SUPPLIER EVIDENCE BUREAU / CAPABILITY SWITCHBOARD
Factory Capability Questions for China Sourcing
A capability statement is more useful when it is connected to the product requirement it needs to answer, the process or facility point involved, the available observation, and the next question a buyer still needs to raise.
Direct answer: start with the product requirement, name the capability question it creates, record what is currently visible, and decide what additional evidence, comparison, or conversation belongs next.
CAPABILITY SWITCHBOARD / CURRENT QUESTION
Requirement / process / next check
Product requirement
What must the product, component, material, or package do?
Capability question
Which process, resource, equipment, or control point matters?
Next evidence
What observation or response would make the next comparison clearer?
CAPABILITY IS PRODUCT-SPECIFIC, NOT A GENERAL LABEL
The useful capability question is tied to the product state in front of the buyer—not to a broad statement about what a factory can do.
Begin with the product sourcing brief or product requirements checklist. Then identify the capability point that matters: material handling, tooling, process sequence, component sourcing, finish, packaging, testing reference, quality control point, quantity context, or another product-specific question.
THE SWITCHBOARD / FOUR QUESTIONS TO MAKE THE NEXT CHECK SPECIFIC
01 / PRODUCT REQUIREMENT
What must the current product reference show or achieve?
Name the material, construction, configuration, finish, dimension, use, package, sample, or other product point that frames the question.
02 / PROCESS QUESTION
Which process, resource, or facility point does it create?
Turn the product point into a clearer question about how the item may be made, assembled, checked, handled, or packed.
03 / AVAILABLE RECORD
What can the buyer currently see or review?
Keep the supplier reply, image, sample, product record, document, visit note, quotation, or observation attached to the question.
04 / NEXT COMPARISON
What evidence or conversation belongs next?
Name the follow-up question, sample request, factory-visit point, reference check, or supplier comparison record that should follow.
REQUIREMENT → QUESTION → RECORD → NEXT COMPARISON
A capability discussion is more useful when the buyer can show the product question it is meant to answer.
1 / Start with the product record.
Use the product brief to separate the current requirement from an assumption.
2 / Ask the capability question in context.
Use the supplier inquiry template to connect the question with the relevant product reference.
3 / Keep supplier answers comparable.
Use the supplier shortlist template and Evidence Review Desk when the next decision needs a clearer review path.
BOUNDARY / EVIDENCE IS NOT A VERDICT
A clearer record helps the buyer form the next question. It does not settle every supplier, product, or commercial decision.
What this guide can organise
Product requirement context, capability questions, available records, supplier comparison points, evidence requests, factory-visit questions, and the next buyer review record.
What it does not determine
It does not certify a supplier, authenticate evidence, confirm legal status, compliance, product quality, product safety, costs, commercial terms, production outcome, timing, or suitability for a market or use. The buyer retains final reliance, approval, and commercial decisions.
When specialist input is needed
For legal, regulatory, safety, testing, compliance, intellectual-property, tax, customs, insurance, financial, technical, or other specialist questions, obtain appropriate qualified or official input before a decision.
START WITH THE QUESTION AND RECORD YOU HAVE NOW
Have a product requirement that needs a clearer supplier capability question?
Bring the current product reference, the process or capability point you need to understand, and the next evidence or comparison question you want to prepare.