Project · 2024
Engineering supply matching for an Indian distributor
Sourced and verified Chinese engineering-supply manufacturers for an Indian B2B distributor, then accompanied their team across Pearl River Delta factories.
Industry
Industrial supplies
Country
India
Services
- — Sourcing & supplier matching
- — Factory visits
- — Bilingual interpretation
The brief
An Indian B2B distributor wanted to expand their range of Chinese-sourced engineering supplies — tools, dies, industrial consumables — but had been burned twice by trading-company intermediaries who delivered against spec the first time and quietly substituted the second.
They needed someone in China who could distinguish actual factories from shopfronts, and who would still be there to answer the phone after the order shipped.
What we did
Pre-trip, I built a shortlist of seven candidate manufacturers across Guangdong and Maharashtra-export-heavy hubs, with each candidate verified for export history and capacity. We narrowed it to four for in-person visits.
On the ground, the team flew in for five days. We covered all four factories — including one that turned out, on inspection, to be a trading company front, which we cut after the first hour. The remaining three got proper walkthroughs, capacity discussions, and sample reviews. I interpreted across factory-floor Mandarin and the more formal meeting-room sessions.
By day four the team had three vetted suppliers, sample sets in their luggage, and indicative pricing tight enough to model real margins.
Outcome
First orders were placed within two weeks of the trip, with two of the three suppliers. The relationship has continued — I’ve handled three subsequent sourcing rounds for the same client.
The trading-company front we cut on day one would have cost them roughly six weeks and a meaningful sample fee if they’d discovered it on their own.
Client name and product details withheld.
Discuss a similar project
If this looks like the kind of work you need, let's talk.