Full transcript

How does a China sourcing agent source aluminum windows and doors from China for a hotel or apartment project? On a commercial building, windows and doors are usually one of the largest single items in the budget and one of the longest-serving — and in many countries they must carry certification, such as Florida hurricane product approval in US hurricane zones and NFRC ratings across North America.

FBM Sourcing manages the entire China procurement package for overseas construction projects. In this video we walk through the full route we run on a real window and door package: confirming the certification requirement before anything else, shortlisting factories on quality and price, signed shop drawings, production, 100% pre-shipment inspection against the drawings, and supervised full-container loading out of Guangdong.

What this video covers

• 0:00 — Why windows and doors decide project risk
• 0:38 — Who we are — a China sourcing agent
• 1:07 — Certification first: matching factory to rating
• 1:53 — Step 1 — Shop drawings
• 2:13 — Step 2 — Production
• 2:32 — Step 3 — Quality inspection
• 2:58 — Step 4 — Packing, loading and shipping
• 3:35 — Step 5 — Installation and after-sales
• 4:00 — Send us your drawings and BOQ

Full transcript

How does a China sourcing agent source aluminum windows and doors for a hotel or apartment project? On a commercial building, aluminum windows and doors are one of the most important building materials — usually one of the largest single items in the budget, and one of the longest-serving. And in many countries they must carry certification: hurricane zones in the United States require Florida hurricane product approval, and North America requires NFRC ratings. FBM Sourcing is a building material and furniture sourcing agent in Guangzhou, China, focused on commercial building projects, with more than ten years of hands-on project experience. Guangdong is the world’s largest production base for aluminum windows and doors, and over the years we have sourced complete window and door packages for hotels, apartment buildings, and other commercial projects — including projects in US hurricane zones, where every unit had to be backed by full Florida and Miami-Dade impact-test documentation.

When a client’s drawings come in, the first thing we look at here at FBM Sourcing is the certification requirement. One project’s window and door package involves many different types — sliding doors, hinged doors, fixed windows, casement windows, sliding windows, awning windows, and so on — and the first step is to make sure the factory holds the certification for every one of those types. Only on that basis do we shortlist the factories with the right quality at the right price. Every aluminum window and door factory we work with is a large, established factory in this industry — mid-to-high-end quality. We don’t do the low-end market.

So how does it work after you have paid the deposit? Step one: shop drawings. Every opening on your window schedule is redrawn by the factory — sizes, opening direction, glass, color, hardware — and goes back and forth until you sign it off. Nothing is cut before that signature. Step two: production.

The factory cuts, machines, and assembles the profiles, and the glass units are produced to the confirmed configuration. Hundreds of openings for one project come off the same line to the same drawings, so what arrives on site is consistent. Step three: quality inspection. When the order is ready, our FBM QC team goes to the factory before shipment. We check every unit against the signed drawings — dimensions, finish, glass, hardware, and how each sash opens and closes — and you receive a detailed inspection report with photos and video.

Anything that doesn’t match is corrected by the factory before it ships. Step four: packing, loading, and shipping. Aluminum windows and doors are packed either in steel frames or in wooden crates and wooden frames — either way, solid packing built for ocean freight. We always ship by full container. On a large hotel project the windows and doors alone can fill several full containers, and they ship exactly that way.

When the quantity does not fill a container on its own, we consolidate it with the other products for the same project, so it still ships as a full container. After loading you receive a loading report, which makes unloading and sorting on site much easier. Step five: installation support and after-sales. If your installer has a question on site, we answer it directly. Aluminum windows and doors come with a ten- to fifteen-year warranty, depending on which factory’s product you choose.

If a product quality problem appears within the warranty period — a door lock fails, for example — we provide free replacement; you cover the freight. Planning a hotel, apartment building, office, or other commercial building? For full-container projects, send us your drawings and BOQ. FBM Sourcing — your China sourcing agent for building materials and furniture. FBMSourcing.com.

Frequently asked questions

What is your minimum order for aluminum windows and doors?

We always ship by full container. On a large hotel project the windows and doors often fill several containers on their own; when the quantity is smaller, we consolidate them with the other products for the same project so it still ships as a full container.

Can you supply hurricane-rated or NFRC-certified windows from China?

We first confirm the factory holds the certification for every window and door type on your schedule — sliding, hinged, fixed, casement and awning are not automatically covered by the same approval. Ratings are always stated from the factory’s own test documentation.

What warranty comes with aluminum windows and doors?

Ten to fifteen years depending on which factory’s product you choose. If a product quality problem appears within the warranty period, we provide free replacement and you cover the freight.

What do I receive before the goods ship?

A detailed pre-shipment inspection report with photos and video, checked against your signed shop drawings, plus a loading report after the container is loaded.

More on this product category

Browse every video we have published in this category: all window sourcing videos.

Read how we run this category on a commercial project: window sourcing for commercial construction projects.

Door sourcing from China for commercial projects

Planning a project?

FBM Sourcing manages the entire China procurement package for overseas construction projects. For full-container projects, send us your drawings and BOQ: contact FBM Sourcing.