Production transfer · Second source
Moving a machined part to a new supplier — without betting the line on it.
Start as a second source. We make the part to your existing drawings and prove it matches, while your current supplier keeps running production. Qualification batches from 10 pieces; series production from 50 to 1,000,000+ a year.
- 20,000 m²
- In-house plant
- 213
- Staff
- 200
- Audited partner plants
- Cpk ≥ 1.33
- On critical characteristics
- AS9102
- FAI format, PPAP-style pack
- 7 years
- Mill certs retained
Use this before you send a machined part package to any new supplier.
Most production transfers do not fail because the new supplier cannot machine the part. They fail because the original supply chain contained knowledge that was never written down: a fixturing method, a deburring practice, a tolerance everyone knew was really tighter than the print.
The drawing transfers. The knowledge does not.
Sections A to C cover what any supplier needs in order to quote. Sections D to G cover what determines whether the first batch is actually right. Work through both before you commit to a changeover.
File readiness checklist
Production transfer file readiness checklist
Sections A to C are what any supplier needs in order to quote. Sections D to G decide whether the first batch is right. Tick what you can confirm — nothing is sent anywhere until you ask for a report.
Progress
0 / 42 confirmed
Tick the items you can confirm today. The outcome — READY, REVIEW REQUIRED, ENGINEERING REQUIRED or HOLD — appears below as soon as you start, and it is worked out in your browser. Nothing leaves this page unless you ask for the written report.
Project background
0/6Production files
0/7Material and process
0/7Quality and acceptance
0/7These are not required to quote. They are what determines whether the first batch is right.
Samples, tooling, and customer property
0/6Packaging and logistics
0/4Rights, end use, and export control
0/5This section is not optional. Controlled technical data becomes an export at the moment it crosses a border — including when it is sent only to obtain a quotation.
Nothing in this section is optional. If an item genuinely does not apply to your part, leave it unticked and say so in your message — that is one email, not a problem.
If you are unsure whether your data is controlled, tell us before you upload anything. We do not receive or forward controlled technical data without confirmed authorisation. Saying "not sure" costs you nothing and takes one email to resolve.
Diagnostics
The four questions most packages cannot answer
- 01
If the 3D model and the 2D drawing disagree, which one wins?
Most packages have a conflict somewhere. Most do not say who governs. This is the single most common cause of a wrong first article.
- 02
What is the actual acceptance criterion?
"To print" is not an acceptance criterion if the print carries tolerances nobody has ever measured to.
- 03
What does your incumbent do that is not written down?
Ask your quality or engineering contact, not purchasing. Purchasing usually does not know, because it never appeared on a drawing or a PO.
- 04
Who owns the fixtures and the programs?
If your incumbent owns them, transferring means paying to build them again. Budget for it, or negotiate for them before you give notice.
Outcome
What your answers mean
| Result | When it applies | What happens next |
|---|---|---|
| READY | Sections A to C complete, and D has an acceptance criterion. | Any competent supplier can give you a real number. Proceed to quotation and revision confirmation. |
| REVIEW REQUIRED | Items are missing or conflicting, but you can supply them. | You get a written list of what is missing. No redesign advice — just the gaps. |
| ENGINEERING REQUIRED | CAD reconstruction, tolerance definition, material identification, or process design is needed. | Scoped and quoted as engineering work before anything begins, and credited against your first production order. |
| HOLD | End use, rights, or export control status is unclear. | Files are not circulated until this is resolved. Usually one email. |
Almost nobody has every item in sections D to G. What matters is knowing which ones you are missing, so the risk becomes a decision instead of a surprise.
Free readiness review
Want us to run this for you?
Send the files you already have. An engineer reviews the package against this checklist and returns a written report within 24 business hours — free, no obligation, yours either way.
| Included, free of charge | Quoted separately as engineering work |
|---|---|
| File presence and format check | Tolerance review and cost-driver analysis |
| Revision conflict flags | Material or process substitution engineering |
| Missing-information list | Full DFM or cost-reduction study |
| Quotation-readiness decision and recommended next step | Inspection plan development, CAD reconstruction, or drawing repair |
Engineering work is always scoped and quoted before it starts, then credited against your first production order.
You do not have to replace anyone to begin.
Most transfer customers start as a second source: we make the part to your existing drawings and prove it matches, while your current supplier keeps running production. If you move volume later, the qualification work is already done.
FabVector — CNC machining from qualification batch to series production. Typical transfer starts at 10–500 pieces and scales to 1,000,000+ a year.
20,000 m² in-house plant in Dongguan, Guangdong, 213 staff, and 200 audited partner plants — how the network is qualified and routed. Volume programmes run under production machining; first articles and qualification batches under prototype machining. Inspection and documentation scope is agreed before production starts.