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What is the process of COSTCO audit?
The following is an introduction to the factory audit process of COSTCO. All programs are not necessarily in the following order, but all programs are included. In addition, in order to further understand the factory situation, additional procedures or documents are also required to be provided by the factory according to actual conditions. In order to ensure the smooth progress of the audit process, the factory needs to arrange for all relevant personnel to participate in the assistance. It should be noted that any rejection of the scope of the evaluation audit during the audit process will affect the final audit results.
The auditor arrives at the factory—the auditor arrives at the factory and presents the business card and work permit. Please inform the factory in advance of the arrival of the security personnel.
Opening Meeting—The auditor briefly describes the audit process to the factory owner, production manager, personnel manager, and other factory-organized managers and answers questions.
Safety and Health Inspection - The auditor will inspect the factory to see if the production site is safe and sanitary; the production status; whether there is an outsourcer; the treatment of wastewater; the storage of chemicals and hazardous substances. Factory inspections are not limited to the production sites of COSTCO products, including all production sites, warehouses, chemical storage areas, kitchen restaurants and dormitories (if applicable). The scope of the audit is to cover all plant areas covered by the factory to which the business license belongs. If necessary, the auditor will take photos of the defects found.
Employee Interviews - Randomly select employees to conduct closed-door interviews, either individually or in groups, without the involvement of plant managers. If the factory employs manpower dispatchers, these employees are also included in the scope of the audit. The number of employees interviewed is determined by the auditor. Employees' access includes basic questions such as factory recruitment system, working period, working conditions, punishment policy, and freedom of movement. Employees can be informed in advance that they will conduct a factory audit, but they are not allowed to teach employees how to answer the questions asked in the interview.
Document Review—File access includes factory documents (labor policy, business license, production record, safety and health, environmental protection, etc.) and employee documents (labor contracts, employee files, employee handbooks, payroll, hours records, etc.).
Supply Chain Security—The auditor verifies that counter-terrorism precautions meet the requirements based on the supply chain safety checklist.
Review Summary Meeting—The auditor will meet with the plant management to summarize the review. The factory needs to arrange for the management personnel (with the right to sign) to participate. The auditor will share the evaluation results with the factory management personnel, return to the questions raised by the factory, and provide a legal reference. The review summary report will list the deficiencies identified during the audit, relative to the improvement recommendations and the time required for COSTCO acceptance improvements. The review summary report will be provided to the factory on the day of the audit. Factory managers need to understand the contents of the evaluation summary report and sign and confirm. If you have any comments on the review, please indicate in the summary report.
After the review is completed---a formal audit report will be sent by email within five to ten business days based on the contact information listed on the review application form. COSTCO will automatically receive a report. If you are not a COSTCO supplier, please ensure that the COSTCO vendor authorizes UL-RS to send a report to you.
The facility will send the improvement plan to vendorcompliance@costco.com within five days of the audit. The auditor will inform the submission of the improvement plan during the review and summary meeting, and the factory will keep a copy of the review summary report. Costco hopes that all parties will become a team to help the factory fully meet industry standards, national regulations and international legal requirements and requirements within a reasonable time. Costco has the final decision on the results of the audit and whether it is necessary to apply for follow-up audits.
We encourage the factory to communicate with the auditor on the day of the audit to understand the audit non-conformity. If the audit is completed, you still do not understand the non-conformities found in the audit or do not know if it improves, we will provide a telephone consultation service, which is included in the audit fee. Please contact the UL Customer Service Manager for arrangements.
