Sourcing8 min read
Air freight economics for urgent parts: when speed pays
A chargeable weight model, a break-even test and the cases where the air premium is cheaper than waiting.
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Sourcing notes for custom parts
Drawings, tooling, quality and landed cost, from the team that runs the programmes.
All guides, page 7
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Sourcing9 min read
Copper price indexing in supply agreements
Most copper parts are quoted on a reference price that moves. The clause that decides how it moves matters more than any single quote.
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Sourcing9 min read
HS code 7407 for copper bars, rods and profiles
Heading 7407 covers copper mill products, not finished copper parts. The difference between a bar, a profile and an article decides the code.
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Sourcing10 min read
India vs China for engineered parts
A buyer's comparison of capability, cost, tooling, documentation and trade exposure, written for parts that must be right rather than merely cheap.
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Sourcing9 min read
US tariffs on Indian goods: current state
Why a single tariff number is never the answer, how the duty stack is built, and how to keep a sourcing case valid while measures change.
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Sourcing9 min read
Currency exposure and quotation validity
A price is only valid on the assumptions behind it. Currency, metal and freight can move before the purchase order is placed, and the contract decides who absorbs the difference.
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Sourcing10 min read
Import duty vs GST vs anti-dumping duty
Three charges appear on an import entry for different reasons. Mixing them up overstates cost, understates cash flow and hides the one charge you may not recover.
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Sourcing9 min read
India UK FTA: what changes for engineered goods
How to read the agreement for a real shipment: verify the status, find the tariff line, test the origin rule and keep the evidence that supports a preference.
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Sourcing10 min read
Nearshoring vs offshoring vs China plus one
A decision framework for European buyers who need to balance landed cost, lead time and continuity without treating any of the three models as a default.
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Sourcing8 min read
UKCA marking for machinery and electrical equipment
What the Great Britain mark requires, how it sits beside CE marking in 2026, and the file an importer should hold before the first shipment.
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Sourcing9 min read
Dual sourcing vs single sourcing
How to weigh continuity risk against cost, tooling duplication and the qualification effort that a second supplier really needs.
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Sourcing9 min read
EU Machinery Regulation and CE marking: who signs what
Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 applies from 20 January 2027. A practical guide to the technical file, the roles in the chain and the evidence a component supplier should provide.
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Go from reading to checking
The guides are built around the same questions as the free tools. Size a busbar, check an ISO 2768 callout, build a first article report or compare landed cost.
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