Questions to Ask a Manufacturer
Questions to ask a manufacturer before you send drawings or a deposit, written for a founder, product owner or buyer vetting a factory ahead of a first order. The 51 questions start with seven for an opening call, then go through production, pricing and tooling, quality, contract terms and the working relationship.
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The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
First call
What do you make now that is closest to what I need?
Why ask it
A factory that already runs something similar has the tooling, the operators, and the material relationships. If the nearest example is two categories away, you are paying for their learning curve in scrap and delay.
Is all of this made in your own factory, or do you subcontract part of it?
Why ask it
Some suppliers are trading companies or assemblers that buy in most of the work, which is not bad in itself but changes who controls quality. You want a plain list of the operations done under their roof and the ones sent out, with the address where each happens.
What is your minimum order quantity, and how does the unit price change at ten times that?
Why ask it
Two price points show you where their cost structure actually sits. If the price barely drops with volume, most of the cost is probably material or hand labor, and ordering deeper gains you little. Ask as well whether a smaller first run is possible at a higher unit price.
What lead time should I plan for a first order, and for repeat orders?
Why ask it
First orders usually take longer, and the gap between the two numbers shows how much of the wait is setup and how much is their normal queue. Follow up with how long their last three shipments really took, which is a better guide than the promise.
What do you need from me before you can quote properly?
Why ask it
A capable supplier asks for drawings, tolerances, materials, finishes, packaging, and test standards. One that quotes from a photograph is likely to requote once the details arrive, and rarely downwards.
How long have you been making this kind of product, and for what sort of customers?
Why ask it
Years in business matter less than years on this process and with accounts of your size. A plant that mostly serves large industrial buyers will treat a first-time brand differently from one built around short runs, so ask which describes most of their order book.
Could I speak to two customers whose orders are about the size of mine?
Why ask it
Decide what you will ask on that call before you make it: were dates kept, did the price hold after the first order, and would they place the work here again. A manufacturer who can only offer its largest account as a reference may not have many customers like you.
Production
Can you walk me through how my product would be made here, step by step?
Why ask it
The walk-through shows whether they have thought about your part or are describing the plant in general. Listen for the steps they slow down on, because those are where the cost and the risk sit, and note any step that happens at another site.
Would you review my design for manufacturability before quoting, and what would you change?
Why ask it
A manufacturer who suggests a looser tolerance, a different wall thickness or one part fewer is showing the engineering attention you will need later. No comments at all on a new design usually means nobody with production experience has opened the files.
Can you build prototypes or a short pilot run, or do you only take production-ready designs?
Why ask it
Some plants are set up purely for volume and will send you to a prototype shop first, which is worth learning now. If they do offer prototypes, ask whether those come off the production process, since a machined or printed prototype says little about a molded part.
How long does sampling take, and what does a sample cost?
Why ask it
Get the timeline for a sample made the way your order will be made. A showroom piece from another customer's run shows what the plant can do, not what your goods will be like. Expect to pay for it, and check whether the fee comes off the first order.
Which materials and components do you buy in, and can I name the supplier or send my own?
Why ask it
Bought-in parts are a frequent source of delays and quality surprises, electronics and anything imported especially. Get the supplier names for the two or three critical items, and whether there is a second source. If you plan to supply material yourself, settle who answers for the scrap when a run goes wrong.
Do you do final assembly and retail packaging here, or do the goods leave as bulk parts?
Why ask it
If they stop at parts, you need a second supplier or your own bench for assembly, kitting and boxing, and that step brings its own lead time and rejects. Where they do pack, send the artwork and barcode placement along with the drawings so the packaging is quoted with the product.
How much of your capacity would my order take, and when is your busy season?
Why ask it
As a small customer in a busy plant, your run can be the one that moves when a large account calls. If your order is a large share of their capacity, the risk is the opposite: you become their cash flow, and they cannot absorb a mistake.
Can you take a rush order, and what does jumping the queue cost?
Why ask it
Some plants keep a little slack for expedites and price it openly. Others can only move you forward by pushing another customer back, which tells you what happens to your own run when someone else pays to hurry. The useful number is the shortest turnaround once material is already on the shelf.
