Site Visits: Six Key Areas to Inspect
When conducting a site visit to a Chinese power equipment factory, there are six essential areas to inspect: workshop equipment, production lines, inspection and testing, warehouse materials, management systems, and employee competence.
Industry experts advise following a checklist—covering the workshop (equipment condition, processes, 6S), production lines (workflow, automation), inspection and testing (factory acceptance test equipment, type testing), warehouse (component brands, inventory management), systems (ISO implementation, record-keeping), and employees (professionalism, workforce stability)—while focusing on details to avoid being misled by staged “visitor walkways.”
Six Key Areas to Inspect
- Workshop Equipment: CNC machining, welding, and assembly equipment (condition, age/newness, utilization rate);
- Production Lines: Production workflow (assembly, wiring, commissioning), level of automation, and cycle time;
- Inspection and Testing: Factory acceptance test equipment (withstand voltage/insulation test benches) and inspection records (authentic and verifiable);
- Warehouse Materials: Component brands (genuine products from brands like Chint, Schneider, etc.), inventory management, and incoming material inspection;
- Management Systems: ISO 9001 implementation (documentation, records, traceability) and on-site 6S management;
- Employee Competence: Technical staff (professionalism, stability) and on-site assessment of assembly quality.
Key Inspection Points
First, observe the actual situation.
Look at real production activities (not just the designated visitor walkway) and conduct random checks of the workshop and warehouse.
Second, examine records.
Spot-check inspection, incoming material, and shipment records to verify authenticity.
Third, ask about details.
Inquire on-site about quality control (handling of non-conforming products, traceability) and delivery capabilities (production scheduling).
Fourth, verify via trial orders.
Place a small trial order after the site visit to verify quality and guard against staged demonstrations.
Pitfalls to Avoid
First, the “guided tour route.”
Avoid being shown only the showroom; insist on visiting the actual workshops and warehouses.
Second, “falsified records.”
Watch out for backdated or fabricated inspection records; perform spot checks and cross-reference them with actual goods.
Third, “component downgrading.”
Be wary of displays featuring genuine parts while actual production uses off-brand components;
inspect the warehouse inventory.
Trends and Recommendations
On-site inspections are going digital: video-based factory verification (for remote initial screening) and inspection apps (using checklists and photo logs) are boosting efficiency.
For buyers, the recommendation is to follow the “six must-checks” approach: observe actual operations, review records, and verify quality through trial orders.
Thorough inspections ensure confidence in the factory.
