How we source and inspect valves from Wenzhou
How it works
ValveTrace is an independent sourcing desk, not a manufacturer. We check each factory’s API licence by its expiry date, send your RFQ to several licensed factories, compare the offers against your datasheet and agree the inspection before shipment. Your quotation names the manufacturer and its licence number, so you can verify the source yourself.
Nine steps from enquiry to delivery
This is the procedure we follow on an order. It describes what we do, not how many orders we have completed: no order count, customer or case study is claimed on this website.
| Stage | What we do | Output |
|---|---|---|
| 1. RFQ review | We check the datasheet against the service, then screen the destination country and end user against export-control restrictions before any factory is asked to quote. | RFQ record and screening result |
| 2. Technical clarification | We select the factories whose licence scope and documents cover the valve, and compare every offer with your datasheet until each difference is written down. | Technical deviation list and the quotation |
| 3. Pre-order check | Before the order we re-check the licence expiry date and scope in the API Composite List, and agree the approved drawing and the inspection and test plan (ITP) with you. | Approved drawing and ITP |
| 4. Raw material | We check the EN 10204 3.1 certificates for castings and forgings against the heat numbers and the drawing. On duplex and super duplex parts we also ask for the ferrite count and the ASTM A923 results. | Material check record |
| 5. In-process inspection | Against the ITP, we witness or spot-check machined dimensions, the hard-facing on the seat, and the non-destructive examination of pressure-retaining welds. | In-process inspection record |
| 6. Factory acceptance test | The API 6D or API 598 shell, seat and functional tests are witnessed before the valve is packed, and a low-temperature test to BS 6364 is witnessed when the contract requires one. | Witness report and photographs |
| 7. Packing and dispatch | We check marking, port protection, dryness, corrosion protection, crating and shipping marks before the valve leaves the factory. | Packing list and packing photographs |
| 8. Delivery documents | We compile the manufacturing data record (MDR) and check it against the purchase order before it is sent with the shipment. | MDR, listed below |
| 9. After-sales | A problem reported within the manufacturer’s warranty period is logged, brought to the manufacturer and followed by us until it is closed. | Issue record |
Who is responsible
We carry out the quality checks ourselves: our inspector reviews the documents, attends the ITP hold points and witnesses the factory acceptance test. If your project also needs a third-party inspector, name the agency in the RFQ; it attends alongside us, and its fee is agreed in the quotation.
- Quality checks
- ValveTrace, our own inspector
- Factory acceptance test
- Witnessed by ValveTrace at the ITP hold points
- Third-party inspection
- Optional: an agency you name, alongside our own inspection
- Contract, invoice and warranty
- The manufacturer, under the purchase order you sign with it
The delivery document pack (MDR)
The manufacturing data record travels with the shipment. We check every item against the purchase order before dispatch.
- Approved drawing and datasheet.
- ITP with the signed inspection records.
- EN 10204 3.1 material certificates, matched to heat numbers and parts.
- Non-destructive examination (NDE) reports.
- Pressure and seat test reports, plus the low-temperature test report where one applies.
- Type-test certificates, such as fire-safe and fugitive-emission certificates, where the contract requires them.
- Certificate of conformity, packing list and certificate of origin.
- Installation, operation and maintenance (IOM) manual.
Why the manufacturer is not named on this site
The factories on our panel are not named on the public pages, and their licence numbers are not printed either. A licence number identifies the manufacturer in the API Composite List, so publishing it would send a buyer straight to the factory. The name reaches you with the quotation, which gives the manufacturer, its API licence number and the registry link. Nothing is hidden at the point where it matters — before you place the order.
One RFQ is quoted by several panel factories, and a factory stays on the panel only while its licence is in force by expiry date. The registry is re-checked every quarter. See the licence-checked factory panel and how to verify an API licence.
What we do not claim
We hold no API licence of our own and we do not manufacture valves. Any licence we cite belongs to the manufacturer and can be checked in the API Composite List. We publish a test result, certificate or capability only after the original document has been reviewed.
Prices, minimum order quantities, lead times and payment terms are given in your quotation, not on this website. No customer, order count or case study is cited here.
We act as a commission agent. The manufacturer named in your quotation sells the valve: you sign the purchase order with it, it invoices you and it carries the warranty. We are paid a commission by the manufacturer, so the price you see is the manufacturer’s price and we do not resell or mark up the valve.
Contact and office
- Wenzhou Office
- No. 583, Fourth-Sidewalk, Third-Road, Binhai, Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province 325000, China
- sales@valvetrace.com
- +86 158 4423 5159
This is our own office. It is not a factory address: the panel factories are not named or located on this website.