If my orders tripled next year, what would have to change here to keep up?
Why ask it
A useful answer names the limit: a second shift, another machine, a longer material lead time, a new tool with more cavities. 'No problem' with no detail is a sales answer, and you would only find the real ceiling by hitting it.
What would stop my production for a week, and what did you do the last time that happened?
Why ask it
Every plant has one machine, one supplier or one skilled person that everything waits on. You are checking that they know which it is and have a way around it, whether that is a spare, a partner shop or stock held ahead.
How do you handle a design change once production has started?
Why ask it
Changes after tooling are expensive, so find out what a revision costs, who signs it off and how old-revision parts are kept apart from new ones. If changes are described as easy, check whether that means they are free or only that nobody controls them.
Pricing
What are the tooling and setup costs, and who owns the tooling afterwards?
Why ask it
Ownership decides whether you can ever move suppliers. Get it in writing, along with where the tool is stored and who pays for maintenance, because a tool you paid for but cannot collect ties you to that plant however the service turns out.
How many parts is the tooling good for, and who pays when it wears out?
Why ask it
Tool life depends on the material and how hard the tool is run, and a cheap tool can be a short-lived one. Get the expected life written into the quote, along with who covers repairs and whether a replacement is priced now or at whatever it costs then.
Which costs sit outside this quote: tooling, samples, testing, packaging, freight?
Why ask it
Naming the usual exclusions one at a time gets a yes or no on each, where 'is everything included?' just gets a yes. Add the extras to the unit price before you compare suppliers, since a low quote with five add-ons can land above a higher one with none.
Will you show me how the unit price splits between material, labor and overhead?
Why ask it
With a breakdown you can see which design decision is costing you, and you can check a later increase against the line it claims to come from. Not every manufacturer will share its margin, but one who shares nothing leaves you bargaining over a single number.
What happens to my price if material costs move sharply?
Why ask it
You are looking for how long the quote holds and how an adjustment would be worked out, ideally from a published price for the material and not their say-so. A fixed price with no end date on a volatile input sounds generous, but it tends to come back as a renegotiation halfway through an order.
What could I change in the design or the spec to bring the price down?
Why ask it
They know which feature forces a slow operation or a costly grade of material, and most will tell you if asked. Weigh each suggestion against what your own customer would notice, and be wary if the only idea on offer is a thinner or cheaper material.
If I commit to a year's volume, will you produce it in batches and hold the price?
Why ask it
A blanket order with scheduled releases can get you the volume price without taking a year of stock at once. Read what you owe if you do not call off the full quantity, because the commitment runs both ways.
What are your payment terms on a first order, and do they ease once we have a track record?
Why ask it
Terms differ by country, by industry and by how new the relationship is, so find out what customers of your size normally get. A deposit with the balance due after inspection or against shipping documents keeps part of your money back until you have seen the goods; paying everything up front leaves you nothing to hold.
Quality
How do you inspect, and can I see a recent inspection report for something similar?
Why ask it
Listen for when inspection happens, which sampling standard they use and who signs it off. A report you can read is worth more than a description, and a refusal to share even a redacted one tells you something too.
What defect rate do you run on comparable work, and how do you count it?
Why ask it
The counting method matters more than the number: defects found in-line, at final inspection, or by the customer are three different figures. A supplier who quotes a very low rate without explaining the basis is quoting a target, not a measurement.
How do you hold later runs to the sample I approved?
Why ask it
Drift between runs is quieter than a bad first batch and harder to argue about. Good answers involve a signed reference sample kept at the plant, written work instructions and a first-piece check at the start of every run, not the memory of whoever made it last time.
If you want to swap a material or a sub-supplier, do I get to approve it first?
Why ask it
A quiet substitution is one way a product passes sampling and then fails in customers' hands. Ask for a written rule that nothing in the bill of materials or the process changes without your sign-off, and find out how they would learn that one of their own suppliers had changed something.
If a fault turns up months later, how would you work out which units are affected?
