risk list, and an action roadmap to close gaps before production starts. Closing gaps before production starts is the fastest way to reduce disputes, delays, and rework.

FAQ

What is a factory audit in China?

A factory audit in China is a structured review of whether a supplier can manufacture your product consistently at scale. It looks at capability and capacity, how quality is controlled during production, how documents and drawing revisions are managed, and whether the factory can trace materials and finished goods when defects occur. A strong audit focuses on evidence and follow-up actions, not general assurances.

What should a factory audit in China checklist include?

It should cover production capability and capacity, control of outsourced processes, incoming checks, in-process checks, final checks before shipment, defect recording and corrective action, document control for specifications and changes, traceability from key parts to finished goods, and packaging and label handling. A good checklist links each risk to evidence, owners, and due dates.

What is a pre-shipment inspection?

A pre-shipment inspection is a quality check carried out near completion of an order, before goods leave the factory, so the buyer has a final opportunity to take corrective action before shipment. In our process, we treat PSI as part of Final Quality Control and refer to it as an FQC inspection. It is the last practical checkpoint before goods leave the factory.

What is AQL inspection?

An AQL inspection is acceptance sampling in which you inspect a sample from a production lot and accept or reject the lot based on the number of defects found compared with agreed limits. ISO 2859-1 is the key standard behind common AQL sampling plans. AQL works when limits and defect definitions are agreed in writing before production pressure builds.

What documents should I review before mass production?

At minimum, review the factory-facing product specification, released drawings and BOM, schematics and PCBA information where applicable, test procedures and test reports tied to requirements, reliability evidence for expected use, packaging artwork and label layouts, a user manual that matches the final product, and the compliance documents required for your target markets. If it is not documented and controlled, it will be argued later.

What is a CMRC, and what do you get?

A CMRC, or China Manufacturing Readiness Check, is Ardencraft Technology’s structured review to assess manufacturing readiness for production in China or Asia and to identify gaps before production commitments. It produces a readiness score, a top risk list, DFM quick wins, a quality and inspection plan, a compliance checkpoint, and an action roadmap. The output is designed to support a clear go or no-go decision before deposits and tooling.