Chinese
First Chinese testing and certification firm to list (ChiNext, 2009, 300012)
Shenzhen · Bao'anMakes in-house
Testing & certificationQuality inspection & auditsTest & certification labQC & inspection
English-speaking salesSource ↗
SV-03 · Service
Quality inspection & audits 验货与验厂
Independent inspectors and auditors who check factories and finished goods for you, so problems are caught before they ship.
- Typical lead time (how long it takes)
- Book a few days ahead; reports usually within 24–48 hours
- Typical cost
- Typically a few hundred US dollars per inspector-day
- Pricing basis (how it's usually charged)
- Per inspection
- Best for
- Any production order, especially first orders with a new supplier
What is it?
When you're thousands of kilometres from your factory, someone needs to check the work. A factory audit checks a supplier before you commit; in-line inspection checks during production; pre-shipment inspection checks a random sample of finished goods (using AQL sampling tables) before you pay the balance. Inspectors usually charge per person per day.
Tips before you start
- 01Give inspectors a written checklist and a golden sample
- 02Inspect before paying the final balance
- 03Agree defect definitions (critical, major, minor) with the factory first
- 04Inspect repeat orders too, not just the first
Companies offering this service
Chinese Sourcing Agents
毅孜国际贸易British-owned: UK contracting company plus a licensed Shenzhen entity
Shenzhen · LonggangPartner network
Sourcing & project managementQuality inspection & auditsSourcing agentQC & inspection
Native-English project managerSource ↗
Chinese
Built for small overseas businesses and low-MOQ, multi-SKU orders
Shenzhen · NanshanPartner networkPrototypesLow volumeMass production
Sourcing & project managementQuality inspection & auditsSourcing agent
English-speaking salesSource ↗
Engineer-founder with 15 years of factory QC and product development before starting it in 2012
Shenzhen · NanshanPartner networkPrototypesMass production
Sourcing & project managementQuality inspection & auditsSourcing agentQC & inspection
English-speaking salesSource ↗
Foreign-owned
New Zealand-owned sourcing agency in Luohu, Shenzhen
Shenzhen · LuohuPartner network
Sourcing & project managementQuality inspection & auditsSourcing agentQC & inspection
English-speaking salesSource ↗
Foreign-managed
Founded in Taipei in 1984 by Colombian engineer Ed Sanchez
Shenzhen · NanshanQuality inspection & auditsSourcing & project managementQC & inspection
English-speaking salesSource ↗
Foreign-managed
Online booking of inspections, on site in China within 48 hours
Shenzhen · LuohuQuality inspection & auditsTesting & certificationQC & inspectionTest & certification lab
English-speaking salesSource ↗
Foreign-managed
Founded by quality engineer Renaud Anjoran, author of QualityInspection.org
Hong KongIn-house + partnersPrototypesLow volumeMass production
Contract manufacturing / box buildProduct design & engineeringTesting & certificationQuality inspection & audits
English-speaking salesSource ↗
Foreign-managed
Began in 2003 as Seasonal Visions, a Halloween and Christmas décor supplier
Dongguan · Chang'anPartner network
Sourcing & project managementProduct design & engineeringTesting & certificationQuality inspection & audits
English-speaking salesSource ↗
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2 guides
Guides & articles
Everything we've written about Quality inspection & audits, starting with the basics.
01Design · 9 minDFA and DFT: design for assembly and design for test, explained
How to design a product that's quick to put together and easy to test on a production line. The core design-for-assembly rules, what design for test means for circuit boards and finished products, and how Shenzhen factories use test fixtures.
02Basics · 10 minPrototype to production: what changes when you scale from 10 units to 1,000
Why a product that works as 10 prototypes can fail at 1,000 units, what changes in parts, people, testing, documents and cash as you scale, and the steps between a working prototype and your first production run in Shenzhen.
Common questions
What is AQL?
A standard way to decide how many units to check and how many defects are acceptable. See our quality inspection guide.
Do I still need inspection if the factory has ISO 9001?
Usually yes. ISO 9001 covers their system, not your specific order.