From my experience, sourcing for the right pharmaceutical machines in China can be an overwhelming task. Many companies lose thousands of dollars when importing pharmaceutical machines.

This can be in the form of substandard machines, lack of technical support or doing business with fraudulent companies. I do not want you to be a victim of such circumstances.

Today, I am going to share with you 10 practical tips on how to source for pharmaceutical equipment from China.

Let’s go straight to these essential tips:

1. Research & Identify a Reputable Pharmaceutical Machine Supplier

Frankly, this is one of the most challenging tasks. Your success or failure in the pharmaceutical industry will start from this stage.
So, how can you go about it?
Let’s start with the obvious one – simply use the search engine.

Use Google or Bing to Identify Pharmaceutical Equipment Manufacturers

Once you key in an appropriate search term, a list of companies will appear as the search results. Some of the most common search terms to use may include:

• “Pharmaceutical machine manufacturer” + “China”
• “Pharmaceutical machine supplier” +”China”
• “Best pharmaceutical machine manufacturer” + “China”

What appears as your search result?
Here is what I have for the search term “Pharmaceutical machine manufacturer” + “China”:

Results I retrieved on 12/27/2017

You should strive to deal directly with the original manufacturer of the pharmaceutical equipment. It is important to sample at least 10 companies for this.

Next, you can consider option two:

Consider Exhibitions or Trade Fairs

Alternatively, you can visit a trade fair to interact with the pharmaceutical machine manufacturers. In most cases, only genuine and reputable companies will attend these shows.

Attending these shows is worth it, especially if you need expensive pharmaceutical machines. You can get details about these trade fairs on the following websites:

• China Exhibition

China Exhibition is one of the best places to get details of upcoming exhibitions in China. For instance, here is a screenshot of my search results:

Retrieved on 12/27/2017

Apart from this, another option is:

• China International Pharmaceutical Machinery (CIPM) Exhibition

This is one of the largest trade fairs for pharmaceutical equipment and machinery. It is the China Association of Pharmaceutical Equipment (CAPE) that organizes the CIPM trade fair.

Certainly, by attending these shows, you can meet genuine and original pharmaceutical equipment manufacturers.

Get a Representative in China

Well, this is a viable option. You can have representatives in any of the following places:

• Kunshan, Xuzhou and Changzhou in Jiangsu province
• Shanghai
• Jinhua, Rui’an, Wenzhou and Ningbo in Zhejiang province
• Tai’an, Jinan and Qingdao in Shandong province

These are the main places where you will find companies that manufacture machineries. So, if you have a representative there, chances of getting reliable and reputable supplier is very high.

Let me tell you the truth, China has hundreds of pharmaceutical machine manufacturers. Therefore, you must be cautious to avoid instances of doing business with a fraudulent company.

To be honest with you, there is no current or updated list of fraudulent Chinese companies. So, you must go through the difficult task of identifying these companies.

Here are top three factors to consider when evaluating the Chinese pharmaceutical equipment manufacturers:

a. Proper documentation that is verifiable

Quite a number of Chinese companies displaying their documentations or certifications on their websites. Do not be deceived by all this information.

Most of them are intelligently photo shopped. You need a high level of skills and expertise to authenticate the documents.

You should verify the license, quality control/analysis/assessment reports, ISO certification, etc. Just spend an extra buck and time to ensure everything is done right.

b. Avoid companies that use personal bank accounts

Even the Chinese laws do not allow registered companies to make transactions through personal accounts. You should transact only via the business account of the company.

With the company’s license, it is easy to verify that the business account belongs to the pharmaceutical machine manufacturer in question.

Again, you should avoid companies that insist on using Western Union. Quite a number Chinese scammers like Western Union since it is easy to get away with the money.

c. Pharmaceutical machine price

Price is also an important aspect whenever you are choosing pharmaceutical machine supplier from China. There is a difference between price competitive and extremely low prices.

I know this may sound funny.

Avoid companies with very cheap pharmaceutical machines. Most of them do not meet the right quality standards.

Finally, do you know that most big brands have their own distribution channels as opposed to online marketplaces? Well, this is why I do not recommend searching for a Chinese pharmaceutical machine supplier on various marketplaces.

Do all your business from their official website.

With all these in mind, I am sure you will probably get a pharmaceutical machine supplier in China you can trust. But this is not enough.

Let’s move to yet another critical aspect.

2. Be Specific on the Pharmaceutical Machine Features and Technical Specifications

I will not lie to you, in China you can get virtually any type of pharmaceutical equipment and accessories.

Whether you want standard designs or turnkey solutions for your pharmaceutical industry, there is always that machine that will do the job right.

From my experience, pharmaceutical machine suppliers in China are keen on features and technical specifications. Once you provide exact features and specifications, you can get the machine within the shortest time possible.

Technical information – Photo credits: SaintyCo Capsule Filling Machine (PrimaFill)

For example, suppose you want to buy a pharmaceutical machine, it is important to specify the following:

• Production capacity/output capacity
• Type/nature of the final product
• Automation and control system specifications
• New technology
• Power consumption
• Size (length, width, height and weight), etc.

This way, you will get the right pharmaceutical machine.

3. Does the Pharmaceutical Equipment Manufacturer or Supplier Offer a Warranty

A warranty is a clear indication that the company trusts its pharmaceutical equipment and accessories.

However, the main question is whether the Chinese companies abide by the warranty terms. Honestly, quite a number of companies use the “warranty” as a sales gimmick.

Warranty will vary with type of machine

In fact, they may claim to offer 12 to 24 months warranty, which may not be the case.

