| Legal Identity |
Confirm that the supplier is legally registered and authorized to manufacture or export the proposed container products. |
Business license, registration details, export records, and a company bank account matching the legal entity. |
All documents should show the same legal entity name and registered address. |
Payment requested to an unrelated personal or third-party account. |
| Manufacturing Location |
Determine whether production is carried out in-house or subcontracted. |
Live video audit, factory address, production-line photos, equipment list, and visitor records. |
The supplier can show raw-material storage, fabrication, welding, assembly, inspection, and finished-goods areas. |
Only an office is available, or the factory location changes during verification. |
| Production Capacity |
Check whether the supplier can meet the required quantity without compromising lead time or quality. |
Monthly capacity statement, current production schedule, equipment capacity, workforce information, and delivery history. |
Capacity should exceed the project requirement by approximately 20% to 30% during the planned production period. |
Capacity is described only with vague terms such as “unlimited” or “very large.” |
| Material Traceability |
Verify the grades, thicknesses, coatings, insulation materials, and hardware used in production. |
Material certificates, purchase records, batch numbers, incoming inspection reports, and approved samples. |
Critical materials should be traceable from purchase through final assembly. |
The supplier refuses to disclose material specifications or substitutes materials without approval. |
| Structural Compliance |
Confirm that the frame, corner fittings, lifting points, doors, and load-bearing components meet the intended use. |
Engineering drawings, welding procedures, load calculations, inspection reports, and applicable test results. |
The design should be reviewed against applicable container, building, transport, and local safety requirements. |
The supplier provides marketing images but no engineering drawings or test documentation. |
| Standards and Certifications |
Identify which standards apply to the container’s intended use, such as transport, storage, accommodation, or site offices. |
Valid certificates with certificate numbers, scope, issuing body, validity dates, and matching product descriptions. |
Certificates must be independently verifiable and applicable to the exact product category being purchased. |
Expired certificates, edited documents, or certificates issued for a different product. |
| Welding and Fabrication Quality |
Assess the consistency of welds, frame geometry, surface preparation, and assembly accuracy. |
Welding procedure records, welder qualifications, inspection checklists, dimensional reports, and factory audit results. |
Welds should be continuous where specified, visually consistent, free from visible cracks, and inspected before coating. |
Heavy use of filler, visible porosity, uneven joints, or no documented inspection process. |
| Corrosion Protection |
Verify surface preparation, primer, topcoat, coating thickness, and protection of concealed areas. |
Coating specification, paint batch records, surface-preparation procedure, and dry-film-thickness measurements. |
The coating system should be defined in writing and matched to the expected climate and service environment. |
Rust is visible before shipment, coating thickness is not measured, or damaged areas are left untreated. |
| Water and Weather Resistance |
Check the roof, wall joints, doors, windows, penetrations, drainage, and sealing details. |
Water-penetration test records, sealing specifications, inspection photos, and an approved pre-shipment checklist. |
A completed water test should be documented for every production batch or agreed inspection lot. |
Leaks are dismissed as normal, or sealing is performed only after a customer complaint. |
| Electrical and Fire Safety |
Verify electrical components, grounding, circuit protection, fire-rated materials, and local code compliance. |
Wiring diagrams, component certificates, insulation tests, grounding tests, and fire-performance documentation where required. |
The electrical design must be reviewed for the destination country and the intended installation conditions. |
Unprotected wiring, mixed component specifications, or no test records. |
| Quality Management System |
Evaluate how the supplier controls drawings, purchasing, production, inspections, nonconformities, and corrective actions. |
Quality manual, inspection plan, calibration records, nonconformity reports, and corrective-action records. |
A documented process should exist from incoming materials to final release and shipment. |
Quality depends entirely on one person’s experience and no records are retained. |
| Sample and Pilot Order |
Confirm that the supplier can reproduce the approved design before full-scale production. |
Signed sample approval, dimensional inspection, functional testing, and change-control records. |
Approve one representative sample or pilot unit before placing a large production order. |
The supplier requests full payment or mass production before sample approval. |
| Third-Party Inspection |
Use an independent inspection company to verify quantity, workmanship, dimensions, packaging, and documents. |
Pre-production, during-production, and pre-shipment inspection reports with photographs and measured results. |
Inspection scope and acceptance criteria should be written into the purchase contract. |
The supplier rejects independent inspection or allows inspection only after shipment. |
| Delivery Performance |
Review the supplier’s ability to meet production, loading, and shipping deadlines. |
Redacted purchase orders, shipment records, production schedules, and customer references. |
Request at least three recent, verifiable project references with similar product scope. |
Repeated unexplained delays, changing lead times, or refusal to provide references. |
| After-Sales Support |
Confirm how defects, replacement parts, technical questions, and warranty claims are handled. |
Written warranty terms, spare-parts list, response procedure, service contacts, and claim records. |
Warranty duration, exclusions, response time, and remedy should be clearly stated in the contract. |
Only verbal warranty promises or no defined process for defective goods. |
| Commercial and Contract Risk |
Check payment terms, specifications, tolerances, delivery obligations, inspection rights, and remedies for nonconformity. |
Detailed purchase contract, approved drawings, technical specification, packing list, and change-order procedure. |
No critical requirement should remain only in informal messages or verbal discussions. |
Pressure to pay quickly, incomplete specifications, or unwillingness to accept written liability. |
