Top 5 Tips - Manufacturing Site Visits

I've visited over 100 manufacturers on behalf of emerging CPG brands and my former Hawaiian shirt clad employer. I've been to huge shiny factories with robotic arms moving baguettes from production lines to boxes, all the way down to mom and pop operations hand wheeling racks of brownies from the ovens to the hand-wrap stations.  No matter the size, it's important to visit (face to face!) each manufacturer you're seriously considering for production.  No exceptions!

To make the most of your visit, you want to answer a couple of fundamental questions:

Here are my top 5 pro-tips when visiting a manufacturer.  Please note, this list isn't comprehensive.  If you'd like the full expert list, grab a time to chat about this and the other tools and templates available on Rescale.

1. Ask to see the product flow from start to finish

This may seem intuitive, but often manufacturers will show you the layout as you walk through it - regardless of sequence. This is a sure way to overlook some specifics of your product. Make sure you look at how and where the product will move sequentially - this way, you'll be thinking about the product in the right context to ensure you don't miss any steps or important handling requirements.

As an example, follow the flow like this:

1. Receiving dock
2. Raw good storage
3. PO receipt & paperwork process to pull raw materials
4. Production (in exact order if there are multiple steps).  Extra tip - ask about sanitation protocol and timing on the equipment!
5. Labelling & packaging line
6. Storing finished goods
7. Outbound shipments

2. Keep your questions on the tour innocuous

One of the goals of the tour is to draw out any yellow or red flags.  You need to trust this manufacturer deeply to handle your product with integrity.  To gather this valuable information, you want to ensure the manufacturer is not on the defensive.

For example, “can I see the flow of product?” and "Oh, w.  Questions should not be accusatory in tone - if you begin to ask questions alluding to your yellow or red flags, they may begin deliberately showing you less. Just take note of any concerns and ask them all after the tour.  Any concerns are also a great thing to review with a food safety or operations expert (hint, tryrescale.com)

3. Pull aside various employees on the floor to ask questions

If a manufacturer has a strong culture of accountability, then any employee will be able to answer the "why" behind a process they're doing.  As you walk the floor, pull aside a production team member and ask why they're doing the step they're doing, or why they do it that way. You also don't need to grill them on anything specific.  Simple "How long have you worked here?" and "what's it like working here?" can reveal an absolute wealth of information about the company culture and attitudes.

If the person leading the tour is steering you away from having conversations with the production team, this is a yellow flag. Of course, you need to conduct this step within reason - don't interrupt someone in the middle of a task.

4. Safety & sanitation

Depending on your regulation compliance, much of this should be covered via the audits the manufacturer has.

1. Follow the paper. While you're doing the production walk through from start to finish, ask to see any paper checkpoints.  These should always occur in ingredient sourcing / weights, in production, at labeling, and in packaging. There should also be QA checks during production in addition to just production records.
2. Metal detection is key. If there is any metal in prior steps (i.e. product is being mixed with blades or cut with sharp objects), there should be a metal detection step in packaging or multiple magnets along the production line. If you’re not seeing this step, ask about what they have. This is an important one to ask on the floor.
3. Cleanliness 101.  Two tell tale signs of long term cleanliness in a facility are floors and the plastic room divider flaps that separate different production areas. If either of these things look filthy or ratty that’s a yellow or red flag.
4. Temperature handling 101.  In all food products there is some "kill step" -- either baking, fermenting, pasteurizing, or other. Be very, very aware of what's happening to your product post-kill step.  Do you see frozen items being handled and packed in an ambient room? Red flag.  Do you see cooked bread loaves sitting on a surface that's not sanitized? Red flag.

5. Eagle eyes

This is a tip I picked up from my former manager at Trader Joe's, and it works incredibly well to spot any hidden yellow or red flags. It works like this: do a 360 degree view at all times.  If you're being directed to look in one location, ensure you're also looking elsewhere.  A hidden room that they're avoiding? Always ask to take a peek.  A production room that they're running past? Ask for a quick view.  See something unusual or suspicious?  Get a bit closer and ask (innocuous) clarifying questions.

These tips are a great starting point, but this information can be overwhelming! Rescale is the only platform that pairs co-manufacturing search tools with real experts who’ve been through this process dozens of times. See what we can do.