Quality and Compliance You Can Audit, Not Just Read
One certification, one inspection plan and five types of document that we keep strictly apart — so you can tell what has been certified, what has been tested, what has been declared and what is our own statement.
What we hold, what we issue and what we do not claim
ISO 9001:2015 is the certification we hold for our quality management system. Everything else — test reports, material declarations, recycled-content records and market-compliance files — is issued as a document, not described as a certification.
That distinction sounds pedantic until you are the person signing a regulatory filing. A certificate is issued by an accredited body after an audit of our management system. A test report is a measurement on a sample or a lot. A material document is the resin supplier’s own declaration. A recycled-content record is a supply-chain trace. A compliance statement is ours, backed by the documents above. Only the first of those is a certification, and only one of the five is ours to issue.
Shijin runs this system across two plants in Shenzhen Pingshan and Huizhou Huiyang, plus a Guangzhou office. Buyers are welcome to audit us in person or to send a third-party inspector.
The quality management system: ISO 9001:2015
ISO 9001 is a management-system standard, not a product approval. What it certifies is that our processes are documented, controlled and audited — from incoming resin through to final shipment — and that non-conformances are handled by a defined procedure rather than by improvisation.
What the ISO 9001:2015 system covers
Certifications and the documents that sit behind them
Below is what we actually hold and what we can supply. Only the first line is a certification. The rest are documents, and they are labelled as documents because that is what they are.
ISO 9001:2015
Quality management system certification, issued by an accredited certification body after an external audit. Documented, audited production and QC processes from incoming resin to final shipment.
EU Documentation
Material and food-contact test documentation for European Economic Area orders, including EU 10/2011 documentation for food-contact plastics. Supplied as a document, not as a certification.
Factory Audit
Third-party factory audit and supplier verification reports, plus the factory audit pack: process flow, equipment list and QC records for buyers running their own vendor approval.
PCR Documentation
Recycled-content supply-chain documentation supporting the PCR percentage claimed on pack. A supply-chain record, not a certification.
If your market requires a certification we do not hold, we will say so at quotation stage rather than after the order is placed. Where the requirement can be met by a test report or a compliance document instead, we will tell you which document satisfies it and arrange it alongside production — some of these are tied to a resin lot and are far easier to prepare during the run than to reconstruct afterwards.
Five types of document, kept strictly apart
These five things are routinely bundled together as “certificates”. They are not the same, they are not issued by the same party, and one of them does not cover a lot other than the one it tested. Here is each one, who issues it, what it covers and what it is not.
| Type | What it is | Who issues it | Typical examples | What it is not |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certification | A management-system certificate issued to us by an accredited certification body after an audit. | Third-party certification body | ISO 9001:2015 for quality management. This is the certification we hold. | Not a product approval, and not a statement about any individual bottle or closure. |
| Testing Report | The measured result of a specific test on a specific sample or lot, with the method and the limits shown. | An accredited third-party laboratory | Migration and food-contact testing, heavy-metal content, leak, drop and closure-torque reports on the assembled unit. | Not a certificate, and it does not cover a lot other than the one tested. |
| Material Documentation | The resin supplier's own declaration of what a material is and what it complies with. | The resin manufacturer, passed through us | Material safety data sheets, food-contact declarations for the resin grade, and the grade's technical data. | Not a Shijin certification, and not a finished-part test. |
| Recycled Content Documentation | The supply-chain record behind the recycled percentage claimed on pack. | Recycler, converter and us, as a chain | PCR and rPET / rPE content declarations and the supply-chain records that support the percentage. | Not a recycled-content certification, and it does not by itself licence the use of any recycled-content logo. |
| Compliance Documentation | Our statement plus the file behind it, matched to the market you are shipping into. | Shijin, backed by the reports above | EU 10/2011 food-contact documentation, FDA food-contact documentation for the resin, third-party factory audit records and turnkey export paperwork. | Not a certification, and it does not replace your own regulatory filing or registration. |
Documentation discipline: ISO 9001 is the certification we hold. Supplier audit reports, material COA, migration test reports and recycled-content documents are issued as documents on request — they are evidence, not certifications.
When a supplier describes a test report, an audit record or a supply-chain trace as a certification, the document itself usually says otherwise. We label ours accurately so that the wording matches what is actually in the file.
Ask for the specific documents your market requires at quotation stage. Documents tied to a resin lot are far easier to prepare alongside production than to reconstruct afterwards.
Three inspection gates: what gets checked, and when
Quality is not one final check at the end of the line. Every order passes three independent gates, and the checks run on the actual bottle rather than on a sample of resin.
Incoming material — before anything is melted
Resin grade and supplier batch number logged against the purchase record. Moisture content checked before drying, because that is what protects PET clarity. Masterbatch colour matched against the approved standard chip. Recycled (PCR) content confirmed against the recycled-material supply-chain record.
