When purchasing an industrial chiller, have you encountered these problems:
 
• Not sure if the manufacturer is reliable?
• Worried about after-sales service?
• Don’t know how to choose?
• Is the overseas chiller suitable for local use?
• And more
 
This article summarizes our years of experience in serving overseas customers and explains the issues you should consider when purchasing equipment. After reading it, you will know what to ask, what to look at, and what aspects to compare when choosing a supplier.

Company qualifications and certifications

When purchasing overseas chillers, the first thing you should confirm is whether the chiller manufacturer has basic qualifications and certifications. This is not only related to whether the company is compliant, but also to whether the equipment you purchase can be successfully cleared and legally used in your country.
 
The most common is ISO 9001 certification, which means that the company has standardized quality control processes in design, production, delivery and service. If you are located in Europe or want to sell equipment to Europe, CE certification is a must. UL/CSA certification is applicable to the North American market.
 
In order to allow customs to release the goods smoothly, the chiller manufacturer should have legal import and export records, independent export rights, unified social credit code and customs code, etc. If the manufacturer relies on trading companies or lacks export experience, it will lead to unstable delivery or difficult to trace after-sales.
 
If you want to buy an explosion-proof chiller, you need to ensure that the equipment has obtained professional explosion-proof certification. Click here to learn about North American explosion-proof standards.
 
You can check the authenticity of the official website through the scanned copy of the original certification or the certificate number provided by the manufacturer. It is necessary to pay attention to the validity period of the certificate and whether the certificate states that it is only used for specific products or specific scenarios. The certification must be from an authoritative third-party organization, such as SGS, UL, etc., otherwise it may be invalid. In addition, some certificates are only for components rather than the whole machine, and you should confirm its certification scope.

LNEYA CERTIFICATIONS (Partial List)

Technology and R&D

Technology and R&D are the core competitiveness of chiller manufacturers. For industries with high requirements for temperature control accuracy and system stability, the technical level determines the reliability and precision of the equipment.
 
Excellent suppliers should have a complete R&D team, at least including mechanical engineering, electrical control, automation, software development and other teams. This means that they have the ability to independently develop, rather than relying on outsourcing. In addition, they should also have standardized testing laboratories that can conduct professional testing of equipment. Reliable suppliers should not just sell chillers, they must become technical partners to solve problems.
 
You can learn about the company’s R&D team, laboratory environment, R&D investment ratio and other information on the company’s official website. Patent projects are reliable proof of a company’s technical level, so they will basically not refuse to ask suppliers to provide patent certificates.

LNEYA Patent Certificate (Partial List)

Production capacity and product quality

The supplier’s production line scale, process management, quality control system, delivery process and test items are related to the final quality of the product. High-quality suppliers usually have their own factories and exclusive production bases, with integrated production lines from sheet metal processing, system assembly to electronic control wiring and finished product testing, rather than relying on third parties. This can shorten the delivery cycle and reduce the probability of after-sales equipment.
 
The stability of quality control can ensure you receive a high-performance chiller with minimal maintenance issues, which requires suppliers to ensure product batch consistency through production traceability systems, standard operating instructions and automated workshops. In addition, professional suppliers will provide you with a complete machine factory test report, including hydraulic testing, vibration testing, safety testing, abnormal alarm testing and other projects.
 
You can visit the chiller supplier’s official website to view pictures or videos of actual production line operation and equipment commissioning. Note that it must be able to reflect the real state of the factory, not CG animation or promotional background. Most manufacturers will have accounts on TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube.
 
You can search for the brand or company name to view the company and product introduction. If you have a sufficient budget and order volume, you can even entrust a local agent or a third-party contractor to conduct a field inspection of the factory’s production line, warehouse, and test room. However, usually reliable manufacturers will arrange for a specialist to take you to visit the factory through video conference.

LNEYA Chiller Workshop

Customer Cases

Real customer cases can help you judge the supplier’s customization experience, product performance, and service quality. You can check the other party’s official website, B2B platform, and social media platform to find out whether they have experience in customizing chillers in the same industry, whether their products are exported to the United States, Germany, Japan, and other countries with high product standards, and whether they have served major European and American customers or well-known global companies.
 
B2B platforms can view overseas customer reviews. Enter the brand or company name on customs export record platforms such as Import Genius and Panjiva to query data such as shipment quantity, product type, and destination. If necessary, you can ask the manufacturer to provide video feedback from other customers.
 
Excellent manufacturers will not worry about showing cases. On the contrary, they will take the initiative to use cases to prove their reliability. If the supplier you meet avoids talking about cases or describes them vaguely, you should pay attention to identifying their reliability.

LNEYA Customer Cases (Partial List)

Customization and selection

Customization capabilities and selection guidance reflect the manufacturer’s technical capabilities and the professional level of its personnel. Reliable suppliers can confirm the type, size, temperature range, temperature control accuracy, coolant type, heat load, flow, head and whether other functions are required according to your application, so as to recommend standard equipment models or provide customized technical solutions.
 
In fact, most of the time, when you communicate with the technician you are working with about customization requirements, you can judge whether he is professional from his reply.

After-sales and technical support

The service life of a refrigeratore is generally about 10 years, during which it will face installation, commissioning, maintenance, troubleshooting, consumables replacement, software upgrades or project expansion. If the chiller manufacturer cannot provide long-term technical support, you may encounter a lot of trouble.
 
You need to determine whether the manufacturer has a 24/7 fast-response overseas service team, an overseas service network and agents, and supports on-site installation and commissioning or remote guidance. Whether detailed installation guides, maintenance guides, and operation videos in local languages are provided. Whether a recommended list of spare parts is provided, international standard parts are used, and spare parts guarantee is provided for no less than 5 years. In addition, you also need to pay attention to whether there is a detailed description of the service charge standard, within/out of warranty.

Price and cost performance

The price of the chiller should take into account multiple factors such as component brand, electrical and control system, material, process, quality control, after-sales, and customization difficulty. When comparing quotations provided by multiple manufacturers, you should pay attention to the configuration details to see if there are any hidden costs, such as installation, commissioning, training and other costs.
 
Learn the key factors affecting the price of the chiller.

Logistics and delivery

During the logistics process, problems such as inability to declare customs, irregular packaging, and equipment damage may occur. Choosing a manufacturer with excellent delivery capabilities can help you save a lot of trouble. Chiller suppliers need to be familiar with international logistics processes, be able to provide DDP/DDU solutions, use industrial-grade packaging methods such as reinforced wooden boxes and shock-absorbing pads, and provide timely solutions when encountering delays. When communicating with manufacturers, you can consult in detail about packaging, delivery terms, customs clearance materials, customs declarations, etc.

Data security

Most chillers have functions such as remote monitoring and network diagnosis, and the transmission content may include sensitive information such as process parameters and production line operation status, which means you need to pay attention to data security issues.
 
You should pay attention to whether the control system has network communication encryption function, user authority management function, offline operation function, and local storage function. In the purchase contract, you can add a data ownership statement, agree on relevant permissions, and require the manufacturer not to disclose customer information and project data.

Conclusion

We hope this article can provide you with practical help in the selection process. If you are looking for a reliable chiller supplier, you can contact LNEYA at any time. We have rich export experience and can provide you with one-stop service to help you easily cope with various temperature control challenges.