An audit is a snapshot. A checkpoint is a guarantee in progress.
A factory audit tells you what a factory was capable of on the day the auditor visited. It says nothing about what is happening on your order, this week, on line three.
That is why experienced importers do not rely on the audit alone. They inspect during production — at the 20% and 50% marks — and again before loading.
How the checkpoints work
The 20% checkpoint — the one that saves the most money
When about a fifth of the run is complete, an inspector checks the finished units against your specification and the approved sample. This is where the expensive mistakes get caught:
- Wrong materials or components — substitutions are cheapest to fix before the rest of the run is built
- Spec drift — dimensions, colours, finishes or ratings quietly drifting from the approved sample
- Process problems — a tooling or setup issue that would otherwise repeat across thousands of units
A problem found here costs a conversation. The same problem found at the port costs a claim.
The 50% checkpoint — keeping the line honest
Halfway through, the inspector confirms the correction (if any) held, checks production pace against the shipping date, and samples packaging and labelling before everything is boxed.
Pre-shipment inspection — the final gate
The classic AQL sampling check before goods leave the factory. Essential — but it should be the third line of defence, not the only one. Finding a defect here means the whole run is already built.
What it costs vs what it saves
A single inspection visit typically costs a few hundred dollars. A container of wrong goods costs thousands — plus the re-order, the delay, and the customer you may lose.
Want inspections built into your next order? Tell us what you are sourcing — QC is part of how we work, not an add-on.*Warren Smith is the CEO of LS International, managing sourcing and quality control for businesses importing from China.*