Your eyes on the factory floor in Dongguan.
We help independent brands and online sellers find a factory that can actually make their product, check it before the deposit leaves your account, and inspect the goods before they ship. We work from Dongguan, Guangdong — next door to the suppliers you are trying to reach.
Built for small brands, not for procurement departments.
If your order is one pallet rather than one container, most sourcing agents will not take you seriously. That order size is exactly what we work with.
Your first production run
You have a design, a sample or a competitor product, a budget, and no reliable way to tell which factory reply is real.
Crowdfunding and pre-orders
You have promised backers a shipping date. You need someone standing in the workshop who can tell you whether that date is still true.
Restocking an online store
You sell on Shopify, Amazon or Etsy and want a second qualified supplier before the first one lets you down at the worst moment.
Switching suppliers
Prices went up, quality slipped, or your contact stopped replying. You need to move without losing the tooling, the spec or the schedule.
Probably not a fit: you need a full in-house sourcing team, or your volume is far below the factory minimum and you want that gap closed by us. Say so on the first call and we will tell you straight.
Three things, done on the ground.
Scope and fee are agreed in writing before anything starts. Fees depend on product type, number of suppliers and how far the site is from Dongguan — you get a fixed quote, not an hourly surprise.
Supplier search and quote comparison
You send a product, a target quantity and a price you can live with. We shortlist factories that genuinely run your process, put them on the same spec sheet, and hand you comparable numbers instead of six PDFs in three formats.
- A one-page spec sheet we write together: material, finish, tolerance, packaging
- 3–6 factories shortlisted by process fit and order size, not by who answers fastest
- Side-by-side quotes: unit price, MOQ, tooling, lead time, payment terms, Incoterm
- A written recommendation, with the risks we would want to know about
Factory visit and vetting
An in-person visit, arranged by appointment, walked without a guided tour script. What matters is what is on the floor at 10 a.m. on a normal working day — machines running, or machines covered in dust.
- 15–30 photos and a short walkthrough video of the actual workshop
- Business licence, registered address and export rights checked on site
- Machine list compared with the process your product needs
- QC flow: incoming material, in-line checks, final inspection, who signs off
- Current order load and a realistic lead time
- Red flags — subcontracted processes, borrowed samples, vague ownership
Pre-shipment inspection
The last chance to catch a problem while the goods are still in the factory and the balance is still in your account. Checked against your approved sample and spec, not against the factory's own idea of acceptable.
- Sampling to AQL (ISO 2859-1), or 100% check on small runs
- Key dimensions with calipers, micrometers and height gauge; CMM where the part justifies it
- Function test, finish and colour against the approved sample
- Packaging, labelling, barcode and carton drop check
- Photo report with an item-by-item result, not a single "looks fine"
- A clear call: ship, rework, or hold the balance
Sample coordination
Getting samples made to your spec, comparing two or three of them side by side, and shipping them to you with tracking — so you can approve something you have actually held.
Monthly production follow-up
Weekly photo updates, a mid-production visit, pre-shipment inspection and shipping documents, for brands placing repeat orders who do not want to chase the factory themselves.
From your message to a visit on the floor.
Most projects start with a short call so both sides can find out honestly whether this is worth doing.
Send your spec
Product, quantity, target price, deadline, and any drawing or reference link you already have.
Written scope and fee
What we will do, what it costs, when you get it. If we cannot help, you hear that instead of a quote.
We go and check
Calls, site visits, samples, inspection. Updates with photos while it is happening, not afterwards.
Report and next step
Findings in plain language, with the decision we would make in your position and what it depends on.
A directory can list a factory. It cannot stand in it.
Marketplaces sell you a supplier list. The gap is never the list — it is knowing which entry is real, and having someone who can go and look.
- We can be on site this weekDongguan-based. No flights, no visa lead time, no "our China office will follow up".
- We come from manufacturing, not from tradingOur partner workshop runs CNC machining to 2.5 m, turning, surface grinding and wire EDM with calibrated inspection instruments. When a supplier claims a capability, we can tell whether that claim is plausible.
- Licensed to tradeImport and export rights held, and a real office in Dongguan — so the entity on the invoice and the entity doing the work are the same one.
- One team, one threadThe person who answers your email is part of the team that walks the floor. No handoff to an account manager after the deposit.
- We will tell you noIncluding when the factory is one you already like, and when the answer is "this product cannot be made at your target price".
What we do, and what we deliberately do not.
Inspection work only stays useful if it stays honest. These limits are part of the service, not a disclaimer at the bottom.
What you can expect
- Written scope, fee and timeline before work starts
- Photo and video evidence for every site visit and inspection
- An answer within 1–2 business days, even when the answer is no
- An NDA signed before you send drawings, if you want one
What we do not do
- We do not hold or move your product payments — you pay the factory directly
- We do not guarantee a factory's future quality; a report describes what was seen that day
- We do not take undisclosed commissions from factories
- We do not write a report about a visit that did not happen — if access is refused, you are told immediately
The ones that come up first.
Which products do you cover?
Mostly hardware and consumer goods made in and around Dongguan and the Pearl River Delta: machined and stamped metal parts, electronics accessories, outdoor gear, homeware, packaging. If your product sits well outside that — soft goods and textiles, for example — we will say so on the call rather than learn on your deposit.
Already have a supplier. Can you still inspect?
Yes, and it is the most common request. Most inspections we run are for factories we did not introduce. A second pair of eyes on a supplier you already trust is cheap insurance.
How does payment work?
By bank transfer or an international payment service, after you approve the written quote. The invoice covers our service only — never your goods, and never a markup hidden inside the unit price.
How fast can you visit a factory?
Usually within 3–5 working days for sites in Dongguan and neighbouring cities. The real constraint is the factory's own availability, and some will stall — which is itself useful information.
What if the factory refuses access?
Then we stop and tell you the same day. A supplier that will not allow a scheduled visit before you commit is telling you something more useful than any brochure.
Do you handle shipping and customs?
We coordinate with your freight forwarder, prepare the documents the factory must supply, and check them against the packing list. We do not act as your importer of record — that stays with you or your forwarder.
Tell us what you are making.
Product, quantity, target price and where you sell is enough to start. If you already have a supplier list, send it — the honest answer is often faster that way.
Send your specStart with a short message.
No form-filling marathon. Tell us what the product is and what is blocking you; we reply within 1–2 business days, in English.