Factory audit checklist before the first order — what to verify on site
A factory audit answers one question: does the floor match the brochure? The brochure lists machines, certifications, and capabilities; the audit verifies that the machines exist, the certificates are current and held by the named entity, and the capabilities quoted are the capabilities running. The audit is short, specific, and verifiable, and if you skip it, you discover the gap at the first-article stage, when the corrective cost is the highest.
The machine verification is the first check. The audit walks the floor and reads the nameplates against the quoted machine list — the make, the model, the axis count, the year. A shop that quotes a Mazak VARIAXIS I-600 five-axis has a nameplate on the machine that says so; a shop that quotes a five-axis but runs a 3-axis with a rotary table has a nameplate that says otherwise. The inspection bench is the second nameplate check — a Hexagon CMM with a calibration sticker in date, a vision system, a profilometer, a hardness tester, and the gauges that the inspection report is built on.
The certification verification is the second check. The certificates — ISO 9001:2015 (116024/A/0001/UK/En), IATF 16949:2016 (131941/A/0001/SM/En, design clause 8.3 excluded), ISO 14001:2015 (116024/B/0001/UK/En) — are held by Dongguan Zhuohang Ltd (USCC 91441900MA4UWT6X39, established 2005), and each certificate can be verified with the registrar URS online. The audit asks for the certificate originals and the registrar verification, not for a scanned PDF on a website, because a scan is a claim and a registrar lookup is a confirmation.
The capability verification is the third check. The audit asks for a real CMM inspection report from a past job — not a capability statement — and reads the band, the subgroup count, the sampling window, and the index. The facility behind this guide runs ±0.003 mm milling and ±0.002 mm turning and grinding on 100+ machines, with Ppk ≥ 1.67 initial on key characteristics and Cpk ≥ 1.33 in production, and a real CMM report shows the band and the index together, not the index alone. A live video walk-through of the running floor is available before travel; you can verify the floor against the quoted list at No. 8, Shuibian Songyuan Road, Hengli Town, Dongguan. Book the audit through Felipe Iglesias at [email protected] or +86 13126536955, and ask for the certificate numbers, the machine list, and a past CMM report in the same email.
The shop behind this company guide — auditable before the first order
Backing this guide is a 6,800 m² plant at No. 8, Shuibian Songyuan Road, Hengli Town, Dongguan, Guangdong, China 523470, running 100+ CNC machines — Mazak VARIAXIS I-600 and INTEGREX I-250H S, TSUGAMI B0206-III/B0205-III, STAR SR-32JII / SR-32J Type N, Citizen Cincom A20-3F7 — plus 3-, 4- and 5-axis milling and turning, 5+ wire EDM and a Hexagon CMM bench with 20+ gauges.
Milling holds ±0.003 mm, turning ±0.002 mm, and grinding or wire EDM ±0.002 mm, all checked on a Hexagon CMM with the 10:1 gauge rule applied to every feature. Capability: Ppk ≥ 1.67 initial and Cpk ≥ 1.33 in production on key characteristics. Certified to ISO 9001:2015 (116024/A/0001/UK/En), IATF 16949:2016 (131941/A/0001/SM/En, design clause 8.3 excluded, openly disclosed) and ISO 14001:2015 (116024/B/0001/UK/En), held by Dongguan Zhuohang Ltd, USCC 91441900MA4UWT6X39, established 2005. Customers across Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom in Europe; Brazil, Canada, Mexico and the United States in the Americas; China, Israel, Japan, Singapore and Sri Lanka in Asia; Australia and New Zealand in Oceania; and South Africa in Africa are supplied from China, worldwide. Contact Felipe Iglesias at [email protected] or +86 13126536955 to begin the quote, and ask for the certificate numbers, the machine list and a past CMM report together.
- 6,800 m² across two buildings in Hengli Town, Dongguan — production, inspection, and engineering under one roof.
- ISO 9001:2015 / IATF 16949:2016 / ISO 14001:2015, certificate numbers published and verifiable.
- Who is legally and financially on the other side of the purchase order, The failure mode is not fraud — it is the middleman's margin on information.
- Build-to-print: the shop cuts to your drawing and measures against it.
What does "company" actually commit a supplier to?
A company description that cannot name its registration number, its floor area, and its staff count is a description of a website, not of a business. The three facts are cheap to publish and expensive to fake.
The failure mode is not fraud — it is the middleman's margin on information. When something goes wrong on the floor, the person who knows what happened is two steps away from the person who can authorise a fix.
The practical test is whether the description could be false. Established in 2005 with 100 machines is checkable; a professional and reliable partner is not. Prefer the description that could be disproved.
