Thomas Doyle  MSc.


Audit: Factory and Product

​​​​​​​​​​Background: Factory owner express concern that audit standards, pass report and audit payments don't necessarily match up.  
Requirement:  Pass report from third party service conducting factory audit.
Action Items:  Prepare factory before initial audit.  Pay third party service for audits until pass report.
Results:  As long as the third party is paid for multiple audits, the factory will eventually pass (i.e. You Pay,, We Say).
Lesson Learned: Factories will eventually pass by submitting to multiple paid audits.  The factory could be better off using the money paid to third party services instead to improve their factory and/or working salaries.






Background: Subcontractor use without pre-approval.
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Background: Show Factory Demo Factory and Fraudulent Third Parties 
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Background: Canteen Health and Safety Conditions
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Background: Dormitory Condition for Health and Safety.
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Background: Factory audit preparation for major retailers and big box stores.  
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Background: Forced Labor Prohibition Protocols
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Background:Quality Management System
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Background: Continual Improvement Process
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Background:Business Process Management
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Background:Good Manufacturing Practices.
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Background:Best Practices
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Background: Third party inspection and factory staff. (i.e. undue influence)
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Background: Sourcing Plush Holiday toys from East Coast supplier.
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Background: Unannounced, randomly selected worker interview.
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Results:  When asked a direct question, the worker replied "What do you want me to say?"  
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Background: Factory Labor Code of Conduct: Environment, Discrimination, Forced Labor, Underage Workers, Wage and Hours,                                            Working Conditions, Housing, Freedom of Association - Monitoring and Enforcement.
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Background:   Pre-shipment Microbial test failure from packaged finished products.  Microbial testing performed 

to detect the following: Salmonella, E. coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphlylococcus aureas, Coliform, Mold and Yeast.
Requirement:  Contact tracing of factory workers to identify the source of contamination.
Action Items:  Isolate workers who present signs for fever and illness.  Track all workers for temperature daily.                                                              Enhance Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)  Protocols
Results:  Contract tracing factory workers can remove ill workers from production lines to rest and recover. 
Lesson Learned:  Proactive health screening of factory workers with daily issuance of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is required.



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Background: HACCP: Prevention of Contamination, Foreign Objects, Prevention of Excessive and Offensive Odors, Glue, Needle Control, Screw Fastening, Sonic Weld, Liquid Leakage.
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Background: .Ad hoc travel options during sourcing trip with staff.
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Results:  Instead of checking into hotel the team checked into a night train soft sleeper to gain 1 or 2 days.
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Background:  Multiple Site Factory Tour with client staff for pre-production Design Evaluations.
Requirement:  Rent bus to  10-15 persons to travel throughout Guangdong Province.
Action Items: Travel to factory.  Tour Factory.  Review component parts and assembly methods.  Follow-up meeting in HK.
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Background:  Third Party request mainland Factory Tour to train new hires who handle testing service yet haven't been to factory
Requirement:  Travel throughout Guangdong Province.
Action Items: Verify the factory owner accepts non-client visitor tour. Travel to factory.  Tour Factory.
Results:  Third Party Test Lab staff learn more about factories, product, manufacturing and local logistics .
Lesson Learned:  Third Party services need direct access to factories to train their staff.

2002-2014 Extensive Site Inspections for:

Work environment Safety, Product Integrity, Legal and Ethical Operations.


