Choosing an OEM partner is one of the few decisions a fan brand cannot easily reverse. Moulds, colours, carton artwork and certification all tie you to the factory that makes your product, and switching mid-season is close to impossible. This is the checklist we would use if we were on the buyer’s side of the table. Some of it favours manufacturers like us; all of it is worth asking of anyone you are considering.
1. Capacity that fits your volume, with room for your peak
Ask for monthly capacity, not annual, and ask how much of it is already committed in March, April and May. A factory running near full in the off-season will not find room for you when the season turns. Ours makes 150,000 fans a month across three conveyorized lines; whichever factory you choose, ask how they allocate capacity in peak months and whether pre-booking secures it.
2. Certification that actually covers your product
Fans sold in India must carry the ISI mark under a BIS licence for IS 302 (Part 2/Sec 80). Ask to see the licence itself, not a logo on a brochure, and check three things: that it is current, that its scope covers the sizes and wattages you plan to buy, and how your brand will be covered under it. A licence for one rating does not automatically cover another.
3. Testing coverage, not just testing equipment
Every factory has a test bench. The useful question is what percentage of production passes through it. Ask whether every motor is tested before assembly and every finished fan before packing, or whether testing is by sample. At our plant 100% of motors and 100% of finished fans are tested in built-in STR cabins on the line.
4. How much is made in-house
A fan is half a dozen moulded parts, a motor, a guard and a carton. A factory that buys most of these from outside has less control over colour, lead time and quality. Ask which parts are made in-house and which are bought in. Colour consistency in particular depends on it: when every plastic part of a fan comes off the same machines on the same masterbatch, the colours match; when they come from different moulders, they often do not. Our colour-matched range case study explains why.
5. Visit, and know what to look at
A plant visit tells you more than any brochure. Look at incoming inspection (is raw material checked before it reaches the line?), the assembly lines (is work in progress tidy and labelled?), the test stations (are they in use?) and the warehouse (is finished stock segregated by customer?). Ask to see the pre-dispatch inspection area, because that is where you or your inspector will stand before every shipment. If you cannot visit, our plant gallery walks through each process in order.
6. Commercial terms that match how you sell
- Minimum order quantity per model, and whether models can be mixed in one shipment.
- Lead time on existing models, and the separate timeline for new designs and tooling.
- Tooling ownership and exclusivity for any design you pay for.
- Samples and pilot batches before mass production.
Our own numbers are published openly: MOQ, tooling and lead times explained.
7. Ask how they handled their last defect
Every manufacturer ships a defect eventually. What separates partners is what happens next: whether they tell you before you find out, how fast they contain it and whether the fix removes the cause or adds another inspection step. Ask for a specific example. If the answer is that it has never happened, keep asking. Ours is published: 1,000 fans fixed in 60 hours.
8. Talk to a customer
Ask for a reference you can call, ideally a brand of similar size to yours. Ask them about peak-season delivery and how problems were handled, not about price.
A short version
| Question | What a good answer looks like |
|---|---|
| Monthly capacity and peak allocation | A specific number, and a clear pre-booking policy |
| BIS licence | Current, with a scope that covers your sizes and wattages |
| Testing | 100% of motors and finished fans, not sampling |
| In-house parts | Moulding and guards in-house, for colour and lead-time control |
| Tooling | Ownership and exclusivity agreed in writing |
| Last defect | A specific story, told without being asked twice |
For more on how OEM, ODM, private label and contract manufacturing differ, see fan contract manufacturing in India. To start a conversation, contact our sales team.