10 Tips for Ensuring the Quality of Your Sheet Metal Fabrication Order

Many buyers tend to purchase sheet metal fabrication products overseas due to lower costs, and come up with similar questions: how can I find a reliable supplier? How can I ensure my order is processed properly? Will I receive the items in good condition? In this post, we provide some practical advice to help you find ways to minimize risks for your international sheet metal fabrication purchases.

– BEFORE PAYMENT –

Selecting the right supplier(s) is crucial for a successful purchase.

1. Verify the supplier

Check the official site of the supplier. A serious supplier tends to have its own official website, and use emails with its own domain name. You will be able to have an initial opinion about the supplier after viewing the basic details displayed on the official site.

It is also useful to check if they have a page on Alibaba.com, where you can find if the supplier is verified. At the supplier’s request, Alibaba conduct inspections of the suppliers with international third-party testing provider to verify them. Once verified, the supplier profile will appear with a “Verified” logo and customers can easily download the verification report.

2. Make sure you find a factory or a manufacturer

There may be some trading companies that don’t carry out any production activity or don’t have a complete production like, but acting like factories or manufacturers. The disadvantages are obvious: the costs are higher to cover the benefits of the trading company, and the communication is not effective between the buyer and the fabricator. Check the workshop details and equipment of the supplier on its websites, and visit the supplier if possible (even if it’s via video call).

3. Select a quality-focused supplier

The lowest price is not always the best value for money. Price should not be the only criteria at the time of selecting a supplier. Also check other factors that can affect the quality, such as the supplier’s years of experience, ISO certification, equipment and capabilities, communication effectiveness, etc.

As metal fabrication involves plenty of production processes, it is important for the supplier and its teams to have years of experience to be able to avoid un-expected problems during production. It is also important that the communication with the main contact of the supplier is smooth and efficient enough, so that your requests could be assisted rapidly without misunderstandings.

4. Make sure your order is assured

Firstly and importantly, check if the bank account provided by the supplier is a business account with the same name of the company. Secondly, it is recommended to create a trade assurance order on Alibaba.com where the order, payment and shipment can be managed in a safer way.

5. Communicate all your requirements

Make sure all your requirements are communicated to the supplier and the prices are quoted on the condition that your requirements are met. Also check all order details from product to packaging and shipment (if it is not EXW Incoterm), before proceeding payment. Try to get the requirements written on the quotation and contract/PI sheet.

Some requirements may not be possible or can affect the prices significantly. You may need to decide the balance between the cost, quality and manufacturability.
*You may be interested in the post: 5 Tips for Reducing Sheet Metal Fabrication Costs.

6. Ask for prototype

Checking the prototype is the most direct way to make sure about the quality. If you have sufficient time, get a prototype before making a mass production order.

– DURING FABRICATION –

7. Check the provided drawings carefully

Though some clients provide drawings of their products, the suppliers still need to create new internal drawings for the production. The internal drawings will be provided to the customer for confirmation before starting the production. It is important to check these drawings carefully to ensure that all details are correct and covered. Any incorrect or ignored detail can cause significant waste of materials and time.

8. Ask for pictures and/or videos

It is usual to ask the supplier to send you medias during the production to make sure that your order is being processed properly. It may not be that useful to check the quality of unfinished parts, but you will generally know if and how the order is progressing.

– BEFORE SHIPMENT –

9. Contract with third-party inspection agency to conduct on-site inspection

It is recommended to have an inspection before shipment, especially when your order volume is large. When you cannot do it by yourself and are not quite sure about the supplier and its mass production quality, third party inspections are very helpful. The decision depends on your budget, lead time and the knowledge you have about the supplier. Try to order earlier to have enough time for inspection and possible corrections after that.

10. Make sure the packaging is strong enough and you have contracted insurance for the shipment

Secure packaging and insurance greatly reduce the risk of loss during shipping. Make sure about the details before goods are shipped.