What we can and cannot document
The short version
Most suppliers put a row of certification logos on the homepage. It costs nothing and proves nothing, because a logo is not tied to a reference number. We do it the other way round: a claim is only made when a document exists for the exact product being shipped, and it is available for you to read.
Can be supplied
- Written specification confirmation for the exact reference, before production begins
- Pre-production sample, and written approval before mass production
- Packing list, carton quantity and loading data for your order
- Manufacturer test reports and declarations of conformity, where they exist and apply to the reference supplied
- A written answer when something is not available
Cannot be supplied
- A standard or performance number we have not verified against the exact reference you are buying
- Certificates issued in our own name — we are the sourcing partner, not the manufacturer
- Borrowed, altered, re-dated or downloaded test documents
- Statements that a product "meets" a standard on the strength of a similar model
- Factory capacity, turnover or client figures we cannot substantiate
How an order is controlled
Five points where mistakes are caughtSupplier vetting
Manufacturers are used on the basis of what they can actually produce and document, not on the size of their showroom. Where a supplier cannot produce the document a reference needs, the reference is offered without the claim, or not at all.
Specification lock
Material, gauge, dimensions, colour and packing are fixed in writing before production. This single document is what production is measured against.
Pre-production sample
For new references and all OEM orders, a sample is produced and approved in writing. Changes after this point are treated as a new order, because that is what they are.
In-line follow-up
Production is followed through the manufacturer's schedule so that a problem is raised while it can still be corrected, rather than discovered once the pallet is closed.
Packing and loading
Packing, carton marking and box counts are confirmed with the loading data for the order — cartons, volume and weights — before the goods leave.
Tell us the standard first
Why it changes everything
- A standard is not an add-on. It determines the material, the construction and the manufacturer that can produce the item at all.
- Asking for it after the quotation means the quotation is worthless.
- Where a market requires a specific marking on the product itself, that requirement has to reach the factory before tooling, not after.
What we will ask you
- Which standard, and for which market.
- Whether you need the product itself marked, or the documentation only.
- Whether you need the test report issued to your company or to the manufacturer.
- Whether an existing sample or current supplier product defines what you expect.
Our position in one sentence
We are a sourcing and export partner, not a manufacturer and not a certification body. We can find, coordinate, inspect and document — and we can tell you honestly when a requirement cannot be met from the suppliers we work with. That is the whole offer.