Home/Capabilities/Manufacturing & Sourcing
Manufacturing & Sourcing
We choose the factory, and we tell you which one it is. Every shop we place work in has been audited by our own engineers, matched to the specific item rather than to a category, and priced against at least two alternatives — and you are welcome to visit it with us and appoint your own inspector.
01 / What we do
The single decision that determines whether your equipment is any good.
Almost every quality problem in Chinese sourcing traces back to one thing: the work went to a shop that had never built that item before, because it quoted the lowest price. Choosing correctly is not glamorous and it is most of the value we add.
We match the item to a shop that has built it before
Not a shop that builds “vessels” — a shop that has built that vessel, in that material, at that size, to that code. We keep records of what each shop in our network has actually delivered, and we place the work accordingly.
We audit before we place work, and again afterwards
Equipment list, welder qualifications, NDT capability, calibration records, past work, and the state of the floor. Audits are repeated, because a shop that was good three years ago may have lost its people.
We price against alternatives
Every enquiry goes to at least two qualified shops. You see a price that has been competed, not a price from whoever we like dealing with. Cheapest does not automatically win, and we tell you when we have not taken the lowest number and why.
We name the factory in the quotation
Once the enquiry is priced we tell you the shop, its accreditations and comparable work it has done. You are welcome to visit it with us, and to appoint your own inspector at any stage of the order.
We own the specification through to the floor
The drawing, the ITP and the translated shop instructions go in together. The shop builds to your specification, not to its house standard, and we are there to see that it does.
We disclose our position honestly
We are a supplier, not an agency pretending to be neutral. Where you ask us to inspect work at a factory we have a commercial relationship with, we disclose it in writing before accepting the assignment.
02 / The cost of skipping it
What buying direct actually costs.
Buying direct from a Chinese factory is cheaper on the purchase order. These are the costs that appear afterwards, and none of them are on the quotation.
| What goes wrong | How it shows up | What it costs you |
|---|---|---|
| The shop has never built your item | It quoted confidently because the drawing looked like something it does build. Learning happens on your order. | First-article problems, rework, and a schedule that slips repeatedly in small increments. |
| Your specification is replaced by the house standard | Nobody rejects your specification; it is simply not read past the dimensions. | Equipment that meets the drawing and misses the intent — wrong weld prep, wrong finish, wrong bolting. |
| The price was low because something was left out | Testing, NDT, painting, packing or documentation was not in the number. | Extras invoiced at the end, or worse, quietly not done. |
| Nobody is there when it is built | Photos arrive on request, taken from an angle that shows what the shop wants you to see. | Defects discovered at your port, when the leverage is gone and the equipment is yours. |
| Nine items means nine relationships | Each product line is a different factory, a different contract, a different set of excuses. | Purchasing overhead that costs more than the saving, and no single party accountable when items do not arrive together. |
The comparison that matters is not our price against the factory price. It is our price against the factory price plus the flights, the rework, the delay and the purchasing time — which is the comparison most buyers only make once.
03 / The deliverable
What you actually receive.
Sourcing is invisible when it works, so here is what it produces in documents rather than in adjectives.
| Named factory | Shop name, accreditations, and comparable work, given in the quotation rather than after the order |
|---|---|
| Audit summary | What we checked, what we found, and anything we required the shop to correct before work started |
| Competed pricing | At least two qualified shops per enquiry, with an explanation whenever the lowest price was not taken |
| Scope clarity | A quotation that states what is included — testing, NDT, painting, packing, documentation — so extras cannot appear later |
| Shop instructions | Your drawing and specification translated and issued to the floor, checked by the reviewing engineer |
| Access | A standing invitation to visit the shop with us, and to appoint your own third-party inspector at any stage |
| Conflict-of-interest disclosure | Written disclosure of any commercial relationship before we inspect work on your behalf |
| One purchase order | Nine product lines placed and coordinated on a single PO, with one party accountable for the lot |
04 / Questions
Manufacturing & sourcing — common questions
Will you really tell us which factory is building our equipment?
Yes, in writing, in the quotation. Some agents will not, because their margin depends on you not knowing. Ours depends on the equipment being right, so the transparency costs us nothing.
Do you own any factories?
No. We are deliberately not a manufacturer — it means we can choose the right shop for each item instead of putting everything through the one we happen to own. See About for why the company is built this way.
Can we use our own factory and just have you manage it?
Yes. Factory audit, drawing and ITP review, in-process surveillance, expediting and pre-shipment inspection are all sold on their own at a fixed fee — see Inspection & Expediting. We will disclose in writing any relationship we have with that factory first.
How many shops are in your network?
Enough that most items go to a shop that has built them before, and few enough that we know the people on the floor. We would rather say that honestly than quote a number designed to sound impressive.
What happens if the factory fails?
It is our problem, not yours. That is the practical difference between buying through us and buying direct: one contract, one party accountable, and recourse in your jurisdiction rather than a dispute with a Chinese entity you have never met.
Tell us what you need built.
Send a drawing, a specification or a photograph. We come back with a price, an inspection plan, a lead time — and the name of the shop that would build it.