Quality, and how to verify us
Most of this page is a checklist you can use on any Chinese supplier, including us. That is deliberate — a supplier who is uncomfortable with you checking is telling you something.
Start with what we are not
What we are is a China-based supplier and export house. We buy from audited manufacturing partners, we inspect the consolidated lot before it ships, and we hand over the documentation that goes with it. The certificates you receive carry the manufacturer's name, because that is what makes them meaningful.
The six things worth checking before you place a first order
| # | Check | How to do it | What a bad answer looks like |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Certificate validity | Take the ISO 9001 registration number off the certificate and look it up on the issuing body's own website | The number does not exist, or the certificate is against a superseded revision |
| 2 | Superseded standards | Check the revision year | "ISO 9001:2000" or "ISO 9001:2008" on a current website — the current revision is 2015. An old revision on a live page usually means the page has not been read in a decade |
| 3 | Identity consistency | Compare the company name on the site, the certificate and the proforma invoice | Three different names, or a page title that does not match the company |
| 4 | Samples, measured | Ask for samples and the dimensional report with them, then measure them yourself | Samples with no measurements, or a report that does not match the parts |
| 5 | Inspection rights | Ask in writing whether you may appoint your own third-party inspector before shipment | Hedging, or a fee that appears only once you ask |
| 6 | Traceability | Ask how a shipped box maps back to its production batch and inspection record | "We can check with the factory" with no system behind it |
Where we land on each of those
- Certificates: we give you the manufacturer's ISO 9001 or IATF 16949 certificate with the issuing body and registration number, so you can verify it independently rather than take our word.
- Standards: we work to SAE J514, J1453, J1926, J517, J518, ISO 8434-1/-2/-3, ISO 7241-1, ISO 16028, ISO 228-1, ISO 7-1, DIN 2353, DIN 2828, EN 853, EN 856, EN 14420-7 and ANSI/ASME B1.20 as the product requires. The applicable standard goes on the quote, not just in the brochure.
- Samples: supplied with a dimensional report, and we would rather you measure them and push back than nod them through.
- Inspection: you may appoint SGS, Bureau Veritas, Intertek, TÜV or your own representative to inspect before shipment. If it fails your inspection, it does not ship.
- Traceability: every packing unit carries a batch number mapped to that batch's incoming and pre-shipment records. See inspection and documentation for the detail.
Documents you should insist on for safety-critical parts
Hydraulic fittings are pressure-containing components. Localised failure in a system running at 200 bar is not a nuisance, it is an injury risk, and in North America it can trigger an OSHA investigation and a product-liability claim. For that reason, a serious buyer's acceptance list usually includes:
- EN 10204 3.1 material certificate, issued by the mill that produced the steel
- Dimensional / thread gauge report against the standard or the drawing
- Impulse and burst test reports where the fitting or assembly family is specified against ISO 6803, SAE J343 or SAE J517
- Crimp records for hose assemblies — ferrule, die and target crimp diameter
- Plating thickness and salt-spray results where the coating spec calls for them
Certificates must carry the manufacturer's name
The commercial risk you should price in
There is a real cost difference between a supplier who inspects and documents and one who does not. If a quote is dramatically below the others, the gap is usually documentation, inspection hours, or material grade — one of the three. Ask which one. A supplier who can answer that question directly is worth more than one who cannot, even at a slightly higher price.
We would rather be verified than trusted. Send us the part you are hardest to source and test the whole process on one order.