How do we run a video factory audit before travelling to China?

Main answer · Wecent Editorial Team

Short answer: A video audit is a structured live walk-through, not a casual call. Send a checklist and a list of documents in advance, ask the factory to show the line, test equipment, storage and packing on camera, and note anything it avoids showing. It narrows your list of suppliers, but it does not replace an on-site audit for a large order.

Why use a video audit

It is quick and cheap, and filters out factories that are not what they claim. It can also prepare you for an on-site visit.

Before the call

1. Send a short agenda and checklist at least a few days earlier.
2. Request documents: business licence, certifications, test reports, quality manual and customer references.
3. Agree the time, language and who will attend, including a person who can walk with a phone or camera.
4. Ask for the walk to be live, not a recorded video.

What to ask them to show

• Incoming materials. Storage, labelling and inspection of key parts.
• Production line. Stations, work instructions and operators.
• Test equipment. Safety and function testers, with calibration stickers.
• Quality records. Inspection sheets, defect logs and corrective actions.
• Packing and storage. How finished goods are labelled and kept.
• Sample room. Approved samples and retained samples.

What to watch for

• A staged, empty factory.
• Reluctance to show the test area or storage.
• Different equipment from what the documents list.
• Documents that do not match the name on the building.

Record and follow up

With permission, record the call or take screenshots and write a summary the same day. List open points and send a written follow-up asking for evidence.

What a video audit cannot do

It cannot check hidden areas, real output capacity or working conditions. For a significant order, hire an inspector or visit in person.

Checklist to send

Keep it to one page: company documents, key certificates, the test equipment list, the process steps, the quality record samples and the contact people. Ask the factory to confirm the date and the walk route in advance, and to bring the persons who run quality and production.

Quick summary

Prepare a checklist, ask for live views of the line, tests and storage, record your notes and follow up in writing. Use it to shortlist, then audit in person for larger orders.

Where this answer says to confirm with Wecent, the detail is not published on the product page and has to come from the datasheet or the factory. General facts come from the regulators, standards bodies or device makers named in the text.