Baseline Acceptable Quality Limit Qualification Matrix Setup
A clear AQL matrix binds defect classification to statistical sampling tables, shifting commercial re-inspection costs to factories on lot failures.
Factory Quarantine
Meaning
Administrative containment represents a temporary restriction on the movement of goods or machinery within a production facility imposed by the General Administration of Customs or local market surveillance bureaus in China. Such a factory quarantine follows the identification of non-compliant inputs, structural safety violations, or the failure of a mandatory certification check during an audit. This measure suspends all export or domestic distribution rights for the affected inventory until the relevant authority verifies the resolution of the non-conformance.
Jurisdictional Scope
Legal authorities invoke this mechanism under the Product Quality Law to prevent the further circulation of hazardous or substandard articles. Officials issue a formal notice that freezes specific batches, requiring the entity to move the inventory into a designated secure zone separate from the general production line. Customs enforcement typically targets export processing zones when irregularities arise in the raw material import ledger.
Officers verify that the goods remain untouched during the assessment period, which may last until the completion of a laboratory testing cycle or a mandatory technical upgrade.
Corrective Procedure
Remediation begins with a written submission to the issuing bureau requesting a re-inspection of the sealed inventory. Managers often organize a full sweep of the site to identify secondary issues before the arrival of state inspectors. If the documentation shows that the defect originated from a third-party supplier, the facility must submit evidence of a completed replacement or a verified repair protocol.
Auditors examine the physical status of the stock to ensure that no items escaped the restricted area during the holding period.
Operational Penalty
Financial exposure grows alongside the duration of the seizure because fixed storage costs and delayed delivery payments accrue without pause. Parties often face an additional administrative fine if the original investigation uncovers a history of repeated non-compliance with regional safety standards. The loss of output capacity during this period creates a persistent bottleneck that ripples through the entire supply chain schedule.
Total reliance on internal rectification ensures that the release of the inventory depends solely on the successful validation of the new safety conditions.