The simplest test is whether the firm can show your product being made. A manufacturer has the machines, people, drawings and work in progress on site. A dealer has a showroom, a catalogue and a phone number for the real factory.
Dealers are not always bad. Some add value by holding stock or combining products from several makers. The risk is not knowing which one you are dealing with, because you lose control of quality and pay a margin you did not plan for.
Signs you are talking to a dealer
- The catalogue covers many unrelated products, such as pumps, gensets, lathes and packaging machines.
- Photos show finished machines on a white background but never a shop floor.
- The firm cannot tell you cycle times, materials or which machine runs each operation.
- Requests for a live video of the factory are delayed or moved to another day.
- The address is an office in a commercial building rather than an industrial estate.
- Name plates on machines in photos carry a different company name.
Questions a real maker can answer
Ask questions that need process knowledge. Where do your castings come from? What is the motor winding process? Which operations are done on CNC and which on conventional machines? How do you test each unit before dispatch? A manufacturer answers quickly and in detail. A dealer has to call someone.
Ask for the test record of a recent unit and a photo of the test bench. Ask who signs off final inspection. Ask how many units they made of your model last month. These answers are easy for a maker and hard to invent. The same logic applies in other industries, as our guide on trader or manufacturer explains.
Check the paperwork too
Compare the company name on the quote, the GST registration, the bank account and the factory address. They should match. Payment to a different entity from the one named on the contract is a warning sign.
A manufacturer who uses subcontractors for some steps is still a manufacturer, provided it owns assembly, testing and quality. Ask which steps are outsourced and to whom. An honest answer is a good sign.
Watch for a change of story over time. A firm that called itself the maker in its first email and later mentions its "associate factory" is telling you something. Ask to visit that associate factory, and decide whether you would rather deal with it directly.
When a dealer makes sense
A dealer can be the right choice for small mixed orders, standard catalogue items or spare parts from several brands. In those cases you pay for convenience and consolidation. Just make sure the price, warranty and responsibility for defects are clear, because the dealer may not be able to fix a design or process fault.
Next step
We visit factories in person and check what is made where. Book a free sourcing review and we will tell you who really makes your product.