Order Control: One Contact From PO to Container
You send the purchase order. From then on we are the person the factory talks to every day and the person you read every week. Spec confirmed, samples approved, visits at the milestones, changes logged, date watched. One contract per PO. Reply within 24 business hours.
A buyer with a factory and nobody on the floor
You chose the factory and placed the order. The first you hear of a problem is the final inspection report or a photo of the goods on arrival. The factory's English is short, the time difference is eight to fourteen hours and flying someone in for every run costs more than the margin.
Order control puts a Vietnamese-speaking engineer between you and the factory for the life of the PO. It does not replace the factory's own QC and it does not find you a new factory. For a first order with an unknown supplier, start with the factory audit.
Seven things we do on every controlled order
| PO and spec confirmation | The factory confirms drawing revision, material, finish, quantity, packing and dates line by line, in Vietnamese, before the first part is cut |
|---|---|
| Sample approvals | Pre-production samples and the golden sample tracked to your sign-off; the approved sample sealed and kept on the line |
| Visits | Pre-production review, first article, in-line visits and pre-shipment inspection at the milestones agreed in the scope |
| Daily factory contact | Short daily contact with the factory in Vietnamese: materials in, machines running, open issues, next milestone |
| Change management | Spec changes, quantity changes and date changes handled with the factory and logged, nothing cut without your written approval |
| Weekly status | One page to you in English every week: plan against actual, open issues, decisions needed, next visit |
| Shipment sign-off | Loading supervision, packing list and document check, container and seal photos |
One page, every week, no call needed
Plan against actual per milestone, open issues with owner and due date, decisions we need from you, and the next visit. It arrives on the same weekday every week for the life of the PO.
Weekly statusExample format
- PO
- 24-0xx, week 4 of 6
- Milestones
- First article passed day 9; machining 92 percent (plan 90); anodising batch 3 started day 24 (plan day 22)
- Open issues
- Anodising colour batch 2, re-run approved by you day 20, due day 27; carton artwork revision B awaited from you
- Decisions needed
- Approve carton artwork B by day 26 to hold the ship date
- Ship date
- Day 42, on track if artwork approved
- Next visit
- Day 30, in-line visit 3
Illustration of the format. Not a status on any real order.
One contract per purchase order
Scoped from the number of visits, the length of the run and the reporting you need, and set in the contract before the first visit. A PO that grows in scope gets an updated contract. For several suppliers or year-round orders, embedded PM fits better.
Questions about order control
How is order control different from a sourcing agent’s service?
A sourcing agent finds the factory and is usually paid by the order. We do not find factories; we work for you under a contract, so our interest is the order running right. You keep the supplier relationship and pay the factory directly.
Do you handle spec changes mid-order?
Yes. A change request goes to the factory in Vietnamese with the drawing revision, we confirm what it does to cost and date, and nothing is cut until you approve in writing. Every change is logged in the weekly status.
Can you control an order at a factory in the North from Ho Chi Minh City?
Yes. Daily contact and weekly status are the same from anywhere. Visits in the North are done with a travel day or by a freelance inspector we engage and brief. The contract says which.