Why are current enterprises actively inspecting factories?

In the process of global trade integration, factory inspection has become a threshold for export and foreign trade enterprises to truly connect with the world. Through continuous development in recent years, factory inspection has gradually become well known and fully valued by enterprises.

About one third of enterprises in Chinese Mainland will lose their foreign trade orders because they cannot pass factory inspection. Therefore, how to correctly understand factory inspection standards, implement effective plans, meet factory inspection requirements, break through trade barriers, and maintain competitive advantage has become a major problem that many enterprises have to solve in the new form.

1、 Why should the factory be inspected?

For foreign businessmen, the main purpose of factory inspection is to protect their company's brand image. Foreign businessmen are far away from China. If there are problems in the products or management of the contract factory, it will be very difficult to solve them. Therefore, in order to reduce these unnecessary troubles and optimize the supply chain management, foreign businessmen will carry out factory inspection before purchasing, comprehensively evaluate the contract factory, and place orders after the contract factory is qualified in all aspects. The factory inspection can effectively monitor the labor, quality and other issues of the contract factory, which is conducive to protecting and improving the value of the enterprise brand and avoiding the loss of the company's reputation. Moreover, developed countries such as Europe and the United States encourage transnational corporations to supervise foreign factories' compliance with labor standards and punish factories that violate labor standards through legal, administrative, investment and trade and other means.

2、 Type of factory inspection

Factory inspection is also called factory audit, commonly known as factory inspection, or simply factory inspection. Factory inspections are generally divided into human rights inspection factory (social responsibility inspection factory), quality inspection factory (quality technology inspection factory), anti-terrorism inspection factory (supply chain safety inspection factory), etc. Of course, there are also some integrated factories, such as human rights anti-terrorism two in one and human rights anti-terrorism quality three in one.

1. Human rights inspection factory (social inspection factory): the customer reviews the rights and interests of workers, working conditions and environmental protection.

Establishment of brand reputation

Build international credibility, improve brand image, and make consumers have positive feelings for their products.

▪ Reduce potential risks

Minimize potential business risks, such as work-related injuries and even work-related deaths, legal proceedings, loss of orders, etc.

Cost reduction

One certification should be paid to different buyers, reducing repeated audits and saving inspection costs.

Meet customer requirements

Fulfill customer requirements, stabilize customer cooperation, and expand new markets.

Effective management process

Improve the level of management and management system, improve productivity and thus improve profits.

Performance of social responsibility

To harmonize the relationship between the enterprise and its employees, improve the environment, fulfill responsibilities, and build public goodwill.

2. Quality inspection factory (quality and technology inspection factory): the customer's assessment of the factory's production capacity shows that the factory has the ability to continuously meet the customer's requirements and the requirements of applicable laws and regulations for the production of qualified products.

Quality assurance

Verify that the enterprise has the quality assurance ability to improve customer satisfaction.

Improvement of management

Improve the quality management level of the enterprise to expand sales and increase profits.

Establishment of reputation

Improving the reputation and competitiveness of enterprises is conducive to the development of the international market.

3. Anti terrorist factory inspection (supply chain safety factory inspection): a set of safety control procedures to ensure the safety of export goods transportation and use through the factory itself.

Ensuring the safety of goods

Effective fight against crime

Accelerate freight handling

The anti-terrorism inspection factory began to appear after the 911 incident in the United States. Most of them were required by American customers to ensure the transportation security, information security and the circulation of goods from the start to the end of the supply chain, so as to prevent the infiltration of terrorists. At the same time, it is also conducive to fighting against goods theft and other related crimes, and recovering economic losses.

3、 Concerns of the factory

Now more and more big brands (such as Wal Mart, Disney, etc.) are beginning to accept international social responsibility audits in addition to their own standards. As their suppliers or want to be their suppliers, how should factories choose suitable projects?

A: First of all, factories should consider corresponding or general standards according to their own industries. Second, see if the audit time can catch up. Finally, we will look at the audit fees to see if we can give consideration to other customers and deal with multiple buyers with one certification. Of course, it is best to consider the costs.

Now, factory inspection is not only the need of purchasing enterprises, but also a necessary measure for product export to comply with the laws and regulations of European and American countries.

In fact, factory inspection does not only pursue a "pass" result, but also aims to establish a safe and effective management system with the help of factory inspection. The safety, compliance and sustainability of production processes are the key for enterprises to obtain long-term benefits.

The specific work and data preparation before the factory inspection are very complicated, so the factory inspection can be prepared with the help of a third-party inspection and certification agency, ASCP.