A supplier was vetted on a certificate, a sample and a quotation, and turned out to be a trading company with no line of its own. Nothing in the vetting had been wrong; the three items simply answered different questions from the ones being asked. Six checks predict problems more reliably, and they can be run without leaving the desk.
Charger supplier vetting: six checks, in the order that saves time
Entity and site, platform evidence, certification scope, process control, capacity and references.
The order matters because each check can end the exercise: a supplier that cannot name its production site does not need the remaining five, and one that cannot show a platform in production is being assessed as a development partner rather than as a platform supplier.
Each check produces a document or a statement, which is what makes vetting comparable between two candidates. A vetting that ends in an impression cannot be reviewed later when the first batch behaves differently from the sample.
Check 1: the legal entity and the production site
The name on the invoice, the name on the certificate and the address that produces the goods.
Ask for the legal entity, the production site and the relationship between them, in writing. Where the supplier is a trading company, the line behind it is named together with the factory’s role in the programme. This single check removes the most common misunderstanding in the category, which is a brand believing it is dealing with a factory and discovering otherwise after the first quality problem.
Check 2: the platform and its evidence
What is running, with the revision and the arrangement.
Ask for the closest platform to the brief, its coil or output arrangement, the enclosure revision and the test limits that came from production. A platform in production has a stable bill of materials and a tool that exists; a design on paper has neither, and the difference shows up in the minimum quantity, the lead time and the certification work.
Check 3: the certification scope
A certificate without a scope is a document, not evidence.
Ask which reports exist, which product revision they cover, which markets they support and who is named as the responsible party. A file that covers three of the four destinations adds a submission for the remainder, and a file held by a third party changes what the brand can answer when a marketplace asks.
Check 4: the process answer
What is measured on every unit, at what limit, and where that limit came from.
This is the check that separates two suppliers with equal prices. A factory that can name its stages, its limits and their source is controlling a process; one that describes its equipment is describing capability. The answer also predicts how a complaint will be handled, because a process that stores measured values can be traced and one that stores a pass flag cannot.
Check 5: capacity and the schedule
Capacity is a schedule answer, not a floor area.
Ask which line the product would run on, the shift pattern, the units per shift for this product and the months already committed. A supplier that answers with equipment lists is answering a different question, and the first sign of the gap is a delivery date that moves after the order is placed.
Check 6: references and the questions to ask them
Two references, asked the same three questions.
Ask each reference how the supplier handled a defect, how the second order compared with the first and whether the specification was met without a change mid-programme. Answers that describe a specific event are useful; answers that describe a relationship are not. The check is cheap and it produces information that no document does.
| Check | What to ask | Evidence | What a weak answer looks like |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entity and site | Legal entity, site and relationship | Written statement with addresses | A category avoided |
| Platform | Closest platform, revision, arrangement | Production data and test limits | A rendering or a catalogue page |
| Certification | Revision, markets and responsible party | Reports with their scope | A certificate file without scope |
| Process | Stages, limits and their source | The criteria document | An equipment list |
| Capacity | Line, shifts, units per shift, committed months | A schedule | Floor area and machine count |
| References | Defect handling, second order, specification changes | Named contacts and specific events | General praise |
What a failed check looks like
Four answers that end a vetting early.
A refusal to name the production site; a certification claim without a scope or a revision; a limit that cannot be traced to a measurement; and a capacity question answered with square metres. None of the four is about price, and each of them predicts a problem that would otherwise appear after the tooling has been paid for.
Recording the vetting so it can be reviewed
One page per supplier, dated, with the answers as given.
Record the six answers, the documents received and the questions left open, and keep it with the specification. The record is what allows a decision to be reviewed when the first batch arrives, and it is also what makes a second supplier comparable without repeating the conversation from the beginning.
FAQ
Can vetting be done without visiting the factory?
The six checks can be completed remotely, and the result is usually enough to decide whether a visit is worth the travel. A video call showing the platform, the test station and the fixture covers part of what a visit would confirm. The six checks can be completed remotely and the result usually decides whether a visit is worth the travel, since a video call covers part of it.
How do we verify a certificate?
Read the scope: the product revision, the markets covered and the responsible party. Where the document does not state them, ask for the underlying report. A certificate without a scope cannot be checked against the product you intend to buy. Read the product revision, the markets covered and the responsible party, and where the document does not state them ask for the underlying report.
What if a supplier refuses to name the factory?
That is a decision the buyer has to accept consciously, because it removes the ability to audit the line, to verify capacity and to establish who holds the certification file. It is workable where the supplier carries the risk contractually, and it is a different relationship from dealing with a factory. It removes the ability to audit the line, verify capacity and establish who holds the certification file.
How often should vetting be repeated?
At a change of product, ownership, factory or volume, and whenever a defect escapes. A vetting record from three years ago describes a supplier that may no longer be the same organisation. Repeat vetting at a change of product, ownership, factory or volume and whenever a defect escapes, because an old record describes an organisation that may have changed. Set a review date rather than relying on memory.
Next step
Send the specification, the markets and the expected volume to Wecent Group through the contact page. The reply answers the six checks for the configuration, with the platform revision, the certification scope, the process limits and the capacity position. Related reading: OEM and ODM charger manufacturing, the factory floor and charger manufacturing services. External references: IEC standards, IEC Webstore, UL standards and certification, BSI ISO 9001 quality management, IQNet certification network and ICC Incoterms rules.
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