How do you tell a machine builder from a reseller?

In this sector it matters more than anywhere else: a reseller carries no responsibility for how the machine is built and disappears when you need spares. We look at the activities on the business licence, at whether they have the machine tools to build it themselves, at their willingness to show the floor and a working unit, and at whether technical questions come back answered rather than with a promise to check with a colleague. No single sign is conclusive; together they give a clear picture.

What has to be in the specification?

Voltage and frequency for your building, the language of the interface and of the markings on the controls, the scope of supply down to the last item, the documentation in Russian, safety requirements, warranty terms and how spares will be supplied. Nothing that seems obvious to you is obvious to a Chinese plant — and if it is not written down, it will not be there.

Does the machine need a conformity document?

As a rule, yes: production machinery falls under the machinery safety regulations. Which assessment route applies depends on the type of machine and is determined from the HS code. Which regulation applies at all is set by the product, not by the shipment: electronics and components are assessed for electromagnetic compatibility instead, and a wireless function there brings a separate permit procedure with it. What matters is that part of the evidence has to come from the manufacturer — and it has to be asked for before shipment, or the paperwork drags on while the machine sits in a warehouse.

What if the machine will not fit a container?

There are three answers: an out-of-gauge shipment as it stands, breaking it down into modules and assembling on arrival, or a combination — the frame separately, the sub-assemblies in a container. The decision is taken with the maker, because not every machine can be taken apart without losing its alignment. It has to be costed before the contract: out-of-gauge freight changes the economics of the deal noticeably.

Who comes to start the machine?

Engineers from the manufacturer, if commissioning is in the contract. We arrange the travel, the paperwork and interpreting on site. This has to be agreed during negotiations: anything that is not in the contract is priced separately by the maker.

That is the question worth asking before the deal rather than a year into it. It is worth putting a list of wear parts and the terms for supplying them into the contract. We supply spares to clients whose machines we imported — which is one reason to import through someone who will still be there a year later.

By sector

Importing machinery from China

A machine is not a consignment of goods you can return and reorder: it has to match your power supply, fit on your floor, pass conformity assessment and then actually run. We handle the purchase end to end, from choosing the maker to delivery on your site; commissioning is done by the maker's engineers, and we arrange their trip.

Describe the machine Supplier vetting

01 — Starting points

What people come with

We saw the machine at a trade fair but we're not sure that's who makes it.
We need a line built around our process, not what's in the catalogue.
It won't fit a container. How do we move it?
The last supplier sent a machine with no paperwork and we couldn't certify it.
We need commissioning and operator training; the maker only wants to sell.
In a year we'll need spares. Who's going to supply those?

02 — What is included

What we take on

01Matching machines to the briefWe look for plants able to build to your parameters and bring you a comparison: capability, package, terms — not just a price.
02Vetting the makerThe legal entity, the right to export, real production, experience with your type of machine. A report with photographs and video from the site.
03The technical specification in the contractWe put your requirements into Chinese and make sure they make it into the contract in wording that can be enforced.
04Acceptance before shipmentA test run at the plant, a check of the scope of supply and the documentation, a photographic record. Once it ships, it is too late to change anything.
05Out-of-gauge freightWorking out the routing for the size and weight, securing, insurance and movement permits where they are needed.
06Conformity and customsWe establish which permits the machine needs, arrange the assessment and handle the declaration.

03 — What we do not do

The limits of our work

We do not design machineryWe are not design engineers and we do not write the technical brief for you. If there is no brief we will help you frame the questions for the maker, but the engineering decisions stay with your specialists.
We do not warrant the machine ourselvesThe warranty is the manufacturer's. Our job is to get its terms into the contract and to make sure the company behind them will still be there in a year.
We do not carry out the installationCommissioning is done by the maker's engineers. We arrange their travel, their paperwork and their work on site, along with interpreting — but we do not install the machine ourselves.
We do not promise build timesHow long a machine takes depends on its complexity, the plant's order book and how quickly the specification is agreed. The maker gives the estimate, and we make sure it is written into the contract rather than left to a conversation — but we do not invent it on their behalf.

