Sourcing machinery and industrial equipment from China
Machinery brings safety obligations, spare parts risk and commissioning. What to settle before you commit to a capital purchase.
Machinery carries obligations that follow it into use
Industrial equipment is unusual in that the compliance story does not end when the machine is sold. Supply obligations govern how it is placed on the market, and separate workplace obligations govern how it is used, so a machine that arrives with imperfect documentation creates a problem for your customer as well as for you.
That is why buyers in this category care about the technical file in a way that buyers of consumer goods often do not. The file is what lets the machine be legally supplied, installed, and then operated by an employer who has their own duties.
What has to exist before it is placed on the market
For machinery placed on the Great Britain market, the essential requirements have to be met, a technical file assembled, a declaration of conformity issued, and the correct marking applied. Certain higher-risk categories of machinery require the involvement of an approved body rather than self-assessment.
Instructions have to be supplied in English, and they are a legal deliverable rather than a courtesy. Machine documentation translated poorly, or supplied only in Chinese, is a non-conformity as well as a support problem.
If you import, verifying that all of this exists is your responsibility. Note that the machinery rules work differently from the toy and electrical rules here: they contain no provision turning an own-brand importer into the manufacturer, so where there is an identifiable manufacturer, that role stays with them. What does not change is that you cannot lawfully supply the machine without the file and the declaration existing, so get them delivered with the machine rather than chased afterwards.
Guarding, controls and the things that get value-engineered out
The most common gap on imported machinery is safety functions that were designed for a different market or removed to hit a price. Fixed and interlocked guarding, emergency stop function and category, protective devices such as light curtains, control system reliability, and isolation for maintenance.
Specify these explicitly, including the standards they should meet, and require them to be present on the production machine rather than on a specification sheet. Photographs of the actual build before shipment are worth requiring.
Electrical work is the other frequent gap. Voltage and frequency, phase, enclosure ratings, cable specification, and marking of the electrical equipment of the machine all need to be right for a UK installation, and a machine wired for another market is not a small fix once it has landed.
Specify performance, not just the machine
State throughput, cycle time, accuracy, tolerances and noise, and state how they will be verified. A machine that meets a physical description but not a performance figure is the classic industrial equipment dispute.
Require a factory acceptance test before shipment, with an agreed test protocol using your own material where possible. This is the industrial equivalent of a pre-shipment inspection and it is the last cheap moment to find a problem.
Agree spares, consumables and lead times for them as part of the order. A machine down for six weeks waiting for a proprietary part is a much bigger cost than the part.
Installation, support and the long tail
Establish who commissions the machine in the UK, what training is included, and how support works across a time difference. Get response times and the language of support in writing.
Ask what happens to the guarantee if a local engineer works on it, and whether critical components are standard parts you can source in the UK or proprietary items only the manufacturer supplies. That single question changes the total cost of ownership more than the purchase price does.
Plan the freight properly too. Machinery is heavy, often out of gauge, and may need specialist handling and lifting at delivery, which is frequently excluded from a quotation.
Getting it in the right order
Define the duty and performance requirement first, then the standards and the safety functions, then the documentation and language requirements, and only then ask for a price. A quote given against a bare machine description will not include the things that make it legal and usable here.
Then verify the supplier properly, run a factory acceptance test, and take delivery of the technical file at the same time as the machine rather than chasing it afterwards.
Frequently asked questions
What documentation should imported machinery come with?
A technical file, a declaration of conformity, the correct marking, and instructions supplied in English. Certain higher-risk categories of machinery also require an approved body to be involved rather than self-assessment.
Who is responsible if imported machinery is not compliant?
As importer you are responsible for verifying that the manufacturer's obligations were met and that the documentation exists. Unlike the toy and electrical rules, the machinery regulations contain no provision that turns an own-brand importer into the manufacturer, so that role stays with an identifiable manufacturer. You still cannot lawfully supply a machine whose file and declaration do not exist.
What is most often missing on machines from China?
Safety functions specified for another market or value-engineered out: guarding, emergency stop function and category, protective devices, control reliability and isolation for maintenance. Electrical specification for a UK installation is the other common gap.
Should I insist on a factory acceptance test?
Yes, with an agreed protocol and your own material where possible. It is the industrial equivalent of a pre-shipment inspection and the last point at which a performance shortfall is cheap to resolve.
What should I ask about spare parts?
Whether critical components are standard parts you can source in the UK or proprietary items only the manufacturer supplies, and what the lead times are. This affects total cost of ownership more than the purchase price does.