Before you send a specification to a new supplier, five questions determine whether the relationship is worth starting:
- What do they actually build— and what do they buy from someone else?
- Does the platform fityour product roadmap, not just this project?
- Where are the real limitsof their customisation?
- What can they prove— certification reports, factory conditions, availability commitments?
- How does the first order work— and what does it cost you to find out?
Most supplier problems in industrial computing are not quality problems. They are problems that were visible at the evaluation stage and were not asked about. This guide covers what to ask, and what an evasive answer tells you.
1. What do they actually build?
The industrial PC market in Asia contains manufacturers, assemblers, and trading companies presenting themselves identically. The distinction matters because it determines who can actually fix a problem eighteen months from now.
Questions that separate them:
| Ask this | What a manufacturer can answer |
| Is your SMT line in-house or subcontracted? | Names the arrangement directly, either way |
| Do you design your own mainboards, or use reference designs? | Explains which product families are which — most makers do both, and saying so is honest |
| How long is your burn-in test, and at what temperature? | A specific number of hours and a specific temperature |
| What test equipment is on the line? | Names the equipment |
| Can you show me the line on video, this week? | Yes |
The last question is the most efficient one in the list. A supplier who cannot show you a production line on short notice usually does not have one.
What an evasive answer means: Not necessarily that the supplier is bad — trading companies serve a real purpose and often price aggressively. But if your product needs engineering support, firmware changes, or a fix three years from now, you need to know whether the person you are emailing can walk to the line.
2. Does the platform fit your roadmap?
A specification that fits today’s project is not the same as a platform you can build on.
Ask about the CPU platform lifecycle. Intel and AMD publish embedded roadmaps with defined availability windows. A supplier building on an embedded-class platform can tell you the expected availability horizon. A supplier building on consumer silicon usually cannot, because there isn’t one.
Ask what happens at end of life:
- How much notice do you give before a platform goes EOL?
- Do you offer a last-time-buy window?
- When a platform changes, do you provide a pin-compatible replacement, or does the mechanical design change?
For an OEM who has certified a finished product around a specific board, a mechanical change means re-certification. That cost belongs in your supplier evaluation, not in a surprise email two years later.
3. Where are the real limits of customisation?
Every supplier says they do OEM/ODM. The useful question is where the boundaries sit, and what each level costs.
| Level | Typical scope | What to ask |
| Cosmetic | Logo, bezel colour, boot screen, packaging | Is there an NRE charge? What is the MOQ? |
| Configuration | CPU, memory, storage, OS image, port population | Can this be done at low volume? |
| Mechanical | Bracket, mounting, cut-out, connector placement | Tooling cost and lead time? |
| Electrical | Custom I/O, added COM ports, different power input | Engineering cost, schedule, and who owns the design? |
The two numbers that matter most are NRE cost and MOQ at each level. A supplier who quotes customisation without stating either is not giving you information you can plan with.
Ask directly: “For a 10-inch panel PC with our logo and a custom I/O configuration, what is the NRE, what is the MOQ, and what is the lead time for the first article?” The speed and specificity of that answer tells you how often they actually do it.
4. What can they prove?
This is where most evaluations are too soft.
Certification: declaration is not the same as testing
For many product categories, CE marking is a self-declaration. A supplier can legitimately state “CE compliant” without holding a third-party test report.
That is not fraud, but it is not evidence either. If you are placing the product into the EU under your own name, you carry the obligation.
Ask for the actual report, not the marking:
- EMC test report (EN 61000-6-2 / EN 61000-6-4 or equivalent) — issued by whom, dated when, covering which model?
- Which specific model numbers does the report cover? Reports are model-specific.
- For rugged products claiming MIL-STD-810G: which methods were tested, and by which laboratory?
- For IP ratings: third-party verified, or design claim?
A supplier who sends the report file within a day has one. A supplier who sends a certificate image without a report generally does not.
A note on scope: Certification claims should be product-line specific. A supplier who applies the same certification list across every product on their website has not read their own reports.
Factory conditions
A remote factory tour has become standard practice since 2020 and costs nothing but time. Thirty minutes of live video — production, burn-in room, test equipment, packing — tells you more than any brochure.
Ask for the engineer, not only the salesperson. If the person answering your technical questions has to relay them, you will be relaying every question for the life of the relationship.
Third-party audit reports (SGS, TÜV, BV) are useful where your own customers require documented supplier qualification.
Long-term availability
- Will this model still be orderable in three years? In five?
- Are spare mainboards available after the model is discontinued?
- What is your RMA turnaround, and who pays freight in each direction?
5. How does the first order work?
The strongest signal in a supplier evaluation is how easy they make it to test them.
A supplier confident in their product will offer a clear evaluation path: a defined sample price, a stated lead time, and a documented step from sample to volume pricing. A supplier who requires a large first order before you can assess anything is asking you to take all of the risk.
Reasonable to expect:
- Sample units at a defined price and lead time
- A volume price tier structure you can see before committing
- Technical support during your evaluation period, not only before the sale
Reasonable for them to expect from you:
- A real specification, not “send me your best price”
- Your target volume and timeline, even approximate
- Which parameters are hard requirements and which are flexible
Warning signs
- Cannot show a production line on video within a week
- Sends a certificate image but not the underlying test report
- Same certification list applied to every product on the website
- No stated MOQ or NRE for customisation
- No answer on platform EOL policy
- Only a sales contact, never an engineer
- Price quoted before specification is clarified
Before you send the RFQ
Preparing these items will get you a usable quote instead of three rounds of clarification:
Application and environment: ____________________
Screen size / form factor: ____________________
Operating temperature range: ____ °C to ____ °C
Ingress protection required: IP____ (front only / full enclosure)
Power input: ____ V DC / AC
Required I/O: LAN ___ COM ___ USB ___ GPIO ___
Operating system: ____________________
Certification required: CE ___ FCC ___ Other ________
Customisation level: Cosmetic / Config / Mechanical / Electrical
Annual volume estimate: ____________________
First delivery required by: ____________________
Frequently asked questions
Is a trading company always the wrong choice? No. For standard products at low volume, a trading company may be faster and cheaper. The distinction matters when you need engineering support, long-term availability, or a fix that requires access to the production line.
How much should sample units cost? Practice varies. What matters is that the price and lead time are stated up front, and that the path from sample to volume pricing is documented rather than negotiated from scratch later.
What is a reasonable MOQ for a customised panel PC? It depends entirely on customisation level — cosmetic changes carry far lower minimums than electrical redesign. Any supplier should be able to state their numbers per level rather than giving one figure.
Do I need a third-party factory audit? Not always. It becomes necessary when your own customers or industry require documented supplier qualification, or when you are placing a product in the EU under your own brand.
Evaluating VstrongTech
Two things we suggest before any commercial discussion:
A 30-minute remote factory tour. Live video of the production line, burn-in room and test equipment, with our technical co-founder answering your engineering questions directly — not a salesperson relaying them.
An evaluation unit. A defined sample price and lead time, with volume pricing shown before you commit.