  • Factories for Fashion Handbags:  Onboard factories to execute order requirement of licensed mass-market celebrity designer label  handbags and accessories.  On-site training of staff who lived closest to the factory to monitor workshops and prepare factory management for client hired 3rd party audits.
  • Factories for Luggage and Travel Cases:  Onboard factories (Ningbo, Yangzhou) to execute order requirements for major US retailers including "Big Box" stores.
  • Factories for Home Textiles: Onboard factory to execute order requirements for high-end baby crib bedding with matching accessories.  On-site due diligence supply chain evaluation such as Naturally Color Cotton in Urumqi, Xinjiang and finished textile products designed and manufactured in Wuxi, Jiangsu.
  • Wire-ware factories:  On-site audit of a Dongguan based inspector's  pre-shipment inspection technique and factory conditions located in  Bobai Guangxi.
  • Pet Products Factories: Developed products on-site with new factories who executed order requirements for custom pet products in Yangzhou, Jiangsu.
  • Polymer:  On-site development of Suzhou polymer supplier for additional manufacturing capacity to injection mold and finish cellulose acetate toys.
  • Tanneries:  On-site due diligence supply chain evaluation of hide sources from Kunming to Haining to supply Shenzhen based handbag design center.
  • Home Accessories:  On-site manufacturing process audit of window treatment products manufactured in New Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai India.   On-site manufacturing process audit of MDF home cabinetry workshop located in Dandong   Liaoning, Province.
  • Glassware:  On-site manufacturing process audit of glassware factories located in Jinzhong,  Shanxi, Province.
  • Leather Fashion Handbags: ShuiTou Town, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, Province, Haicheng, Liaoning, Province.
  • Natural Fiber Fashion handbags (straw) Laizhou, Shandong, Province.
  • Leather Fashion Accessories and Small Leather Goods:  ShuiTou Town, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, Province.
  • Plush toys:  Yangzhou, Yizheng, in Jaingsu Province.
  • Wooden toys: Yunhe, Lishui, in Zhejiang Province.                 
  • Lamps and night lights:  Yuyao, Zhejiang, Province.
  • Cast resin: ornaments and bobble heads:   Xiamen, Fujian Province.
  • Ceramics:  Fuzhou, Fujian Province
  • Printed textiles (flags, chairs, tents, etc).  Shangyu, Zhejiang Province
  • Camera cases, diaper bags, laptop cases, CD cases: Ningbo, Cixi, Zhejiang. Quanzhou, Fujian, Wuhan, Hubei, Province.
  • Bedding textiles:  Rizhou, Shandong, Nantong, Jiangsu, Province.
  • Printed Towels:  Xi’an, Shaanxi, Lanxi, Zhejiang, Changsha, in Hunan Province.
  • High-pile Blankets: Jiamusi and Mudanjiang in HeiLongJiang Province,
  • High-end Patchwork quilts: Wuxi, in Jaingsu Province.

Examples of Factory Audits Before, During and After Production:

Needle and Sharp Tool Control Procedures for Cut and Sewn Workshops


1. No sewing worker/operator shall be in possession of any needles other than those in the machine.

2. All spare needles must be held by supervisor in a secure, locked location with a record of need types  and total quantities.

3. Only supervisors can issue needles to operators.

4,  If a needle becomes blunt, the supervisor must collect the damaged needle and retain it for safe record keeping and issue a new needle.  

5. Needle conditions must be monitored regularly and planned replacement is recommended after excessive use.

6. When needles break, a search for all pieces must be collected.  After the broken needle pieces are completely collected, a new needle can be issued.

If all the pieces of the broken needle can not be found, the following procedure must be executed:

  • Work being stitched, plus adjacent bundles, must be screened with a hand-held metal detector in a special area.  A wooden table positioned away from the sewing line is recommended.
  • Work must be carried to the special area in a box or plastic bag to prevent the needle fragments from falling onto the factory floor.
  • A small magnet may be used to locate the needle fragments around the sewing machine.
  • If the missing parts still cannot be found , the garments must be destroyed.
  • Production must not start until these procedures have been executed.

​7. Broken needle pieces must be mounted with clear adhesive tape onto a record sheet.

8. To ensure that the supervisor can tell whether all the needle pieces are found, an example of each needle being used on the sewing line must be mounted on a card and kept for reference with the broken needle records.

9. Records must be kept on needle breakages by machine type, size and operation.

10. Records should be kept of all new needles issued to the line, to correspond with broken damaged needle records.

11. Regularly analyze the records to detect trends which will indicate machine maintenance, operator error or incorrect needle type.

​12.  Needles used in label guns must be controlled with same procedures.

13. Hand-sewing needles must only be issued daily by supervisor who keeps records of issuance and return.  If a hand-sewing needle is lost,  it must be searched for in the adjacent areas to operator and in the garments being worked on.  If the lost needle cannot be found, the garments must be destroyed.

14. Sharp tools such as scissors, razor blades and knifes must be controls similar to hand-sewing needles procedures given above.  In addition, when possible, sharp tools must be tethered to workstations.



​Onboarding Initial Due Diligence Data Collection
1. Factory owner completes and return the self audit form.
2. Photos of workshops in production (各生产车间照片及工厂外貌）.
3. Answer to the following questions.

  • Factory Name in English and Chinese:
  • Web Site:
  • Are you a factory or a trading conpany with self-owned factory or a trading company without own factory?:
  • Number of workers:
  • Number of years in Business:
  • Main product category:
  • Export by yourself or via agent:
  • Main customer in US or other country:
  • Factory Audit (Has your factory been audited by any foreign company?  such as Wal-mart, etc. And what's the result of the audit?  Pass or not?):
  • Licensed Products (Do you have experience in Licensed Products manufacturing ?) :
  • Do you have an Environmental Management System (EMS) in place? (Yes or No)
  • Is there a formal energy conservation program or practices in place? (Yes or No)
  • Is the workshop ISO 9000 or ISO 14000 certified or regularly publish environmental reports? (Yes or No)
  • Is water conservation advocated and practiced? (Yes or No)
  • Do you have a formal program to minimize hazardous air emissions? (Yes or No)
  • We may send samples to you for quoting after review your company profile.


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