Company Registration and Qualifications
Balford is the export brand of Zhejiang Balford Mechatronics Co., Ltd., a registered metal stamping and fabrication manufacturer in Zhuji, Zhejiang, China. Below are the official company registration documents and the ISO 9001:2015 quality-management certification. These documents are published so that buyers can verify the legal identity of the company before placing orders.
Registered Company Information
- Legal representative: Xu XiangFei (徐祥飞)
- Registered address: 2#, Guangfa Road, Yaojiang, Zhuji, Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, 311800, China
- Telephone: 0086-13588462222
- Email: shawn@balford.net
- Export brand: Zhejiang Balford Mechatronics Co., Ltd.
Quotation Process
Our quotation process is designed to be transparent and fast. