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How it works
Four steps, with the timing we hold ourselves to. If we are going to miss a deadline you hear it before the date, not after.
You send a BOM or a spec day 0
A parts list, a spreadsheet, a STEP file, or a paragraph describing the robot. We come back within one business day with the questions we need answered to quote accurately.
We quote three suppliers per line 48 h
Three where the market supports it, fewer where it genuinely does not, and we tell you which case you are in. Each quote lists unit price, MOQ, sample lead time, production lead time, and the test conditions behind the headline spec.
Samples first, always 1–3 wks
We do not let a first order go straight to production quantity, even when you want to. Samples ship to you directly with the supplier’s test report and our own incoming check on dimensions and basic function.
Production, inspection, freight 4–10 wks
We book the factory slot, inspect before shipment against the criteria you set at sample stage, handle export documents including battery and lidar paperwork, and stay the point of contact until it clears customs.
What we do before you ever see a quote
The part of the work that is invisible from your side, and the reason a quote takes 48 hours rather than 5 minutes.
- Confirm the supplier is a manufacturer, not a trading company reselling under its own name
- Check business licence, registered capital and export history
- Ask for the test conditions behind any headline spec, in writing
- Confirm the part can legally ship to your country
- Confirm real MOQ and real lead time rather than the marketing figure
- Visit the floor before quoting any factory we have not used
Where we have not been able to complete these checks, the quote says so. A quote with a caveat is more useful than a confident one that turns out to be wrong.
Questions we get asked first
We are two people building one prototype. Are we too small?
No. That is the customer we built this for. Large programmes negotiate with factories directly and should. The gap in this market is the team that needs twelve actuators and cannot get a factory to return an email.
How do you handle our drawings and design IP?
We sign your NDA, or ours if you do not have one, before we receive any drawing or STEP file. We pass a back-to-back agreement to the factory and name which factory holds your files. We will not quote your design to a supplier building a competing product, and we will tell you if we think that risk exists.
What are the payment terms?
Samples are paid in full up front because factories will not start otherwise. Production orders are typically 30 percent on order and 70 percent against inspection photos before shipment. We do not offer open credit, and any sourcing agent who offers it to a new customer is funding your order with someone else’s money.
Why should we trust a new company with a deposit?
You should not, on the first order, at scale. Start with samples, where your exposure is a few hundred dollars and you learn how we work. If the samples and the paperwork are good, scale up. If they are not, you have lost very little. Anyone who pushes you past that step is not managing your risk.
Can we buy direct from the suppliers you find?
Yes. Our sourcing report exists precisely for that, and we do not ask you to sign anything preventing it. We would rather be worth using than contractually necessary.
What if the part fails once it is in our robot?
If it is out of spec against what was quoted, we replace it and take the loss with the factory. If it is in spec but wrong for your application, we will help you diagnose and re-source, but the cost of the replacement sits with you. The boundary is set out under scope and repeated in every quote.
Send one line and see what comes back.
You do not need a finished BOM to start. Send the single part that is currently blocking you and we will quote it. It costs you an email and tells you more about us than this page can.