Forensic case files
What we found inside Chinese factories — and what it cost our clients to almost miss it.
Each case is a real on-the-ground investigation: ghost factories, hidden subcontracting, quality fade, falsified compliance dossiers. Names redacted. Evidence intact.
Industrial Machinery · Germany / EU
Hidden Subcontracting: 40% of Production Was Leaving the Factory at Night
A German auto-parts brand thought their tier-1 supplier was producing in-house. Our audit found that nearly half of every batch was being trucked to an unvetted workshop after hours.
Smart Home / Consumer Electronics · Nordics / EU
Ghost Factory: Deposit Stopped 24 Hours Before the Wire
A Nordic home-goods importer was a day away from wiring a five-figure deposit to a Shenzhen "factory" with a Gold Supplier badge. A same-week site visit found a serviced office, no machinery, and a redirected payment account.
Home & Lifestyle · Netherlands / EU
Quality Fade: How a $200K Reorder Almost Failed EU REACH Testing
An EU home & lifestyle brand reordered the same SKU six months later. The factory had quietly swapped a regulated component with a non-compliant alternate.