The More Complete The Information, The More Accurate The Quotation

Many overseas customers begin an inquiry with one simple sentence: “Please give me a quotation.” We fully understand the desire to know the price as quickly as possible. However, industrial equipment, environmental equipment, and complete process systems are usually not standard off-the-shelf products. Even when two inquiries are both for “one machine,” the price can differ by several times or even more than ten times due to differences in material, capacity, construction material, voltage, explosion-proof requirements, destination port, and other factors.
Therefore, before we proceed with formal selection and quotation, we usually confirm some basic questions with the customer. This is not to delay the process. It is to avoid guessing prices, quoting the wrong model, or adding unexpected costs later. If the customer can provide the following information in advance, our selection will be more accurate, and our quotation will be much closer to the final transaction price.

1. Material Information: It Determines Whether the Equipment Can Work and How Long It Will Last

We need to know what material the customer is actually processing. Please try to provide:

1. Material name, composition, and MSDS
   If it is a mixture, please state the main components and their proportions.
2. Feed state
   Is it liquid, slurry, powder, granules, lumps, or a mixture?
3. Solid content, moisture content, oil content, and salt content
   For example, a solid content of 1%, 5%, or 30% has a major impact on pumps, pipes, filtration area, dewatering performance, and motor power.
4. Density, viscosity, and particle size distribution
   High-viscosity, fine-particle, or scaling materials require different structures and materials of construction.
5. Temperature and temperature range
   Is it room temperature, 80°C, 120°C, or higher? Is heating or cooling required? Temperature affects seals, materials, lubrication, and safety.
6. pH value, corrosiveness, and abrasiveness
   Acidic, alkaline, chlorine-containing, salt-containing, or sand-containing conditions may require 304 stainless steel, 316L stainless steel, duplex stainless steel, PTFE lining, rubber lining, or special alloys.
7. Whether it is flammable, explosive, toxic, volatile, or odorous
   This directly affects the motor explosion-proof rating, explosion-proof control cabinet, sealing form, and on-site safety standards.
8. Whether it contains oil, solvents, surfactants, colloids, etc.
   These components affect separation, filtration, drying, or conveying performance.

In one sentence: material characteristics determine the equipment material, structure, power, sealing, and auxiliary systems, and they also determine the basic cost of the quotation.

2. Capacity and Operating Schedule: They Determine the Equipment Size

Please ask the customer to provide:

1. Daily throughput or daily processing capacity
   For example, 10 tons, 50 tons, or 200 tons per day.
2. Hourly capacity or peak capacity
   If feeding is not uniform throughout the day, please describe the peak periods and fluctuation range.
3. Working hours per day
   For example, 8 hours, 16 hours, or 24 hours of continuous operation per day.
4. Operating days per year
   This affects the configuration of wear parts, backup solutions, and maintenance cycles.
5. Continuous operation or batch operation
   Continuous operation demands higher stability, automation, cooling, and wear resistance. For batch operation, please specify the capacity per batch and batch time.

For example, for a daily capacity of 100 tons, if the equipment works 20 hours per day, the hourly capacity is about 5 tons. If it works only 8 hours per day, the hourly capacity is about 12.5 tons. The equipment size, motor power, footprint, and price will all be different.

3. Process Objectives and Discharge Requirements: They Determine the Configuration

The customer needs to tell us:

1. What is the processing objective?
   Is it dewatering, filtration, separation, concentration, drying, conveying, mixing, or purification?
2. Feed specifications and discharge specifications
   For example, feed solid content, discharge moisture content, recovery rate, purity, particle size, and emission standards.
3. Upstream and downstream equipment interfaces
   Where does the feed come from? Where does the discharge go? Are there requirements for connection size, flange standard, or conveying method?
4. Acceptable footprint, installation height, and orientation
   Is the site space limited? Is a skid-mounted, mobile, or modular design required?
5. Degree of automation
   Manual, semi-automatic, or fully automatic? Is PLC, HMI, remote monitoring, data logging, or alarm interlocking required?

This information determines the process flow, equipment configuration, control system, and number of auxiliary devices, and therefore affects the final quotation.