04 — How the purchase runs

Eight stages a machinery deal is built from

A machine is bought once and runs for years: there is no second run to correct the first, the way there is with garments and home textiles. The time here is better spent at the start than on putting things right at the end.

01The technical briefWhat the machine has to do, at what output, on what material, in what building. Everything else follows from that: without a brief, choosing becomes picking a photograph from a catalogue.
02Finding the maker, not a sellerIn machinery the proportion of trading companies is unusually high — selling a machine is easier than building one. We screen out resellers and get to the plant that has a line for your type of machine.
03Vetting the plantNot just the legal entity but the production: what machine tools they have, who does the assembly, how quality is handled, whether they have built anything similar. Where possible, video of a working unit.
04Agreeing the technical requirementsVoltage and frequency, the language of the interface and the markings, the scope of supply, what documentation comes with it, safety requirements. All of it goes into the specification before the contract, not into a conversation during installation.
05The contract and the payment stagesFor machinery it is worth staging the payment: a deposit, a payment after build and acceptance, the balance after start-up. That protects you better than paying in full up front, and it has to be raised at the negotiation stage.
06Acceptance at the plant before shipmentThe machine is run at the maker's site: a test run, measurements, a check against the specification. Finding a discrepancy in China costs a fraction of finding it once the machine is on your floor.
07Freight for the size and weightA standard container, an out-of-gauge shipment, or breaking the machine down into modules and assembling it on arrival — it depends on the unit. Securing and lifting are worked out in advance, not improvised at loading.
08Customs, conformity and start-upHS classification, permits, declaration. Then acceptance on your site, supervised installation and operator training where the contract covers it.

05 — Responsibility

Who is responsible for what

We are responsible for the deal and the delivery. The manufacturer is responsible for what the machine does; the choice is yours.

On us

Finding and vetting the plant, screening out traders
Getting your requirements into the contract and following up on them
Acceptance at the plant and arranging the freight
Conformity, customs and delivery to site

On you

The technical brief and the choice of model
Preparing the site: foundations, power, ventilation
Accepting the machine at your end

06 — Alongside

What people look at with this

07 — Questions

What people ask about machinery

How do you tell a machine builder from a reseller?
In this sector it matters more than anywhere else: a reseller carries no responsibility for how the machine is built and disappears when you need spares. We look at the activities on the business licence, at whether they have the machine tools to build it themselves, at their willingness to show the floor and a working unit, and at whether technical questions come back answered rather than with a promise to check with a colleague. No single sign is conclusive; together they give a clear picture.
What has to be in the specification?
Voltage and frequency for your building, the language of the interface and of the markings on the controls, the scope of supply down to the last item, the documentation in Russian, safety requirements, warranty terms and how spares will be supplied. Nothing that seems obvious to you is obvious to a Chinese plant — and if it is not written down, it will not be there.
Does the machine need a conformity document?
As a rule, yes: production machinery falls under the machinery safety regulations. Which assessment route applies depends on the type of machine and is determined from the HS code. Which regulation applies at all is set by the product, not by the shipment: electronics and components are assessed for electromagnetic compatibility instead, and a wireless function there brings a separate permit procedure with it. What matters is that part of the evidence has to come from the manufacturer — and it has to be asked for before shipment, or the paperwork drags on while the machine sits in a warehouse.
What if the machine will not fit a container?
There are three answers: an out-of-gauge shipment as it stands, breaking it down into modules and assembling on arrival, or a combination — the frame separately, the sub-assemblies in a container. The decision is taken with the maker, because not every machine can be taken apart without losing its alignment. It has to be costed before the contract: out-of-gauge freight changes the economics of the deal noticeably.
Who comes to start the machine?
Engineers from the manufacturer, if commissioning is in the contract. We arrange the travel, the paperwork and interpreting on site. This has to be agreed during negotiations: anything that is not in the contract is priced separately by the maker.
And spares later on?
That is the question worth asking before the deal rather than a year into it. It is worth putting a list of wear parts and the terms for supplying them into the contract. We supply spares to clients whose machines we imported — which is one reason to import through someone who will still be there a year later.

Tell us what machine you need

Describe the job: what the machine has to do, at what output, what your building requires. We will come back with plants to consider, a vetting plan and a cost for the delivery.

Describe the machine +7 861 217-96-98