Can both teams describe the same scope?
Ask each proposed supplier to mark the bill of materials and work packages as customer-supplied, supplier-sourced, assembled, programmed, tested or excluded. Ambiguity here can produce incompatible quotations and late redesign.
For a mobile manipulator, one supplier might quote a structural assembly while another assumes a complete integrated robot. Compare identical boundaries before comparing price or schedule.
| Area | Ask for | What to look for |
|---|---|---|
| Assembly | A relevant, anonymized process example | Clear instructions, critical checks and a realistic production sequence. |
| Supply chain | Approved sourcing and substitution rules | An accountable process for parts affecting fit, function or validation. |
| Quality | A unit record and nonconformity example | Configuration linkage, disposition and release authority. |
| Testing | A representative test plan and result format | Defined setup, measurable acceptance and exception handling. |
| Changes | An engineering-change example | Document revision, stock impact and first affected unit. |
| Confidentiality | Agreed information access and permitted use | Protection of designs and customer identity across subcontractors. |
How do you distinguish evidence from a claim?
A factory photograph can show an activity, but it cannot alone establish process capability. Ask what product or operation the evidence represents, which part is relevant to your build and whether it can be reviewed without exposing another customer’s information.
A certificate also needs context: legal entity, site, scope and relevance to the proposed work. Do not transfer conclusions from unrelated industrial products to a laboratory robotics assembly. Refusal to disclose another customer’s confidential design is compatible with good OEM practice; ask for an anonymized alternative.
Pilot build objectives
Set pilot objectives before ordering. Typical questions include whether the drawing set is complete, whether assembly-critical steps can be repeated and whether the acceptance plan detects the faults that matter. Define who closes each finding and which documents must change.
Choose pilot quantity and timing from product risk and manufacturing maturity, not from a generic promise. Agree the conditions for production release, including unresolved deviations and component availability.
Who controls design and future changes?
- Ownership and permitted use of product drawings and fixtures.
- Approval of substitutions and deviations.
- Software and firmware configuration responsibility.
- Subcontractor access to technical files.
- Retention and delivery of manufacturing records.
- Service information, spares and disposition of obsolete parts.
Compare the same scope
Compare the same design revision, quantities and acceptance boundary. Ask each proposal to identify assumptions explicitly so that an omitted operation is not mistaken for a cost saving.
| Commercial work package | Items to separate |
|---|---|
| Engineering and transfer | Design review, documentation preparation, unresolved development work and engineering change allowance. |
| One-time production preparation | Fixtures, tooling, test equipment adaptation, ownership and maintenance responsibility. |
| Recurring unit scope | Materials, purchased systems, assembly, inspection, configuration, test and packaging. |
| Externally supplied items | Customer components, software licences, supplied fixtures and their required availability. |
| Delivery and acceptance | Shipment preparation, installation, factory and site acceptance, training and spares where included. |
| Future changes | Substitution approval, revision transition, obsolete stock and repeat verification after changes. |
A meaningful comparison records what is included, excluded and conditional. Keep target lead time separate from the committed schedule, and tie any volume assumptions to the actual release plan.
How can qualification findings lead to a decision?
Use an evidence register rather than an unsupported supplier rating. For each required operation, record the evidence requested, what was reviewed, its relevance to the product and the open action.
- Supported: applicable evidence has been reviewed and meets the agreed criterion.
- Partially supported: some evidence exists, but the product, process or site difference still needs to be addressed.
- Unverified: the claim has not yet been supported by reviewable evidence.
- Outside scope: another named party owns the operation and its acceptance.
Assign an owner and a closure condition to each material gap. Use the pilot build to answer the remaining manufacturing questions, then decide whether to proceed, revise the scope or request further evidence.
What is enough for a first manufacturing conversation?
You do not need to share all proprietary design files immediately. Begin with the product category, development stage, intended markets, approximate quantities and the work you want to outsource. Add non-confidential interface information and the acceptance evidence you expect.
When you contact us, we review the mechanical parts, selected base and arm, device connections, platform interface and calibration together. We agree which drawings and test records your team needs for the hardware it intends to buy.
Common questions
Should the lowest quotation decide the supplier?
Compare the same scope, acceptance obligations and assumptions first. A missing integration or testing work package can make a low quotation misleading.
Can an OEM retain scheduling software and outsource the hardware platform?
Yes. This is LabCarry’s core cooperation model: we manufacture the mechanical hardware, integrate sourced bases and arms, complete hardware/firmware connections and platform interfaces, and perform assembly and calibration. Your team connects its own scheduling software through the agreed interface.
What should stop a production release?
Unresolved product requirements, uncontrolled drawings or no agreed acceptance evidence should be addressed before release. The precise gate belongs in the project plan.
What if evidence is confidential?
Ask for an anonymized record, a controlled review or another agreed demonstration that preserves customer information while answering the qualification question. We can agree an anonymized record or a controlled review when customer information is protected.