Why you must be careful outsourcing heavy machinery building to abroad

It is always tempting: Saving the money. And there will undoubtedly be a fair amount of money to save, if you decide to outsource heavy machinery building to a less developed country. But it is wise? Not always. There is often more than just one concern you will have to face, if you choose to outsource the construction of your crane loader truck. 

Quality control: Building heavy machinery requires a lot of attention to detail, precision, and ongoing quality control. In Europe, many follow the CE marking, which ensures that the manufactures have taken great responsibility and that the materials used to construct the cranes are good enough. You might not be able to find a crane with the CE marking, but the point is simply to let you know, how manufacturers in Europe will work compared to countries that are less regulated and under far less inspection. 

Good quality control is what ensures the machines will remain strong and – just as important – safe to use. 

Communication and coordination: When you are dealing with a manufacture in your own country, you will have the benefit of clear and concise communication. The misunderstandings will properly be very few and the project will run smoothly. 

When you are dealing with a manufacture from another country, you might be able to understand each other in terms of communicating in English, but the context can be missing and local cultures or ways of doing business can make the project muddy. Afterall, there is many stakeholders on a big project, not only manufacturers, but also engineers, designers and people in charge of buying the correct equipment. Coordination challenges can lead to delays, mistakes, added cost and an overall bad experience. 

Sustainability: Long-term sustainability is often a critical component when ordering a big piece of machinery. When doing business abroad, it will be very difficult if you wish maintenance or planned inspections. The manufacturers might even not be able to guarantee that you can get the needed spare parts down the road. This makes it a risky business as you can end up in a situation where your cranes are out of order and business is standing still. 

What you want to ensure, is that there are optimal conditions in place so you can count of a long lifespan. These are just some of the reasons why you should always consider things very thoroughly before deciding upon outsourcing.