An engineering or machinery sourcing agent in India should be able to read your drawings, understand tolerances and materials, and witness tests on the machine or part before it ships. If the agent can only pass drawings to a factory and pass back a quote, it is not adding the technical check you need.
Engineering buying has two shapes: built-to-print parts, where you supply the drawing, and machinery, where the factory designs and builds to a specification. The agent's job differs. See casting and machinery sourcing agents for background.
Built-to-print parts versus machines
- For parts, ask how the agent verifies the machining and inspection capability: the machines, the measuring equipment, and the calibration records.
- For machines, ask how the agent checks the design, the bought-in components, and the factory test procedure before delivery.
- For both, ask who owns the drawing and how it is protected; see signing an NDA with a sourcing agent.
Questions to ask before you hire
- Do you have people who can read a drawing and a tolerance, and have they worked on parts or machines like mine?
- How do you check material, for example through a mill test certificate and, where needed, independent testing?
- Will you run a first article inspection before bulk production?
- How many parts are measured in dimensional checks? See dimensional inspection and sample size.
- For machinery, will you witness a run test, and what is recorded?
- Do you take any payment from factories, and who pays the factory?
Red flags
- Quotes arriving within hours for complex drawings, with no questions asked.
- A factory that cannot show its measuring equipment or calibration records.
- Claims of every process under one roof when the plant visibly has only a few machines.
- A machine offered from a trader who cannot name the manufacturer; see verifying a machinery supplier.
- Agents who dismiss pre-shipment inspection because the supplier is "a long-standing partner".
How a first order runs
You send drawings or a specification, with material, tolerances, finish, quantity and standards. The agent shortlists plants with the right processes, and audits them; our guide on auditing an engineering factory shows the scope.
A first article or prototype is approved before bulk production. During production, key dimensions are checked. Before shipment, a pre-shipment inspection or, for machinery, the inspections described here are completed, and the packing and documents are checked. Only then is the balance released.
Agent or sourcing office?
If you buy engineering parts continuously and in volume, a permanent sourcing office may justify itself. If you buy a few projects a year, an agent is simpler. See a sourcing office in India or an agent.
Mistakes buyers make with engineering orders
The first mistake is sending an incomplete drawing. Missing tolerances, material grades, surface finish or heat treatment are decided by the factory, usually in the cheapest way. The agent should review the drawing and ask questions before any quote.
The second is approving the first piece and nothing else. A first article proves the process can make the part once. It does not prove the process is stable over a run. Ask for key dimensions to be checked at set points during production.
The third is skipping the factory test for machinery. A machine that looks right can fail under load, run hot or produce out-of-tolerance parts. A witnessed run test, with recorded results, is the best protection you have before shipment.
The fourth is overlooking spare parts and manuals. For machinery, agree the documents, manuals, spare parts list and warranty terms in the order, and have the agent check they are packed with the machine.
How we work
Industrial machinery is one of Creston's six industries; see what we source. We find and audit manufacturers, check samples and documents, have lots tested, and supervise production and loading. You pay the factory directly, we take nothing from factories, and the fee is one written amount agreed in advance. To talk through a drawing or specification, book a free sourcing review.