Key takeaways
- Shortlist by product capability, machinery and order profile before requesting price.
- Audit the actual production site and subcontracting route.
- A paid sample or controlled trial order reveals more than a questionnaire.
- Capacity, quality and commercial reliability must all pass.
Start with a capability brief
Send category, construction, materials, target quantity, size range, target price, delivery market and target date. Ask which operations are in-house, which are subcontracted and which products are genuinely repetitive for the factory.
A factory that is excellent at jersey basics may be wrong for tailored outerwear. A footwear factory may have the right assembly line but no access to the required sole mould or last.
Four audit blocks
| Block | Evidence | Red flag |
|---|---|---|
| Technical | Machines, operators, pattern room, sample room, finishing | Samples shown are not made on site |
| Quality | Incoming checks, inline QC, final inspection, defect records | No approved-sample control or measurement record |
| Capacity | Line plan, current loading, bottleneck operations, subcontractors | Capacity promise without a production schedule |
| Commercial | Legal entity, payment terms, references, claims process | Changing bank details or unclear quotation basis |
Use a controlled trial
Before a strategic order, run a paid development project or a small production lot with defined approvals. Measure response time, sample accuracy, openness about problems, packaging discipline and document control.
Do not hide defects to preserve the relationship. The useful signal is how the factory investigates, communicates and prevents recurrence.
Score before negotiating
- Product capability and technical problem-solving: 30%.
- Quality system and traceability: 25%.
- Capacity and calendar credibility: 20%.
- Commercial terms and financial reliability: 15%.
- Communication and documentation: 10%.