Confidentiality before data
A mutual NDA is signed before drawings, samples or specifications move. It covers the data itself, the fact that an enquiry exists, and the identity of the end customer where you tell us in confidence.
How we work
From first enquiry to a released shipment
Six steps, in this order. The order is the point: the release path is settled before the price, and the price before the tooling.
The sequence
Each step ends with a document. If a step ends with a phone call, it has not ended.
01 · Enquiry and determination
You send the part family, the drawing status, the approval you hold and the State of Registry. Before anyone discusses price, the release path is settled in writing — because a part that cannot be installed has no commercial value to discuss.
02 · Feasibility and routing
Process selection, make-or-buy on sub-tiers, fixture concept, inspection concept. Where the part is outside the process families we run, this is where we say so.
03 · Quotation
Project work and production are quoted separately: NPI, tooling, first article, and then unit price at stated quantities. Anything excluded is listed as excluded, not left to be discovered later.
04 · Agreement and NDA
Confidentiality first, then the manufacturing and quality agreements. Drawing and tooling ownership, change control, audit rights and defect demarcation are settled here — before data moves.
05 · First article
Tooling, process trials, then a full first article in AS9102 format. Production does not begin until you approve it in writing.
06 · Production and release
Batch production against the approved process, with records per shipment. You release the parts under your approval; we ship against your purchase order.
How the fee is structured
Not a markup on parts. That distinction decides what we are willing to tell you.
| Element | Covers | How it is charged |
|---|---|---|
| Project work | NPI, tooling, fixtures, first article, release support | Charged as work, at a stated scope |
| Production | Unit price at stated quantities | Charged per unit, with the batch economics visible |
| Sub-tier work | Heat treat, surface finishing, testing | Passed through with the supplier’s document, not marked up silently |
Because the project work is charged as work, we can tell you when a part is not worth building. A supplier earning a percentage on every unit has no reason to say that, and usually does not.
It also means the quotation has a shape you can argue with: scope, hours, tooling, first article, unit price. If a line looks wrong, it can be challenged on its own.
Your data, your tooling, your customer
Four commitments. They are in the agreement, and they are the four things holders actually worry about.
Drawings and tooling are yours
Anything you supply stays yours. Anything built specifically for your part is your property, listed in a schedule, marked as yours, and returnable at the end of the term.
No parallel quoting on your part number
We do not take your part number to another customer, and we do not quote it to a third party. If somebody approaches us with your number, we tell you.
No direct approach after registration
Once you register a customer or a programme with us, the manufacturing partner does not approach that customer directly for twelve to twenty-four months, as set out in the agreement.
What we will not promise
Three refusals, all of which make the rest of the offer worth something.
| We will not | Because |
|---|---|
| Promise a delivery date before the first article plan exists | Process, tooling and inspection set the date. Any earlier number is invented. |
| Promise that a part is installable without checking the registry | Acceptance is a matter for the importing authority, not for the manufacturer. |
| Give a verbal answer and confirm it later in writing | If it is not written, it will be remembered differently by both sides within a month. |
The first reply is the product
Send four items — part family, drawing status, approval held, State of Registry — and judge us on what comes back within two working days.