Account for work still with outside processors when the factory closes
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Include work at outside processors in the factory closure review. A stock count inside the premises can miss batches away for finishing, treatment or another agreed operation.
The batch needs an accountable business owner from its present location through the next authorised decision. Ask commercial and quality leads to confirm the actual agreement, requirements and return arrangements.
A batch that returns after the factory stops
Consider a fictional batch sent to an external processor. The expected return date falls after the factory's ordinary receiving function ends. The purchase order still shows the old address, and the next inspection decision normally belongs to staff based there.
Changing the delivery address alone leaves most of the problem unresolved. Work through the batch's journey:
- Confirm its identity, quantity and current status with the processor through the authorised contact.
- Establish what work and documents the agreement requires before return.
- Identify the proposed receiving location and whether it can accept the batch under the required arrangements.
- Confirm who will review the process evidence and make the next quality decision.
- Record the applicable commercial approval for changed arrangements and the person who follows the batch to completion.
Do not interpret this list as authority to redirect goods or vary a contract. Obtain the approvals and specialist assessment relevant to the actual batch.
Account for a partial or uncertain return
The processor may report that part of the batch is complete while the rest remains under review. Record that distinction and the evidence supporting it. An expected dispatch date is not proof that the whole batch has completed the agreed process.
If the work returns with an unresolved issue, retain its status in the held-output record. Avoid adding it to accepted stock merely because the original factory no longer has a normal quarantine workflow.
Agree who handles a delayed result, missing document or discrepancy. The contact should remain available after the ordinary purchasing or receiving role changes.
Keep the technical history connected
Link the returned work to the traceability evidence, including the relevant external-process record. The future custodian needs the relationship between batch, provider and decision, not just a folder of delivery notes.
If outside processing becomes part of the continuing business model, review future manufacturing responsibilities. An existing one-stage subcontract arrangement may not answer who controls the complete product after the factory closes.
Only after these dependencies are understood should the business decide which receiving, inspection or support assets it no longer needs. Explain any remaining role when making a disposal enquiry with UK Auction Group. Keep provisional return dates clearly identified in the discussion.
More guidance appears in the manufacturing site closure hub.
Sources
This guide is general information and education only. Legal, tax, employment and safety decisions may need a qualified adviser who knows your situation. Read the disclaimer.