Nowadays we are not able to travel around as frequently as before due to the pandemic, the main sourcing way of new suppliers is by google. You can get like dozens of glass machine suppliers by just one click. Or you simply send an inquiry for any type of glass machines in some B2B webs like alibaba.com, you will get at least 10 quotes from different suppliers.
Some people will care more on quality and some will take price as priority. How to make the wise decision before purchasing while you can not visit those suppliers at site? You can refer to the below tips.
Compare the quote sheets. The suppliers who have good quality may have beautiful quote sheets. They are clear on what they have and what they are good at. So the machine description must be detailed to show every characteristics of the machine. For example, the quote sheet should include the basic technical information, the descriptions of each section of the machine, the configuration list like brands of the components, the power of each motor, the layout of the machine… If a supplier provides only one page to show you a machine, and there are many spelling mistakes on the sheet, then you can walk away.
Pictures tell. Ask the suppliers to provide as more pictures of the machine as possible you will know how it looks like and you can also see the differences in quality from the pictures by comparing one another. Better to have pictures of each section described in the technical information sheet. This is not easy and some of the suppliers are not willing to provide. They feel troublesome and have concerns to show you what they really produced which will scare you away. Also, asking pictures is also a good chance to test after sales service. If they are helpful then they probably will provide timely and good after sales services. For those who can only reluctant to provide one or two pictures, you need to consider carefully. They may not be the real manufacturers so they can not provide more details, or they just have negative attitude.
Get the videos, not only on how the machine runs, but also the videos that can show you how these suppliers look like(production workshop and offices). Some glass machine manufactures will take beautiful and fancy videos to show a single machine or a production line, this is not enough. Get some more videos on the real production or real running. The factory tour video can show you if they are the real manufacturer.
Project reference. Get some pictures of the projects instead of a customer list. Some people like to ask:” Can you provide a customer list in our country?” If the supplier can really provide a list with the customer name and the installation pictures they took at site, then it’s wonderful. But if it’s only a list with some company names, you have to consider if they are providing something real, after all, you won’t call the companies in the list one by one to verify. On the other hand, you can ask if you can visit any customers locally to see how the machine runs.
Ask what inspections the suppliers offer after the machine finished. You don’t want to receive only one or two pictures of your own machines before its arrival. So check how the suppliers will check your machine to make sure it meets all requirements in the contract.
Technical support. Most of the glass machine suppliers may be not able to provide onsite installation, except the large production lines or the big machines like tempering furnace. For the rest, you may need to install yourself or get some local support. It’s ideal that if the customer has technicians or deputy in your country. For those who don’t have, it’s important for them to provide timely and clear feedback when you face some issues during installation by yourself.
Reputation. If you have been in this industry for a long time, you are familiar with many Chinese glass machine brands or suppliers, as well as its quality, you can go straight to them. But even some famous brands, they don’t always provide good service, it depends on the sales person. You can test if he/she is helpful with the above points I mentioned.
Good luck and if you need any glass processing machine, remember to talk to franky@fstechwin.com.
