You can visit Morbi tile factories, and most manufacturers welcome serious buyers. A visit is the best way to confirm that a supplier owns the plant, runs the product you want and controls its quality.
The value of a visit depends on what you look at. A tour of the showroom and the director's office tells you very little. The useful hour is spent on the production floor, in the sorting area and in the warehouse.
Before you go
- Shortlist factories by product first, so every visit is to a plant that makes the size and finish you need.
- Ask each factory for its GST registration, IEC and plant address, and check that the address you will visit matches the documents.
- Ask which lines will be running on the day of your visit and which products will be on them.
- Plan no more than three or four factories in a day, because each proper visit takes time and plants can be some distance apart.
- Bring your approved samples or photographs of them, so you can compare them with tiles coming off the line.
On the production floor
Walk the line in the order the tile is made. You are checking that the factory really makes the product and that the process is under control.
- Look at the presses and kilns, and ask how many lines the plant runs and which one would make your order.
- Watch the digital printing stage and ask how the factory keeps colour consistent between runs.
- Spend time at the sorting line, where tiles are graded and checked for shade and calibre, because this is where your grade is decided.
- Ask to see the in-house laboratory and the records of daily tests, such as water absorption and breaking strength.
- Note how tiles are packed and whether each box carries the batch, shade and calibre marks.
In the warehouse and the office
The warehouse shows how the factory treats finished goods. Check that pallets are stored by batch and shade, that boxes are dry and undamaged, and that stock is labelled clearly. Mixed or unlabelled stock is a warning sign for your order.
In the office, ask for the written grade definition, recent ISO 10545 test reports and the certificates relevant to your market. Ask to see shipping documents from recent export orders. Confirm that the company on those documents is the same company that owns the plant.
If something does not add up, ask why. A factory that answers plainly is usually easier to work with than one that changes the subject. The signs of a trader posing as a factory are covered in how to tell a tile trader from a factory in Morbi.
If you cannot visit
Many buyers cannot travel for every supplier. An unannounced live video call from the production floor is a useful first filter, but it is not a full check. An independent audit by someone on the ground covers the same ground as a visit, and a good report reads like a record of what you would have seen. See what a factory audit report should contain.
How we help
We can arrange and join your visits, prepare the checks in advance and follow up on the documents afterwards. If you cannot travel, we audit the factories for you and send a written report with photographs. To plan either, book a free sourcing review.