How do I prepare a factory audit?
Preparing for a factory audit
Anmol JournalGuide
Guide 9 of 10
- Topic
- Compliance
- Reading time
- 2 minutes
- Sections
- 05
- Figures
- 01
01What kind of audit?
Audits come in a few broad kinds. Social compliance audits look at working conditions, wages, hours and safety. Technical or quality audits look at the systems that control the product. Many buyers also run their own vendor onboarding checks.
Each kind has its own checklist, and some follow a published standard. Knowing which applies decides who should be in the room and which records should be ready.
02Agree the scope first
An audit goes best when its scope is agreed in writing beforehand: the standard or checklist, the site, the dates, the auditors, and whether any subcontracted operations are included.
For a manufacturer that works with partner units, that last point matters. Which units fall within scope for your programme is agreed in advance and confirmed against the programme.
03What auditors usually check
Expect a document review (registrations, policies, wage and hour records, safety records), a walk of the floor, and conversations with the people who work there. Quality audits add inspection records, measuring equipment and how defects are traced and corrected.
Findings often come from gaps between what a document says and what the floor shows. Much of the preparation is making sure the two agree.
04Visiting us
Audit visits to our Bhiwandi facility are arranged by appointment, and compliance paperwork goes to your sourcing or compliance team rather than onto a public page.
Send the audit type, the checklist and your proposed dates with the request; the audit guide in our buyer resources lists what to share.
Findings often come from gaps between what a document says and what the floor shows.
05After the audit
An audit usually ends with a closing meeting and a written report. Where findings are raised, a corrective action plan sets out what will change, who is responsible and by when.
The follow-up matters as much as the visit. When the plan is agreed, agree too how closure will be shown: by documents, photographs or a return visit.
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