What does a buyer check before shortlisting a machine supplier?
Answer
They check the output rate against their production requirement, the utilities and footprint against their plant, and whether spares and service reach their location. A machine page without a capacity figure cannot be shortlisted, however good the machine is.
A plant manager is drawing up a shortlist for a capex proposal and needs numbers he can put in a table.
Information to make clear
Use the fields that affect this buying decision. Leave unsupported claims out.
- Model and machine family
- The buyer needs something to name in an internal document.
- Output rate or capacity
- The number the whole purchase is justified against.
- Materials or products handled
- Determines whether the machine fits their process at all.
- Footprint, weight and headroom
- Plant layout kills more deals than price does.
- Power and utility requirement
- Compressed air, water, voltage and phase are commissioning blockers.
- Automation and control level
- Manual, semi-automatic and fully automatic are different products.
- Options and configurable modules
- Lets the buyer see how close the standard machine is to their requirement.
Documents to prepare
State what can be published, shared on request or issued with an order.
| Document | What it supports | Suggested handling |
|---|---|---|
| Technical specification sheetMay be requested at: shortlisting | Capacity, dimensions, utilities and options in a comparable format | Publish |
| General arrangement drawingMay be requested at: layout planning, before order | That the machine fits the intended space | Share on request |
| EC Declaration of ConformityMay be requested at: by eu buyers, before shipment | Conformity with the applicable European directives: this is the document; CE is the marking | Publish |
| Electrical safety compliance (IEC 60204-1)May be requested at: technical review | That the control panel meets machine electrical safety requirements | Share on request |
| Factory Acceptance Test protocolMay be requested at: contract negotiation | What will be demonstrated before the machine leaves your floor | Publish |
| Spare parts list and manualMay be requested at: total cost evaluation | That the machine can be maintained over its life | Share on request |
| Installation reference listMay be requested at: risk assessment | That machines of this model are running in production somewhere | Publish |
Details to ask in an enquiry
Collect only the information needed to assess the request and respond.
- Application and material
- Decides which machine family applies.
- Required output rate
- Decides the model and the price band.
- Available space and utilities
- Prevents quoting a machine that cannot be installed.
- Automation level wanted
- Materially changes the configuration.
- Installation location
- Drives freight, commissioning and service planning.
- Target commissioning date
- Tells you whether this is budgeting or buying.
Related questions
Should we publish prices for machines?
A price band with the conditions attached usually helps more than it costs. Buyers building a capex case need an order of magnitude, and the ones who leave because the band is too high were never going to buy. If configuration makes a band meaningless, publish the basis instead: what drives the price up and down.
How much of the specification should be public versus gated?
Capacity, footprint, utilities and materials handled should be public: they are the shortlisting fields. Detailed drawings, control architecture and commercial terms are reasonable to share after contact. Gating the shortlisting fields removes you from the shortlist.
Do installation references need to name the customer?
No. Industry, country, model and year is usually enough for a buyer to judge relevance, and it avoids the permission problem entirely. A named reference is stronger, but only with written permission on file: an unapproved logo is a real commercial risk.
This is an editorial checklist, not a compliance standard. Requirements vary by market, customer and contract. Confirm current requirements with the responsible technical and commercial teams.
Plact Research. Plact's editorial desk for buyer-evidence guides. The guides organize common buyer questions, documents and enquiry fields. Requirements should be checked against current standards, regulations and contracts.