A supplier can present as a factory while buying from one. A trader may be perfectly suitable, but it changes who you would deal with on quality, lead times and price, and when something goes wrong. This page explains how the assessment is made from public sources and what the result looks like: a classification per candidate, with the evidence behind it and a source log.
We compare four things that can be set side by side: the activity recorded for the company in public registers, the production claims on its own website, the product range it offers, and the way its documents and listings describe it. A narrow range, process language and equipment point towards production; a wide, unrelated range and sourcing language point towards trade. The report states what each source shows, a verified fact where a source confirms it, and then gives a classification as an inference, with the evidence behind it and what is missing.
A company can be both: producing some items and reselling others. Where that appears likely, the finding is recorded per product line when the sources allow it.
No single signal decides a classification. The report states which signals agreed and which did not.
May suggest whether production or trade is the registered line of business. Limit: registers show what was declared, not what is done today.
A very wide range across unrelated categories points to sourcing. Limit: a large plant may also run several lines.
Described machines and steps point to in-house production. Limit: descriptions and photographs cannot be confirmed from a desk.
An industrial address set against an office or shared address. Limit: production may sit at a site other than the registered one.
Identical material under other names suggests shared sourcing. Limit: stock images and copied text are also used by honest sellers.
We cannot confirm that a plant exists on a given street or what happens inside it. On-site checks are not part of this work.
A trader is not a worse supplier. The result only tells you which kind of counterparty you are dealing with.
Who a trader buys from may not be public. When it is not visible, it is recorded as unavailable.
Research reports what can be established from public and provided sources. It is not a guarantee about a counterparty's future conduct and not legal advice.
No. The classification is an inference from public sources, with the evidence and the gaps shown.
The assessment is done for candidates in a manufacturer search. A broader review of an existing supplier is a separate service.
The work is desk research on public sources and the material you provide. Negotiating with a supplier is not part of the service. Questions you may wish to put to the supplier are listed for you.
No obligation. We read your request and reply with a straight answer.
Tell us what you need to find out and by when. We confirm scope before any work starts.
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