In process — while the line runs
First-article inspection signed off before mass production starts. Bottle weight held inside the ±2% band. Wall thickness measured at four points per cavity. Hourly patrol checks on weight, wall thickness and neck dimensions. Neck finish and thread fit tested against your actual cap, pump or sprayer. Visual defect inspection every 30 minutes.
Pre-shipment — on the finished lot
AQL 2.5 sampling inspection on the finished batch. Air-pressure leak test on the assembled bottle — bottle plus closure, not bottle alone. Drop test on packed units where the route justifies it. Carton count, labelling and shipping marks checked against the packing list. A QC report issued per lot.
The gates are independent on purpose. A material problem that reaches a machine shows up as a processing problem and gets blamed on the machine; catching it at IQC means the machine never has to be re-dialled for something it did not cause. And a defect found at first article costs minutes, while the same defect found at final inspection costs the whole run.
Inspection methods reference
What is measured, with what, against what limit, and at which gate. This is the table your own QA team will want to compare against their own plan.
| What is checked | Method | Acceptance limit | Gate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resin identity and grade | Purchase record and supplier batch number against the specified grade | Matches the approved grade and batch record | IQC |
| Moisture content | Measured before drying | Within the drying specification for the resin — critical for PET clarity | IQC |
| Colour | Visual comparison against the approved master sample under standard light | Within the agreed finish band (transparent, pearl, frosted, gloss) | IQC + IPQC |
| Recycled content | Declared percentage checked against the recycled-material supply-chain record | Matches the percentage agreed for the programme | IQC |
| Bottle weight | Digital scale, sampled units | Within the mutually agreed ±2% band | IPQC + OQC |
| Wall thickness | Measured at four points per cavity | Within the approved wall specification for the part | IPQC |
| Neck and thread fit | Assembly with your actual closure, plus torque check | Seals without cross-threading or weeping | IPQC |
| Seal integrity | Air pressure at 0.6–0.8 MPa, inverted, held | Zero leakage on the assembled unit | OQC |
| Drop resistance | Vertical free-fall onto a hard surface, on packed units | No cracking or base failure at the agreed drop height | OQC |
| Capacity | Measured fill volume against the approved specification | Within the agreed capacity tolerance | IPQC + OQC |
| Print and decoration | Visual and print-adhesion checks against the master sample | Adhesion and position within the approved specification | IPQC |
| Packing | Carton count, labelling and shipping marks against the packing list | Exact match with the packing list | OQC |
Limits are agreed per product at sampling stage and recorded in the specification, because a capacity tolerance for a 15 ml serum bottle and a 1,000 ml cleaner bottle are not the same number.
Traceability: from a carton back to the resin batch, machine and shift
Every carton can be traced back to the resin batch it was made from, the moulding machine that ran it and the shift that ran the machine. That is what makes a complaint months later investigable rather than arguable.
What the batch record carries
Batch records, inspection sheets and retained samples are archived so that a shipment can still be traced well after delivery — which matters when a retail customer raises a question months into the season rather than the week after the container lands.
Non-conformance, handled openly
A quality system is judged by what happens when a batch fails, not by the claim that nothing ever does. Our procedure is defined, and it corrects the cause rather than the symptom.
Identify and segregate
The batch is identified and physically separated so it cannot be packed or shipped while it is under question.
Grade and record
The defect is graded against the specification and the finding is written into the batch record.
Root cause
The cause is investigated rather than the symptom corrected. A weight problem caused by a worn non-return valve is not fixed by re-weighing the parts.
Corrective action
A fix is applied to the cause, and the corrected batch is re-inspected before it ships.
Commercial resolution
If you are affected, we come back with a resolution in writing — replacement, rework or credit — rather than leaving the outcome to conversation.
Close and prevent
The record is closed with the action that prevents recurrence, and the lesson feeds back into the inspection checklist for future orders.
If you report a problem with a delivered batch, we reopen the production record, inspect the retained sample and come back with a root cause and a proposed resolution in writing.
Honest, documented recycled options
For brands with sustainability targets we offer PCR (post-consumer recycled) PET and PE supplied with recycled-material supply-chain documentation, and with clear guidance on what recycled content can realistically achieve for clarity and strength.
What we state, and what we do not
- ▸Stated: the recycled percentage agreed for the programme, and the supply-chain record behind it.
- ▸Stated: that recycled content affects clarity, colour and, above a certain percentage, mechanical performance — so it is specified rather than assumed.
- ▸Stated: that a recycled-content record is a supply-chain document, not a certification.
- ▸Not stated: that a PCR part performs identically to a virgin-resin part in every application. That depends on the percentage and the use, and it is why we test the assembly.
- ▸Not stated: any recycled-content certification. We do not hold one, and where a customer’s market requires one we will say so plainly rather than imply it.
- ▸Not stated: any recycled-content claim on pack that the supporting record does not cover.
See PCR PET and PCR HDPE for what each grade can realistically do, and material comparison for how they sit against virgin resin.
Proven on your bottle, not on a brochure
We do not promise a finish or a seal we have not verified. The tests below run on the actual assembled unit, because a bottle that holds water on its own can still leak once a pump is torqued onto it.
| Test | How it runs | What it proves |
|---|---|---|
| Air-pressure leak test | Bottles plus closures are pressurised to 0.6–0.8 MPa, inverted and held | The assembled pack does not leak, which is the only version of this question that matters |
| Drop test | Vertical free-fall of packed units, to the agreed height | The pack survives the route it will actually travel, not an idealised one |
| Closure and thread fit | Assembly with your actual cap, pump, sprayer or dropper, plus torque check | The seal works with the closure you will use, not with a nominal neck size |
| Capacity verification | Measured fill volume against the approved specification | Your filling line fills to the intended dose |
| Wall thickness | Measured at four points per cavity | Wall distribution is even enough for the strength and weight the design assumed |
| Weight inspection | Digital scale against the ±2% band | Material usage is controlled, which is a cost question as well as a strength question |
| Print adhesion | Adhesion and exposure testing on the decorated part before the run is released | The print survives the filling line and the shelf rather than only the factory |
| Flame and water-hanging | Pre-treatment verification on polyolefin parts before printing | Ink bonding on HDPE and PE, where an untreated surface will peel |
| Migration and heavy metals | Third-party analysis against the applicable limits | Your regulatory filing has a test report behind it rather than a supplier statement |
| Visual inspection | Every 30 minutes in process, plus AQL 2.5 on the finished lot | Cosmetic defects are caught during the run rather than discovered by your customer |
Where a test can only sensibly be run by a third party, it is run by one and the report is what we send you. Where a test is ours to run, it runs on every relevant lot and the result goes into the QC report. Neither of those is described as a certification.
Audit us before you place the order, not after
Buyers are welcome to audit us in person or to send a third-party inspector. Notify us of the date and we will make the line, the QC records and the warehouse available.
- ▸You can request the ISO 9001:2015 certificate and any product-specific test reports in English before any payment.
- ▸You can send a physical closure sample and we will test fit, torque and leak behaviour on the assembled unit, then report the result.
- ▸You can agree an acceptance sampling plan (AQL) with us up front, and we will inspect every batch against it and share the actual inspection results for your order.
- ▸You can send a third-party inspector during production. Tell us the date and the line, the QC records and the warehouse will be available.
What we will not do is describe an audit record as a certification, or a test on one lot as a guarantee for every lot. If that is what your market requires, tell us at quotation stage and we will say honestly whether we can meet it.
Quality and compliance questions buyers ask
Which certifications do you actually hold?+
ISO 9001:2015 for our quality management system. That is the certification we hold, and it is issued by an accredited certification body after an external audit. Everything else we provide — test reports, material declarations, recycled-content records and market-compliance files — is a document rather than a certification, and we label it that way.
Can I see your ISO 9001 certificate and test reports before ordering?+
Yes. We send the ISO 9001:2015 certificate, third-party supplier verification records and any product-specific test reports in English as soon as you ask — before any payment and before any purchase order.
Do you have CE, SGS, GRS or FDA certification?+
No, and we do not claim them. What we can supply is the documentation behind those areas: EU 10/2011 food-contact documentation, FDA food-contact documentation for the resin, SGS test reports, third-party factory audit reports and recycled-content supply-chain records. If your market requires a specific certification we do not hold, we will tell you at quotation stage rather than after the order is placed.
What is the difference between a test report and a certification?+
A certification is issued to us by an accredited certification body after an audit of our management system, and ISO 9001:2015 is the one we hold. A test report is a measurement made by a laboratory on a specific sample or lot, with the method and the limits shown; it does not cover a lot other than the one tested, and it is not a certificate. The table above sets out all five document types and what each one is not.
How is a complaint or a failed batch handled?+
The batch is identified and segregated, the defect is graded and recorded, the root cause is investigated rather than the symptom corrected, the corrected batch is re-inspected before shipping, and you get a written resolution — replacement, rework or credit. The record is closed with the action that prevents recurrence.
Can a third-party inspector visit during production?+
Yes. Notify us of the inspection date and we will make the line, the QC records and the warehouse available. Third-party factory audits are a normal part of onboarding for overseas brands.
How long are your QC records kept?+
Batch records, inspection sheets and retained samples are archived so that a shipment can still be traced well after delivery. Every carton can be traced back to its resin batch, moulding machine and shift, which is what makes a question raised months later investigable rather than arguable.
Do you guarantee that every lot will be identical?+
No, and any supplier who does is describing something they cannot control. What we do is agree an acceptance sampling plan (AQL) with you up front, inspect every batch against it, and share the actual inspection results for your order. Colour and appearance are judged against a physical master sample that both sides hold, and limits are agreed per product at sampling stage.
Quality, manufacturing and materials
Ask for the documents your market requires.
Tell us the destination market and the documents your customer will ask to see. We will tell you what we hold, what we can issue and what we cannot — before you place the order.