Ten questions for a sealant factory visit

A factory visit is not a tour of the showroom. Ninety minutes on the line and ten questions will tell you more than a brochure, and the answers are hard to fake consistently.

The ten questions

1. Which line made our sample batch? A specific answer with a line number is a good sign; a general one is not.
2. Where is the retained sample kept? If there is no retained sample, there is no traceability.
3. Which properties are tested per batch, and which per shipment? Not everything needs testing every time, but the list should be deliberate.
4. Who signs the certificate? A name and a role, not a stamp.
5. What happens when a batch is out of specification? The answer should be a procedure, not a promise.
6. How is the filling line cleaned between colours? Changeover is where contamination enters.
7. What is the actual capacity of this line per shift? Compare with the claimed annual capacity.
8. How long does stock sit before shipping? Old stock in a warehouse is a shelf-life problem.
9. Which customers buy this model, and in what pack? Specificity signals real trade.
10. Can we see the QC records for the last three batches? The test of everything above.

What to look at

• Raw material storage: labelled, in date, segregated.
• Mixing area: dust control, weighing scales, batch sheets.
• Filling line: nozzles, cartridge feed, date coding.
• Finished goods: labelled, palletised, batch numbers visible.
• Retained sample store: organised by batch, not a shelf of loose cartridges.

Red flags

• A capacity figure that does not match the line count.
• Certificates with no batch number.
• No retained samples.
• A showroom that is immaculate and a production area that is not.

What good and weak answers sound like

The value of the ten questions is in the specificity of the answers, not in whether they are yes.

Question	Strong answer	Weak answer
Which line made the batch?	“Line 3, batch 2408-17, run on 12 August”	“Our production line”
Where is the retained sample?	“Climate room, shelf B, by batch number”	“We keep samples”
Who signs the certificate?	A name, a role, a signature	A company stamp
What if a batch is out of spec?	A written procedure with a hold point	“We would never ship it”
Line capacity per shift?	A number that matches the line count	An annual figure only
QC records for the last three batches?	Produced within the hour	“Our engineer will send them”

None of these answers requires a factory to be large. They require it to have a system, and a system is what protects the second order.

The paperwork test, done before the flight

Ask for four documents by email before booking anything:

1. The batch certificate for the sample you were sent.
2. The retained-sample policy, in one paragraph.
3. The last three QC records, redacted if necessary.
4. The procedure for a non-conforming batch.

A factory that sends all four in a day has answered most of the audit. One that sends a brochure has answered a different question.

What this means for buyers

1. Ask the ten questions before you book the flight; the email answers filter the list.
2. On site, follow one batch from raw material to pallet.
3. Photograph the retained sample store — it is the clearest sign of a quality system.
4. If the answers are vague, the price is not the only thing you are negotiating.