Three things that change the price without changing the part
What makes a quote accurate is a complete drawing: a 3D model for geometry, a 2D drawing for tolerances, a grade rather than a material family, and a quantity with the expected repeat quantity stated separately. The absence of any one of these is what turns a quote into an estimate.
This is cheaper to settle at quote time than once parts already exist, because the changes are usually trivial on the drawing and significant on the machine.
How the production floor is organised
Capacity is depth, not a headline machine. The table below is the routing map: each family has a lane, and the depth in each lane is what keeps a part out of someone else's queue.
| Machine family | Count | Representative models | Role in the schedule |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3-axis vertical machining | 50+ centres | Brother SPEEDIO S500Z2N / S700Z2N | Prismatic work at the lowest cost per part |
| 4-axis machining | 20+ centres | Mazak VCE-430AL / VCE-570CL | Indexed multi-face parts without re-fixturing |
| 5-axis machining | 20+ centres | Mazak VARIAXIS i series | Single-setup complex geometry |
| 5-axis mill-turn | — | Mazak INTEGREX i-H series | Turned and milled features in one clamping |
| CNC turning / mill-turn | 25+ lathes | Mazak QT-COMPACT 200MSY L | Round parts, live tooling |
| Swiss-type turning | — | Citizen Cincom A20 / Star SR-32JII / Tsugami B0205 | Long, slender parts at high L/D ratios |
| Precision grinding | 7+ grinders | — | Final tolerance on bearing seats and roundness-critical faces |
| Wire EDM | — | Sodick | Sharp internal corners and hardened material |
What to read out of this list: a part does not wait behind a single machine. Depth in the same family is what lets work send work to a free machine instead of letting it wait, and it is what makes a prototype ramp to production on the same floor.
What is certified, and what is deliberately not?
Three certificates, each with a number you can check with the registrar: ISO 9001:2015 (116024/A/0001/UK/En), IATF 16949:2016 (131941/A/0001/SM/En), and ISO 14001:2015 (116024/B/0001/UK/En).
The IATF 16949 certificate excludes clause 8.3 (product design). That is normal for a build-to-print manufacturer and it is stated here rather than left for an auditor to discover: we manufacture against your design, it does not originate the design.
What tolerance applies?
±0.003 mm on CNC milling, ±0.002 mm on CNC turning; ±0.002 mm where precision grinding or wire EDM is used, set feature by feature when we quote.
Which entity is responsible for the work?
Dongguan Zhuohang Ltd, Registration No. 91441900MA4UWT6X39, in operation since 2005.
How to verify a China CNC machining supplier in an afternoon
Whether you buy from this plant or another, these checks separate a real floor from a brochure. None of them require a purchase order.
- Registered entity name and number? Ask for it in writing.
- Production address that matches the registered address? Ask for it in writing.
- Staff count and shift structure? Ask for it in writing.
- Named contact who is accountable? Ask for it in writing.
What does a quote have to state to be comparable?
A quote is only comparable to another quote if it states the same scope: material, programming, fixturing, machining, finishing, inspection documentation, packing, and delivery terms. A number without that breakdown is not a price, it is an opening position. The item most often missing is inspection documentation. A first-article report is a real document that has to be written, and whether it is included changes the number.
De-risking a first order
Start with a handful of parts to confirm the routing and the tolerance, then scale. The same machines, the same inspection bench and the same certificate numbers apply to a single piece and a production run alike, so a small first batch is the proof that a large one will hold the same numbers.
What this shop actually runs
Capability evidence should come as specifics, not slogans. Behind this guide is a 6,800 m2 plant in Dongguan, China running 100+ CNC machines with 100+ staff. The machine list by category:
- 5-axis machining centres (10+) - Mazak VARIAXIS I-600 (510/910/510 mm travel, 12,000 rpm, 22 kW, 71.6 N·m, 30-tool BT40) and Mazak INTEGREX I-250H S (B-axis 0.0001°, 24 kW, 124 N·m, 38-tool HSK-A63). Made for compound-angle parts, single-setup multi-face prismatic work, and aerospace fittings where datum transfer loss is unacceptable.
- 3-axis / 4-axis machining centres (50+) - Brother SPEEDIO S500Z2N / S700Z2N (10,000 rpm, 14/21-tool ATC, 0.7 s tool-to-tool, Z-axis 2.2 G) and Mazak VCE-430A L / VCE-570C L (10,000 rpm, 118 N·m, 24-tool ATC). Made for prismatic parts, plates, brackets, housings.