4. Site Conditions and Utilities: They Determine Whether Installation and Operation Can Proceed Smoothly

For overseas projects, the following points are especially important:

1. Voltage, frequency, and phase
   For example, 380V/50Hz/3-phase, 440V/60Hz/3-phase, or 220V/60Hz/1-phase. If the voltage is different, the motor and electrical control system must be reconfigured.
2. Control voltage and local standards
   Are CE, UL, ATEX, IEC, or other certifications required?
3. Explosion-proof rating and protection rating
   Is the site classified as an explosion-proof area? Is IP55, IP65, or a higher rating required?
4. Environmental conditions
   Indoor or outdoor? What is the altitude? What are the ambient temperature, humidity, dust level, and salt fog conditions? Is the site near the sea?
5. Utilities
   Are water, electricity, compressed air, steam, and cooling water available? What are the pressure, flow rate, and temperature?
6. Installation and lifting restrictions
   Are there restrictions on door openings, passages, containers, or truck dimensions? Is split shipment required?

These conditions affect the electrical control, materials, corrosion protection, packaging, and transportation plan, and they also affect the quotation.

5. Materials, Standards, and Certifications: They Determine Compliance and Cost

Please ask the customer to specify:

1. Wetted parts material requirements
   Carbon steel, 304, 316L, duplex stainless steel, rubber-lined, PTFE-lined, plastic, etc.
2. Surface treatment requirements
   Sandblasting, painting, polishing, food-grade, sanitary, etc.
3. Certification requirements
   CE, UL, CSA, ATEX, ISO, FDA, local pressure vessel codes, etc.
4. Document requirements
   English manual, drawings, material certificates, certificate of conformity, test reports, packing list, invoice, certificate of origin, etc.

The higher the certification and document requirements, the higher the design and manufacturing costs, and the delivery time may also be longer.

6. Logistics and Commercial Information: They Determine Freight and Trade Terms

It is very important for the customer to provide an approximate address or destination port because:

1. We need to calculate sea freight, inland freight, and insurance
   Freight costs vary greatly between different countries, ports, and inland cities.
2. We need to determine the packaging method
   Wooden case, pallet, frame, vacuum packaging, moisture-proof and rust-proof packaging, etc.
3. We need to confirm the trade term
   EXW, FOB, CIF, DDP, etc. The quotation scope is completely different under each term.
4. We need to confirm customs clearance and certification requirements
   Does the destination country require special certification, labels, language, or tariff documents?
5. Delivery time and budget
   When does the customer expect shipment? Is there a target budget? What are the payment terms?

Please try to provide: company name, contact person, destination port or destination address, postal code, trade term, packaging requirements, customs clearance requirements, and expected order date.

7. Suggested Inquiry Information Checklist for Customers

To make it easier for customers, we can ask them to copy and fill in the following list:

1. Material name and MSDS:
2. Feed state: liquid / slurry / powder / granules / other:
3. Solid content, moisture content, oil content:
4. Density, viscosity, pH, corrosiveness, abrasiveness:
5. Feed temperature and temperature range:
6. Flammable, explosive, toxic, or odorous:
7. Daily capacity or hourly capacity:
8. Working hours per day and operating days per year:
9. Continuous operation or batch operation:
10. Processing objective and discharge requirements:
11. Site voltage, frequency, and phase:
12. Explosion-proof, protection, and certification requirements:
13. Material requirements:
14. Utility conditions: water, electricity, air, steam:
15. Installation space and dimension restrictions:
16. Destination port or destination address:
17. Trade term: EXW / FOB / CIF / DDP:
18. Packaging, customs clearance, and document requirements:
19. Expected delivery time, budget, and payment terms:
20. Site photos, drawings, videos, or samples:

8. Why Do We Ask for This Information in Advance?

Because an accurate quotation is not made by guessing. It is calculated based on complete technical parameters, site conditions, certification requirements, and logistics costs.

1. Different capacities require different equipment sizes.
2. Different solid content, temperature, and corrosiveness require different materials and structures.
3. Different voltage, explosion-proof, and certification requirements lead to different electrical control and compliance costs.
4. Different destination ports and trade terms lead to different freight costs and quotation scopes.
5. Different discharge requirements lead to different process flows and automation levels.

If we receive only “Please quote” without any details, we can only provide a rough price range. We cannot guarantee that the selection is correct, and we cannot guarantee that there will be no additional costs later. On the contrary, if the customer can provide the above information, we can provide an accurate selection solution, formal quotation, delivery time, and transportation plan more quickly.
Of course, if the customer cannot provide all the information at once, that is not a problem. Please send us the known information first. We can prepare a preliminary selection and budget quotation, and list the parameters that still need to be confirmed. The final technical solution and formal quotation will be based on the parameters confirmed by both parties.
The more complete the information, the more accurate the quotation. The more thorough the communication, the smoother the cooperation. We are willing to work together with our customers to make the right selection, calculate the costs clearly, and minimize project risks.