Capability verification
Ask for equipment lists, sample parts in similar material and geometry, and references in your industry. Visit if the program justifies it — a shop floor tells you more in twenty minutes than a capability deck does in an hour.
Quality system review
Registration status, inspection equipment, calibration records, nonconformance handling and corrective action process. For regulated work, verify scope and currency rather than accepting a logo on a website.
Capacity and continuity
Understand current utilization, shift structure, key-person dependencies and what happens if your volume doubles. Single-operator bottlenecks are a common hidden risk in smaller shops.
Commercial and risk factors
Payment terms, insurance, material price escalation, tooling ownership and intellectual property handling should be settled before the first purchase order, not after a dispute.
- Who owns tooling and fixtures?
- How are material price changes handled?
- What NDA or IP terms apply?
- What is the escalation path when something goes wrong?