Selecting the right factory is a critical decision for businesses that want to enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and maintain quality. With nearshoring becoming a central goal for brands, it’s crucial to know what factors make a great supplier. Of course, we recommend thorough vetting, but you can also do a first pass with this format. Here is how to vet a factory in just 20 minutes.

Minutes 1-5: Define Scope and Assess Business Needs

Start by understanding your specific requirements. Are you looking for a certain type of apparel manufacturing? Do you need design support, or packaging included? Scope out your exact needs, including any budgetary or quantity requirements, so that you have a clear list when engaging with potential suppliers.  

Minutes 6-10: Verify Experience and Technical Expertise

Experience matters most when choosing a supplier. Ensure the factory has a track record of the technical expertise required for your specific product line.

• Review Case Studies: Look at past projects and client reviews, with an eye on projects that are similar to your particular product. This is the most important thing to validate!
• Check Qualifications: If you need special equipment or in-house services, such a certain type of seam, finishing, or other technical component to your production line, confirm the factory performs this task in-house.
• Align on Minimums/Pricing: Once experience and technical capability has been confirmed, check pricing and minimum order quantities to ensure they are a match.

Nearshore Tip: When you submit an RFQ on Nearshore, suppliers will reach out to you. With Nearshore Full Sourcing Support, we do the outreach for you.  

Minutes 11-15: Scan for Industry-Standard Factory Certifications

Certifications serve two purposes: they signal credibility to your customers, and in industries like beauty, cosmetics, and organic products, they're often a baseline requirement. If certifications around sustainability, labor practices, or quality systems are non-negotiable for your brand, make factory qualification against those standards a core part of your sourcing process.

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Read more: Factory Certifications, Decoded: What Actually Matters vs. What Doesn’t

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Minutes 16-20: Evaluate Proximity and Scalability

One of the key advantages of nearshoring is proximity. Choose a supplier in a location where time zones overlap with yours, enabling seamless communication and real-time collaboration. This also means shorter shipping lead times and lower costs for on-site quality audits.

Finally, ensure the supplier has the capacity to meet your current needs, as well as your projected order volumes for the next 1-2 years.  

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Connect with Vetted Suppliers on Nearshore

Choosing the right nearshore supplier is not a decision to take lightly, but it doesn't have to be a bottleneck. By thoroughly evaluating capabilities, compatibility, and infrastructure, you can ensure a successful partnership that drives your business forward in 2026 and beyond.

Ready to find your next manufacturing partner? At Nearshore, we empower you to source transparently and closer to home. Explore our vetted list of certified factories across the Americas today.

Further reading: How Nearshore works for Brands

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