Why ask it
Without lot codes and production records, the only safe response to one bad unit is to pull everything. Ask them to pick a marked part off a current job and bring up the record behind it, which a prepared plant can do while you wait.
What certifications do you hold, and when were you last audited and by whom?
Why ask it
Certificates expire, and many cover one site or one product family, not the whole company. Take the certificate number and its scope and look them up with the issuing body yourself, since a scan on a letterhead proves very little.
Who checks working conditions and overtime here, and can I see the latest audit?
Why ask it
Your customers, and some retailers, will hold you answerable for the factory behind your product. An independent audit report that shows the findings and the fixes is worth more than a signed code of conduct, and peak season is when the answer gets tested.
What testing and compliance documents can you supply for the countries I sell in?
Why ask it
Safety, chemical and labeling rules differ by product and by country, and the responsibility often sits with whoever puts the product on the market, which may be you. Ask which tests they have already passed for other customers and which lab ran them, then check your own market's requirements with someone qualified.
Can I come and see the plant, and will you let an outside inspector check the goods before they ship?
Why ask it
A plant may limit what you see to protect other customers' work, which is reasonable, but a flat no to any visit is hard to explain. Having someone you pay inspect the goods before they leave is routine in many trades, so if they resist, ask what they would offer in its place.
Contract
Will you sign a non-disclosure agreement before I send full drawings, and who owns the design if you improve it?
Why ask it
How quickly they sign is a small test of how they treat other customers' files. Ownership of improvements is the harder half: a tweak their engineers make to your part can end up belonging to them unless the agreement says otherwise, and the rules differ between countries, so have a lawyer read it.
Do you make similar products for other brands, and would you agree not to sell my design to anyone else?
Why ask it
Making for your competitors proves they know the category, and it also puts your drawings one desk away from a rival's. Find out what happens to tooling, files and leftover stock when a customer leaves, and whether any exclusivity on offer is tied to a minimum yearly volume.
Will you sign a manufacturing agreement before the first order, and whose draft do we start from?
Why ask it
A purchase order alone leaves ownership of designs, tooling and rejected goods to be argued about afterwards. A manufacturer's standard terms are written for the manufacturer, so have a lawyer who knows the law in both countries read whichever draft you use.
If a batch is rejected, who pays for rework, replacement, and freight?
Why ask it
Settle this before the first order, not across a rejected shipment. Freight and duty on goods you cannot sell come on top of the goods themselves, so agree who pays to return or scrap them, how fast a remake happens, and whether you may hold back payment in the meantime.
What warranty do you give on your workmanship, and how long after delivery can I raise a claim?
Why ask it
Some defects only show after weeks of use, well past any incoming inspection. Find out whether the remedy is replacement parts, a credit or money back, and whether the clock starts at shipment or when the goods reach you.
What happens if you deliver late?
Why ask it
Unless something else is written down, the usual remedy is an apology and a new date. If a missed date would cost you a season or a retail slot, say so now and ask what they would agree to, such as air freight at their cost or a reduction for each week of delay.
Is your price ex-works, FOB or delivered to my door, and who deals with customs?
Why ask it
Prices on different shipping terms cannot be set side by side, and the gap between a factory-gate price and a delivered one can be a large part of your landed cost. Confirm who is the exporter of record, who pays duty and who supplies the documents your customs broker will want. With a plant in your own country, the same question is simply who books and pays for the truck.
How will the goods be packed for transit, and who carries the loss if they arrive damaged?
Why ask it
Packing that suits a pallet in a warehouse may not survive a sea container or a parcel network. Where the risk passes to you normally follows the shipping term you agreed, so read this answer next to that term and your freight insurance.
Can you store finished stock or my materials, and what does that cost?
Why ask it
Stock held at the factory can smooth out a long lead time, but it raises the matter of who owns it, who insures it and when storage charges begin. Ask to see how customer-owned material is labeled and kept apart from everyone else's.
What insurance do you carry, and would any of it respond if a defect reached my customers?
Why ask it
Ask for the certificate itself and look at the insurer, the limit and the territories covered. Whether their policy or yours answers a product claim depends on the contract and the country, so take the certificate to your own broker before relying on it.
