Choosing a metalwork
supplier in China:
six questions

One: can you trial-assemble my job before shipping

This is the question that separates the two categories, because a trading company physically cannot. The parts are not in their building.

Listen for the answer, not the salesmanship. "Yes, we lay it out on the floor" is different from "yes, we check the parts" — checking parts is not assembling a job.

Two: who reads my drawing, and what do they send back

If the answer is a salesperson, ask who actually reads it. The useful answer names a person and a document — usually a list of questions with a date on it.

Ask for a specimen of that document. It is the single most informative thing you can request from a supplier.

Three: how many openings did you survey last time, and what was the deviation

A factory will have a number. A trader will have a story about how the client's site was difficult.

Follow up with: did the shop drawing get re-issued against the survey? The answer tells you whether the number was used or just collected.

Four: what is your one PVD batch rule

Ask what happens when a job needs two plating runs. A factory that understands colour will say they hold the line. A trader will say it is fine.

Two runs of the same colour are two colours, and they will end up on the same elevation.

Five: can I see the reject log

Every factory scraps parts. The question is whether the scrapping is recorded, and whether you are allowed to see it.

A refusal here is not necessarily fatal, but a willingness is a strong signal — it means the inspection is real.

Six: what will you not do

A supplier who will not name a limit has not thought about the work, or is avoiding the conversation. We publish ours: no structural certification, no casting, no site installation.

A short video call walking the floor answers all six faster than any email. Ask for it, and ask them to keep the camera moving.