Factory Walk-Throughs: What Should You Check When Visiting a Supplier?

In any industry, efficiency, organization, and productivity are critical components to being successful. How productive is your business, and is your business organized enough to maximize its efficiency?

February 26, 2021

Make Supplier Visits a Part of Your Routine:

In order to be successful, it’s necessary to monitor your assets routinely. Whether you’re “popping in” to a retail store to visit with employees, conducting a factory walk-through to observe production, or visiting the office to catch up with your team, there’s one main reason for all of this: Are we successful? If yes, what are we doing to continue to increase our success? If not, have we identified the issue? How do we eliminate waste, reduce risk and work more efficiently to be successful?

Planning Your Next Factory Walk-Through:

In the packaging world, factories are our life-blood. Their main objective is to produce a high-quality product in the most efficient way possible. Factory visits are a critical element in reducing risk, eliminating waste, and ensuring production demands are being met. Of course, not all businesses have immediate access to their factories. For some businesses, their factories are located on the other side of the world, which can pose additional travel, communication, and logistics complications. For those companies whose suppliers are across the water, getting to the supplier takes lots of planning and time, so ensuring that your visit is scheduled and organized in advance will ensure you’re maximizing your time spent.

In-Person Visits or Virtual Visits?

Unfortunately, COVID-19 and our global pandemic have eliminated or, at the very least, made it extremely difficult to travel overseas. With these international travel restrictions and set quarantine schedules, the option for in-person factory walk-throughs is ultimately impossible unless you’re a local citizen. However, thanks to technology, some businesses have been able to work through these complications, using various web interface services to “visit” with their suppliers. While these virtual walk-throughs and product inspections aren’t as good as an in-person visit, unless your company has a local team working on the ground near your supplier, this is your next best option.

Top 5 Areas You Should Observe During a Factory Walk-Through:

Here are our top five suggested areas to observe during your next factory walk-through, including specific questions to consider asking on your visit:

1. Factory Organization

   • Do you notice any issues transporting materials from one location to another?
   • Are materials easily accessible?
   • How are the materials organized? Are materials organized properly?
   • Are all materials stored in good condition?
   • Do you notice assigned paths for employees and materials?

2. Factory Working Conditions

   • Is this factory a safe place to work? Is it a friendly working environment?
   • Are operator instructions available for reference? (Standard operating sheets available?)
   • Can you spot any safety hazards?
   • Notice the equipment and alarms for emergencies. Are these in good working condition?
   • Are the aisles, exits, and stairways kept clear at all times?

3. Factory Equipment and Machinery

   • Do the machines receive routine inspections and maintenance checks?
   • What is the cleanliness of the machines and equipment?
   • Are the machines and equipment in good working condition?
   • How are the machines and equipment stored when not in use?
     • Are the machines and equipment stored appropriately and safely?
   • Is there any process to flush out the residue in the machine and clear the line of raw materials and packages between production orders?
   • Are process parameter sheets established and available on the machine?

4. Factory Management & Production Teams

   • Do employees appear to be happy?
   • Are factory policies and procedures followed by all employees?
   • Is proper training offered for all employees? Is the employee training job-specific?
   • Are all employees equipped with an appropriate amount of PPE?

5. Factory Inventory & Production Samples

   • Is the manufactured product high-quality?
   • Does the factory prepare samples? On site? Or is there a wait time?
     • Are samples readily available for you to inspect?
   • Are the materials stored properly? Proper temperature/lighting/humidity?
   • Are products labeled and easily accessible?
   • Is the pack-out area tidy and free of contaminations?

How Can HB International Assist Your Business?

Our HB International team routinely visits our selected suppliers. Our local team of experts enjoys the personal face-to-face interaction with factory management and employees. Visiting these suppliers in-person gives our HBI team a chance to monitor and evaluate our suppliers and witness first-hand daily operations, practices and procedures. At HBI, it is our responsibility to ensure your product is produced in an approved, high-quality and efficient facility. We can assure you that our prices will continue to be competitive because of the regular engagement and communication we have with our quality suppliers.

How can we help get your next project started?