When founders say they’ve “vetted” a factory, it usually means one of three things:
- They saw certifications
- They received clean samples
- They had a few good calls
That isn’t vetting.
That’s early-stage comfort.
Real factory vetting goes beyond paperwork and first impressions. Because most production failures don’t come from obvious red flags — they come from invisible gaps that weren’t examined.
If you’re relying on a surface-level supplier vetting process, you’re not reducing risk. You’re delaying it.
This guide breaks down what factory vetting typically misses — and how to evaluate suppliers the way experienced operators do.
What “Factory Vetting” Usually Looks Like
Most brands assess factories based on:
- Pricing competitiveness
- Sample quality
- Certifications (ISO, audits, compliance docs)
- Communication responsiveness
These things matter — but they don’t tell you how production behaves at scale.
A factory can:
- Produce beautiful samples
- Hold legitimate certifications
- Communicate well in English
…and still create major downstream problems.
Why?
Because the biggest risks live inside the production system — not the sales presentation.
What Superficial Vetting Misses
1. Subcontracting (Who Is Actually Making Your Product?)
Many factories outsource portions of production without highlighting it.
Commonly subcontracted steps include:
- Casting
- Polishing
- Stone setting
- Plating
Subcontracting isn’t inherently bad. But uncontrolled subcontracting creates:
- Fragmented accountability
- Inconsistent quality standards
- Difficulty tracing root causes
Most supplier vetting processes ask:
“Are you a manufacturer?”
The better question is:
“Which steps are done in-house, and which are outsourced — consistently?”
If subcontractors change frequently, so will your results.
2. Plating Shortcuts (Where Quality Quietly Breaks)
Plating is one of the most failure-prone stages in jewelry manufacturing.
What factories rarely volunteer:
- Whether plating is outsourced
- How prep is controlled before plating
- How thickness is monitored at scale
- What changes when volume increases
Thin plating, rushed prep, and compressed bath times don’t show up immediately.
They show up later:
- Returns
- Complaints
- Warranty leakage
If your factory vetting doesn’t evaluate plating discipline, you’re skipping one of the highest-risk steps in the process.
3. Capacity vs. Capability (The “Yes” Problem)
Factories are structured to say yes.
That doesn’t mean they should.
Capacity means:
- They can physically produce the quantity.
Capability means:
- They can produce it consistently, with the right methods, at your quality level.
Many factories have capacity without capability — especially when brands scale.
What superficial vetting misses:
- What changes at higher MOQs
- Whether different labor teams are used at volume
- Whether tooling is designed for scale
- Whether batching practices shift under pressure
A supplier vetting process that doesn’t test for scale behavior is incomplete.
Why These Gaps Exist
Most founders aren’t naïve.
They’re just evaluating factories through the wrong lens.
Factories optimize for:
- Throughput
- Margin protection
- Schedule stability
Brands need:
- Consistency
- Durability
- Predictability
Without structured vetting, those incentives misalign quietly.
And problems only appear after purchase orders increase.
How to Vet a Factory the Right Way
Real factory vetting focuses on system stability — not presentation quality.
Here’s what a stronger supplier vetting process includes:
1. Process Mapping
Understand:
- Every step in production
- Who performs it
- Where it happens
If you can’t trace the full chain, you don’t have visibility.
2. Method Discipline
Ask:
- What changes at higher volume?
- Do methods shift under schedule pressure?
- Is the same tooling used across runs?
Consistency at 200 units means nothing if the process changes at 2,000.
3. Control Over High-Risk Steps
Especially:
- Plating
- Stone setting
- Finishing
These are the steps that quietly drive returns.
4. Clear Accountability Structure
When something goes wrong:
- Who owns the issue?
- Who fixes it?
- How is the root cause addressed?
If accountability is vague, expect expensive learning curves.
The Difference Between “Finding a Factory” and Vetting One
Most sourcing support ends at introductions.
Real vetting:
- Examines incentives
- Identifies pressure points
- Tests stability under scale
- Anticipates predictable failure modes
It’s not about distrust.
It’s about understanding how production systems behave when stressed.
Why Experienced Operators Approach Vetting Differently
Founders typically vet a factory once.
Experienced operators have seen:
- What fails at scale
- What breaks under deadlines
- What shortcuts appear under pressure
That pattern recognition changes the questions you ask.
And the questions you ask determine the risks you avoid.
A Better Way to Think About Factory Vetting
The goal isn’t to eliminate risk.
It’s to understand where risk lives — before you commit capital.
If your current factory vetting process focuses primarily on:
- Certifications
- Samples
- Pricing
…it’s likely superficial.
The factories that perform well long term aren’t just capable.
They’re stable under pressure.
That stability rarely reveals itself in the first conversation.
If you’re evaluating factories — or reconsidering one — the right questions change everything.
A structured factory vetting process doesn’t slow you down.
It prevents expensive resets later.
If you want to see how experienced operators evaluate suppliers before committing to production, explore how we approach factory vetting and long-term sourcing partnerships.
