By SteelDesk Tangshan · Updated
Prepare the brief before contacting the site
Provide the supplier's legal name, exact location, local contact, product specification, quantity, buying stage and the decision the visit should support. Attach the quotation and identify priority questions. If several workshops contribute to the order, list each site. A general request to “check the factory” leaves the visitor and supplier with different expectations about access and evidence.
Tell the inspection desk whether you have already notified the seller and whether your buyer identity may be disclosed. You can ask the desk to coordinate the appointment or introduce it directly to the supplier. Confidentiality does not remove the requirement for the site operator's consent, and no one should claim an authorization or identity that they do not have.
Confirm the appointment in writing
- Agree the date, local time, entrance and responsible site contact.
- Confirm visitor identification, registration requirements and any proposed confidentiality agreement.
- List permitted areas: office, yard, production, quality-control room, packing and loading.
- Ask whether the relevant line will operate and whether your batch will be available.
- Identify required safety induction, protective equipment and escort arrangements.
- Confirm what documents, samples and staff will be available, and who can answer technical questions.
A tentative time is not a confirmed appointment. Travel and the fixed scope should be agreed only after the access plan is clear. China-wide visits require location-specific planning; Tangshan and nearby Hebei sites usually offer the shortest travel from our base. No site should be promised a universal arrival time.
Obtain separate recording permission
Entry permission does not automatically allow photographs, video, audio, copying documents or taking samples. Specify what you need to record, which areas are prohibited and whether staff faces or confidential details must be excluded. Agree these limits before attending. Sampling, destructive tests and laboratory work require their own written arrangement and may involve an independent body.
Where continuous video is permitted and practical, it can show the route and equipment in context. Restricted areas or interruptions should be described in the report. Do not call a partial visit a complete walkthrough. Ask whether recorded supplier answers can be shared with the buyer's team and how any confidential documents should be handled.
On the day, follow the scope and safety rules
The visitor should identify the site, attend the induction and remain in authorized areas. Record the actual time, route, accessible equipment and production status. Keep supplier statements separate from observations. If the host substitutes a different location, confirm the change with the buyer before treating it as the planned inspection. Safety instructions and the operator's express restrictions take precedence over obtaining a photograph.
Plan for refusal, cancellation or missing evidence
If entry or recording is refused, notify the buyer and describe exactly what was unavailable. Options may include rescheduling, document review, lawful external verification from permitted places or cancellation. None establishes the same facts as a full site visit. Do not enter unannounced, bypass guards or secretly film restricted areas. Agree travel and cancellation terms before dispatch so a refusal does not create an unexpected cost dispute.
After the visit, request an evidence index, the scope actually completed and a list of unanswered questions. Commercial due diligence is not certification or a guarantee of future production. The inspection service page explains the appointment process and reporting limits; the report specimen is illustrative, not a client result.
Scope and evidence limits
This is commercial due diligence, not certification or a quality guarantee. We arrange supplier visits across China, with fastest access from Tangshan. Appointments and filming permission must be agreed before attending. Unavailable evidence stays not verified; it is not silently treated as a pass.