How do we buy imported spare parts for papermaking machinery?

When purchasing imported spare parts for papermaking machinery, it is necessary to comprehensively consider equipment adaptability, quality reliability, cost control and supply chain stability, and it also involves international trade process and after-sales guarantee. The following are the detailed purchase steps and precautions:

First, define the demand for spare parts: accurately locate the procurement target.

Confirm spare parts model and parameters.

Obtain the model, specification, material and technical parameters of spare parts (such as inner diameter/outer diameter/precision grade of bearings, hardness/size of blades, signal type of sensors, etc.) from the equipment nameplate, manual or original technical data.

For the old equipment, if the model is ambiguous, the serial number (SN) of the equipment or the physical photos of the spare parts can be provided to the original factory, which will help to confirm the suitable model (to avoid the failure to install the spare parts due to parameter errors).

Distinguish between "original parts", "OEM parts" and "substitutes": original parts (directly supplied by equipment manufacturers, with the best adaptability but high price), OEM parts (produced by the third party contracted by the original factory, with the quality close to the original factory and lower price) and substitutes (compatible parts of other brands, which need to be strictly tested for adaptability).

Evaluate the urgency and quantity of procurement

Distinguish between "regular spare parts" (such as bearings and seals, which can be purchased in bulk) and "emergency spare parts" (such as key parts with sudden failure, the delivery date should be guaranteed first).

According to the equipment maintenance plan (such as annual maintenance), make a spare parts inventory list to avoid excessive inventory occupying funds or insufficient inventory leading to downtime.

Second, the selection of suppliers: to ensure that the channels are regular and reliable in quality.

Give priority to official channels

Directly contact the domestic branches or authorized agents of the original equipment manufacturers (such as Weimeide in Finland, Voith in Germany, Metso in Sweden, etc.) to ensure that the spare parts are genuine and can provide technical support (such as installation guidance and quality assurance service) from the original equipment manufacturers.

Verification of supplier qualification: original power of attorney, import declaration form, certificate of origin and other documents are required to avoid purchasing refurbished parts or counterfeit products (especially high-priced precision parts, such as refiner discs and control system modules).

Inspection of third-party import suppliers

For spare parts that are price-sensitive or have a long delivery cycle, you can choose a professional industrial spare parts importer (such as a trading company specializing in the paper industry), and you need to confirm whether it has a stable overseas procurement channel (such as cooperation with local suppliers in Europe and North America).

Focus on the supplier's industry experience (whether he is familiar with the subdivision of paper machinery, such as pulping, papermaking, coating, etc.), past customer cases (whether he has served the same type of paper mill) and after-sales response speed.

Beware of the low price trap

The price of imported spare parts is affected by brand, material, tariff, transportation and other factors. If the quotation is far below the average market price, we should be alert to quality risks (such as substandard materials and dimensional errors). The supplier may be required to provide samples or third-party test reports (such as hardness test of metal parts and temperature resistance test of seals).

Iii. negotiation and contract signing: define rights and responsibilities and safeguard clauses.

Price and payment method

Comparing the quotations from many suppliers, it is necessary to make clear whether it includes customs duties, value-added tax, freight (sea/air transport), insurance and other expenses in addition to the price of spare parts, so as to avoid additional costs in the later period.

The payment method is usually "advance payment+final payment" (e.g. 30% advance payment, 70% payment after arrival and acceptance). For large orders, a letter of credit (L/C) can be negotiated to reduce capital risk.

Delivery date and mode of transportation

Define the delivery date (for example, the original parts usually take 4-8 weeks, and the urgent parts can be shortened to 1-2 weeks by air), and stipulate the compensation clause for delayed delivery in the contract (such as deducting a certain percentage of the payment for goods every day).

The modes of transportation are selected according to the urgency: sea transportation (low cost, suitable for batch routine parts), air transportation (high speed, suitable for emergency parts) and international express delivery (such as DHL and FedEx, suitable for small parts). At the same time, suppliers are required to provide logistics tracking numbers to monitor the transportation status in real time.

Quality assurance and after-sales service

The supplier is required to provide the warranty period (usually 6-12 months for the original parts and 3-6 months for the OEM parts). If there is any non-human damage during the warranty period, it needs to be replaced or repaired free of charge.

Agreed after-sales support: such as spare parts installation and debugging guidance (the supplier may be required to send technicians to provide on-site service, and the cost shall be negotiated separately), troubleshooting assistance, etc.

4. Customs clearance and acceptance: ensure compliance and qualified spare parts.

Customs clearance documents is ready.

Complete customs clearance documents shall be provided for imported spare parts, including: commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading (by sea)/air waybill, certificate of origin, declaration power of attorney, etc., so as to ensure that the document information is consistent with the real thing (such as model, quantity and amount) and avoid customs clearance delay caused by inconsistent documents.

If the spare parts involve special materials (such as alloy knives) or precision instruments (such as sensors), it is necessary to confirm in advance whether they are goods under customs supervision and whether import licenses are required.

inspection of incoming merchandise

After the spare parts arrive, check whether the outer packaging is in good condition (to avoid transportation damage) according to the purchase contract and packing list, and check whether the model, specification and quantity are consistent with the order.

Conduct quality sampling inspection of key spare parts: if the measured dimensions meet the requirements of drawings, check whether the surface is worn or rusted, and test the continuity of electrical components, etc., entrust a third-party testing agency to issue a report if necessary.

If the acceptance is unqualified, immediately communicate with the supplier, ask for a return and bear the relevant expenses (the acceptance criteria and objection handling process should be clearly defined in the contract).

V. Long-term cooperation and risk management and control

Create supplier files

Evaluate the cooperated suppliers (such as quality, price, delivery date and after-sales), and select high-quality suppliers to establish long-term cooperative relations, so as to win more favorable prices and priority supply rights.

Backup channel construction

Avoid dependence on a single supplier, especially for spare parts of key equipment (such as the spindle of refiner and impeller of pulp pump), you can contact 2-3 qualified suppliers at the same time to reduce the production risk caused by a supplier's out of stock.

Pay attention to policy and exchange rate changes

Imported spare parts are greatly affected by international trade policies (such as tariff adjustment) and exchange rate fluctuations, so it is necessary to pay attention to relevant developments in advance (such as the depreciation of RMB exchange rate may increase the procurement cost), and the risk can be reduced by locking the exchange rate or purchasing in bulk.

Through the above steps, we can not only ensure the reliable quality and strong adaptability of imported spare parts for papermaking machinery, but also effectively control the cost and risk and ensure the stable operation of papermaking equipment.