Relationship
Who will be my day-to-day contact, and what hours do they work relative to mine?
Why ask it
Find out whether your contact is a salesperson or someone who can walk onto the production floor and look at your job. With a plant in another time zone, check how much of the working day overlaps and whether a question sent at your noon is answered before you are back at your desk.
How will I know where my order stands while it is in production?
Why ask it
A weekly update with photos and a count against the plan costs them little and gives you early warning. If news only arrives when you chase it, expect to hear about a delay on the day the goods were due to ship.
How far ahead do you need a forecast from me, and how firm does it have to be?
Why ask it
Factories buy material and book labor against forecasts, so this tells you how early your money is committed. Ask what happens to material bought for a forecast you later cut, because that bill can come back to you.
What went wrong on a recent order, and how did you resolve it?
Why ask it
Every factory has had a bad batch, a late container, or a material substitution. One that can describe the failure and the fix is telling you how the relationship will work under stress. 'Nothing ever goes wrong' is the least believable answer you can be given.
What do customers like me usually get wrong in the first few months?
Why ask it
Plants that have worked with new brands tend to answer fast: drawings missing a tolerance, approvals that sit for a week, a launch date set before the sample existed. Treat the list as your side of the bargain, since each item is something they will need from you on time.
Which customer have you lost recently, and why?
Why ask it
Uncomfortable, so save it for the end of a visit, when the conversation is already frank. A reason such as price, a missed date or a customer outgrowing the plant is something you can weigh against your own plans. A claim that nobody has ever left is not.
Working through a supplier shortlist
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Before the first call
Write one specification and send it to everyone
Materials, dimensions, tolerances, finish, packaging, test standards, target volumes. Quotes based on different assumptions cannot be compared, and most confusing price spreads turn out to be spec differences rather than supplier differences.
Decide what you will not share yet
Full drawings and source files can wait until a non-disclosure agreement is signed and you are serious about the supplier. Send enough to be quoted accurately and hold the rest, particularly where an agreement would be hard to enforce.
Work out your landed cost model first
Unit price plus tooling spread over the run, freight, duty, inspection and expected scrap. A supplier who looks cheaper on the unit can come out more expensive once the goods are delivered.
Spread the questions over the stages
Nobody gets through the whole list in one call. The First call group is enough to decide who stays on the shortlist. Production and Pricing belong with the quote, Quality with the sample and the visit, and Contract and Relationship before any deposit leaves your account. The one exception is the non-disclosure question under Contract, which comes before you send full drawings.
Checks worth doing yourself
- Verify the business registration and that the company name on the quote matches the one on the bank details
- Check certificate numbers directly with the issuing body instead of accepting a scan
- Ask for two references, including one customer who stopped ordering, and actually call them
- Look for the factory in satellite imagery and compare it with the photographs you were sent
- Confirm bank details by phone with a contact you already know before the first transfer, and again if they ever change
A sensible order of events
Quote, then sample, then pilot run
Approve a golden sample in writing and keep a physical copy. Then buy a small paid pilot before committing to full volume, and expect the pilot to reveal something the sample did not.
Pay in stages tied to evidence
One common structure is a deposit, a payment once material is bought, and the balance after inspection or against shipping documents. What is usual differs by country and industry, so ask what their other customers of your size do, and tie each payment to something you can see.
Put the quality standard in the purchase order
Acceptable defect levels, the inspection standard, packaging, labeling, and what happens on rejection. A purchase order that says only quantity and price gives you nothing to point at later.
Get the answers that matter in writing
After each call, send a short email listing what was said about tooling ownership, change approval, late delivery and rejected goods, and ask them to confirm it. Those points then go into the agreement or the purchase order, where a remembered conversation cannot.
Warning signs
- Reluctance to allow any visit or a pre-shipment inspection
- Vague answers about which operations happen in-house
- A price that drops sharply when you hesitate, with no explanation of what changed in the spec
- Pressure for full prepayment, or bank details in a different company name or country
- No questions asked about your drawings or tolerances, which suggests nobody has read them
- 'No problem' given as the whole answer to scaling up, design changes and deadlines alike