Supplier audit and verification in China
We verify that a Chinese company legally exists, that it genuinely makes what it claims to make, and that its certifications are authentic. Document checks, cross-referencing with the issuing bodies, then a workshop visit — many irregularities only show up on site.
- Registry
- legal existence verified at source, never on the company's word
- Licence
- the declared scope of activity tells a factory from a trader
- Visit
- the workshop seen from inside: lines running, headcount, material stock
- 01
Document check
Business licence, unified registration number, share capital, date of incorporation and declared scope of activity. A business whose registered scope covers trade only cannot be the manufacturer it presents itself as.
- 02
Certification check
CE, RoHS, REACH, FDA, ISO depending on your markets: verified with the bodies that issue them, never on the strength of a document alone. A forged certificate shows up in one query.
- 03
Workshop visit
Lines genuinely running, headcount present, raw material stock, machinery and working conditions. This is the step nobody can fake and distance makes impossible.
What a document never tells you
A brochure, a website and a catalogue take a day to produce. Workshop photographs can be found online. A certificate can be forged. What cannot be faked is the official registration of the company and what actually happens behind the door.
An audit exists precisely to separate what is declared from what can be verified. It is not about suspecting everyone, but about knowing who you are dealing with before committing a deposit.
Scope of activity, the first thing to read
The Chinese business licence carries the company’s declared scope of activity: what it is authorised to do. A company whose scope is limited to wholesale trade manufactures nothing, whatever photographs it sends.
That single reading rules out a substantial share of the candidates presenting themselves as manufacturers on marketplaces. It takes minutes and saves months of misunderstanding.
Real capacity against stated capacity
A factory able to produce your order is not necessarily available to produce it. We look at the headcount present, the number of lines running, the machinery and the order book at the time of your project.
- Too large a factory will handle your order last
- Too small a factory will accept, then subcontract without telling you
- A factory standing idle in peak season signals a difficulty better known upfront
What you receive
A written report: legal identity confirmed or disproved, scope of activity, age of the company, observed capacity, certifications verified one by one, dated photographs of the workshop and any reservations.
The document is yours. You can use it to decide, to negotiate, or to justify a choice internally.
- Business licence
- Declared scope of activity
- Real capacity and workload
- Certifications authenticated
- On-site visit
- Written report delivered
Verifying remotely or on site
| Remotely | On-site audit | |
|---|---|---|
| Company identity | What it declares | Licence and official registry |
| Certifications | A PDF received by email | Cross-checked with the issuer |
| Capacity | A workshop photograph | Lines counted, headcount observed |
| Hidden subcontracting | Invisible | Spotted on site |
Frequently asked questions
- Can you audit a supplier we already work with?
- Yes, and it is often worth doing after several orders: companies change shareholders, production sites or scope of activity. A periodic audit confirms that whoever produces today is still the company you chose two years ago.
- Does the factory know it is being audited?
- Yes for a workshop visit, which requires an appointment. The document check and certification verification, on the other hand, are carried out without the supplier being informed — that information is either public or held by the issuing bodies.
- What do you do if the audit finds a problem?
- We report it with the evidence, without concluding on your behalf. Some findings are disqualifying — a company that does not exist, a forged certificate. Others are negotiable: tight capacity, declared subcontracting, a secondary site. The decision stays yours.
A supplier to verify?
Send us the company name and what it has shown you. We will tell you what it actually is, with the documents to back it up.
Each service can be commissioned on its own, or alongside the others.