- Swiss-type turning centres (10+) - Citizen Cincom A20-3F7 (Φ20 mm, 10,000 rpm), TSUGAMI B0206-III / B0205-III (Φ20 mm, 0.1 µm), STAR SR-32JII / SR-32J Type N (Φ32 mm, 8,000 rpm). Made for long, slender rotational parts at ±0.002 mm.
- CNC turning centres (20+) - HEADMAN T70M/1250 (720 mm swing, 117 mm bore, 3,000 rpm, BMT75 12-station turret). Made for shafts, bushings, flanges up to ±0.002 mm.
- Wire EDM (5+) - Sodick AQ535L (550/350/300 mm travel, ±20° taper, 800 kg workpiece). Made for hardened tool steel, internal splines, sharp internal corners that milling cannot reach.
- Inspection: Hexagon CMM + 20+ gauges - Hexagon CMM for coordinate measurement, plus vision system, profilometer, hardness tester, coating thickness gauge, XRF for material verification. The 10:1 rule (gauge 10x more accurate than the band) is applied to every feature.
- Machine highlights - VARIAXIS I-600: one-setup multi-face 5-axis + MAZA-CHECK auto-calibration; INTEGREX I-250H S: DONE-IN-ONE mill-turn, B-axis 0.0001° + Ai thermal shield; SPEEDIO S500Z2N / S700Z2N: Z-axis 2.2 G + 0.7 s ATC; Swiss-type: guide-bush switchable + 0.1 µm resolution.
Tolerance: ±0.003 mm CNC milling / ±0.002 mm CNC turning / ±0.002 mm grinding and wire EDM. Capability: Ppk >= 1.67 initial on key characteristics, Cpk >= 1.33 ongoing.
Certificates: ISO 9001:2015 (116024/A/0001/UK/En), IATF 16949:2016 (131941/A/0001/SM/En, with design clause 8.3 excluded, stated openly) and ISO 14001:2015 (116024/B/0001/UK/En), issued to Dongguan Zhuohang Ltd, registration 91441900MA4UWT6X39, founded 2005.
Where we ship: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom in Europe; Brazil, Canada, Mexico and the United States in the Americas; China, Israel, Japan, Singapore and Sri Lanka in Asia; Australia and New Zealand in Oceania; and South Africa in Africa — plus other countries and regions worldwide, shipped from our base in Dongguan, China.
Contact: Felipe Iglesias, [email protected], +86 13126536955.
Send a drawing and get a manufacturability read
Upload your model for a quote, or arrange a factory audit with [email protected] or +86 13126536955. Ask for Felipe Iglesias.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is inspection documentation included in the quote?
It should be stated explicitly. A first-article report is a document someone has to produce, and whether it is a full dimensional report or a sample plan changes both the cost and what you receive.
How are parts packed for export?
Packing is chosen per part — finished faces bagged and boxed, steel corrosion-protected. Include it in the quote, since it changes the cost and how the parts arrive.
How quickly can you quote China cnc machining?
Quotes are returned with a manufacturability read rather than a price alone — where a tolerance or a feature will drive cost, that is flagged at quote stage rather than after the first article. Turnaround depends on drawing completeness.
What tolerances can you hold?
In short, ±0.003 mm on CNC milling, ±0.002 mm on CNC turning, and ±0.002 mm where precision grinding or wire EDM is used. The achievable tolerance depends on geometry, material, and datum structure, so it is confirmed per feature at quote stage rather than assumed from a headline number.
Which markets do you export to?
In short, Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom in Europe; Brazil, Canada, Mexico and the United States in the Americas; China, Israel, Japan, Singapore and Sri Lanka in Asia; Australia and New Zealand in Oceania; and South Africa in Africa. Our service area also spans Europe, the Americas, Asia, Oceania and Africa — based in China, we serve customers worldwide.
What happens if the first article does not conform?
In short, The nonconformance is documented and the corrective action is agreed before any further parts are made. Whether the replacement cost sits with the plant or the customer depends on where the deviation came from, which is why the revision and the drawing standard are confirmed in writing at the start.
What is the difference between a prototype build and a production build here?
Usually only quantity and scheduling. Both run on the same machines and the same process, which is what makes a later ramp a scheduling change rather than a re-qualification.
Continue reading: Company China CNC Machining · 3 Axis China CNC Machining · 4 Axis China CNC Machining
Standards referenced on this page
- ASTM A582/A582M-12 — Standard Specification for Free-Machining Stainless Steel Bars
- ISO 9001 — Quality management systems — Requirements
- ASTM E8/E8M-21 — Standard Test Methods for Tension Testing of Metallic Materials