Factory Visit Notes: What You Saw, What You Were Told and What Comes Next

Ask buying questions beyond the sales presentation

Connect each question to the product version and decision in your brief. Ask the supplier to explain the proposed arrangement, then identify what further evidence would resolve the question. A general presentation may describe work unrelated to your order, so bring the discussion back to your actual requirement.

• Which steps for this product would happen here, and which elsewhere?
• Who handles sample revisions, materials, packaging and order communication?
• What is included in the quote, and which assumptions still need confirmation?
• What triggers the stated sample and production timing?
• Which checks are proposed for this order, who performs them and what records would be available?
• What information must the buyer provide before the next step?

Separate observations from supplier statements

Describe what was visible without extending it beyond the visit. “Saw labelled cartons in the permitted packing area” records an observation. “Supplier stated that all orders use this packaging” records a claim requiring its own follow-up. Neither establishes what will happen on your future order.

Note the area, date, product context and any restriction. If the line was idle or a room was unavailable, record that limit without guessing the reason. A demonstration, photograph or supplied document also needs context: who provided it, what it represents and whether you reviewed its relevance.

Observing production flow does not establish process capability, quality-system effectiveness or product safety. Define any technical assessment or testing with suitable expertise separately. SGS’s description of technical audits illustrates that specialist assessments have their own scope.

SGS: vendor assessment and technical audit scope

Agree photo, recording and document permissions

Ask before photographing, recording or copying anything, and confirm permitted use and sharing. Permission to enter an area is not permission to record it. If photographs are prohibited, ask whether a written description or an approved reference can answer your question.

Keep other customers’ products, identifying information, people and confidential processes out of your record unless the relevant permissions are clear. Do not request unrelated confidential material as proof. Label approved images with the site, date and subject, and keep the original context when sharing them.

Use consistent visit notes

Make one entry per buying question, using the fields below. Link a permitted image or document rather than replacing the explanation with an attachment. Record disagreements and uncertainty while the discussion is fresh. “Not checked” is more useful than a confident conclusion without a source.

Prepare the agenda before the visit

Compare factories without inventing scores

Compare documented differences under the same headings: product fit, sample requirements, quote scope, timing assumptions and unresolved issues. Include evidence dates and access limits. A supplier with a fuller presentation should not automatically receive a stronger conclusion than one that answered a narrower, more relevant question.

Identify essentials that must be resolved before buying, then preferences that can be weighed later. If two visits covered different processes, note that they are not directly comparable. Avoid adding numerical scores unless you have defined what each score means and the evidence needed; a missing answer should remain visibly missing.

Compare the written quotation scope

Resolve gaps and choose the next step

Turn each gap into a specific follow-up: cite the meeting note and quote revision, state the difference, and ask who can confirm the current position. For example, if packaging discussed on site is absent from the quote, request a revised inclusion or an explicit exclusion. Keep the previous version until the difference is resolved.

A sample request is a useful next step when it answers an identified product question. State the relevant revision, what you want to learn and how the buyer will review it. Other gaps may need a revised quote, a further discussion or separately arranged technical review. Assign responsibilities and dependencies before advancing; a completed visit alone is not an approval.

Request and review samples against a clear brief

Review factory visit support