This is how to go about it:

• Use my tip #1 to get a reputable pharmaceutical machine supplier. Such companies respect the terms of their agreement with the client.
• Don’t rush over the warranty terms and conditions, read every aspect of it. I know most people ignore this, yet it is very important.
• Chinese companies value long-term cooperation. When you work towards this, there is no way a Chinese company will not honor the warranty. In fact, they will do more to guarantee customer satisfaction.

Here is the secret there are hundreds of pharmaceutical machine manufacturers in China. Therefore, every reputable company is striving to maintain its clients and long-term cooperation as much as possible.

A product warranty provides a cost effective and time saving way to sort out any problem with the pharmaceutical equipment.

4. Proper Documentation and Supportive Information about Every Product

These may include non-disclosure agreement, technical manuals, product data sheet, videos or eBooks.

When you review most product manuals that some pharmaceutical machine suppliers avail to their customers are copied from other companies. This implies that, the information you find in the technical manual will not be helpful.

Cover photo for SaintyCo video on dosator capsule filling machine

A good company must provide their own technical manual for the pharmaceutical machines. Besides, they must use every opportunity available, be it through free eBooks or blogs to educate customers about their products.

This makes troubleshooting machines easy and simple.

In short, do not buy a pharmaceutical machine without proper documentation.

5. Go for a Company with Many Varieties of Pharmaceutical Machines

Buying many pharmaceutical machines and accessories from one supplier is a sure way of building a long-term cooperation. Besides, you will get the best prices in the market.

Series of pharmaceutical machines

For instance, capsule filling machines, capsule sorting machine, gelatin melting tank, tablet press, capsule printing machine, etc. play an integral role in the pharmaceutical industry.

Buying all machines from one manufacturer makes maintenance and troubleshooting faults easier. It saves you the tiresome process of learning about different systems and brands in the market.

It is easier to deal with one brand than 10 or more different machine models.

6. Does the Manufacturer Install the Machine?

This is an important after sales service, especially for large pharmaceutical equipment. Installing and commissioning a pharmaceutical machine by the manufacturer is easier and convenient.

It is during this stage that they will test the machine onsite besides, customizing it for your unique application requirements.

Pharmaceutical machine after installation

Furthermore, they can train operators and technicians on basic maintenance and repair procedures. It is a sure way to reduce unnecessary costly downtimes.

Therefore, if possible, the pharmaceutical machine supplier in China should help you go about this process.

7. How Can You Access Spare Parts?

At some point, your pharmaceutical equipment will breakdown thus, you will need spare parts. There are a few issues you should address at this point:

• Does the manufacturer have a local sales representative?
• Are the spare parts available locally?
• Can I buy spare parts from other brands to fix my machine and can they fit? Note: This option may invalidate your warranty.
• How much will the spare parts cost both locally or when shipped from the manufacturer?
• How long will it take to receive the spare parts from the pharmaceutical machine supplier in China?

Parts of capsule filling machine

You should order for the machine once you have answers to these questions. Otherwise, you may end up buying a machine that will be useless in case of any breakdown.

I am sure this is not you would wish for.

8. Does the Machine Supplier Offer Maintenance & Aftersales Technical Support

Find out if the company has any partnership with foreign companies that can do maintenance or offer aftersales services. Alternatively, if they can offer such support from their company or send a representative the better.

A company with global coverage is better

Even as you do this, it is important to figure out how much it will cost, especially if the representative must come from China.

Good pharmaceutical machine manufacturers in China will train your technicians. This way, you will have everything up and running in time.

9. Verify the Quality Inspection and Testing of Each Machine

The company should inspect and test every pharmaceutical machine before shipping and after installation. Furthermore, it should conform to set quality standards such as ISO, FCC, CE, ASTM, cGMP, etc.

FDA approved material for pharmaceutical equipment

If possible, you can travel to China to confirm the machine is fully functional and meet the set standards in your country. This will save you the expensive process of returning the machine to China or technicians travelling to your country.

Always strive to get the best machine in the market – one that is free from even the slightest errors possible.

10. Does the Pharmaceutical Machine Manufacturer Help in Shipping & Logistics?

After verifying the machine, it is now time to ship it home. One of the most challenging aspects here is the shipping logistics such as import duties, taxes, inspection, packaging, etc.

Ship carrying containers

I will recommend a company that ships machine to your door step. This will save you the unnecessary brokerage costs.

Again, a reputable company will have a convenient, secure and transparent payment system. Quite a number of pharmaceutical machinery suppliers in China opt for 30% when placing the order.

Before shipping, you have to pay the remaining amount.

Conclusion

Finding the right pharmaceutical machine supplier in China can be a tiresome and hectic process. You must be patient and keen to verify everything, from documentation to the machine itself.  Failure to do so can be catastrophic.
I believe with these 10 tips, you should be able to order for a high quality pharmaceutical machine.

Further Reading on pharmaceutical machine supplier in china

• Opportunities in China’s Pharmaceuticals Market – By Deloitte
• China Pharm Industry – By CPHi
• Import-Export Taxes and Duties in China – By NZCTA
• Pharmaceutical Industry in China – Source: Wikipedia

About the Author

Hey, I am Tony, General manager of Saintyco and expert in pharmaceutical equipment industry for over 20 years, I would like to share my experience in the field. Saintyco is a leading pharmaceutical machinery manufacturer ,We can provide you one stop solution for all your pharmaceutical equipment requirement. If any questions, freely to reach me, I will try my best to give you good advice and solution.

The article pharmaceutical machine supplier in china serves as a guide to those looking for pharmaceutical machine supplier in china.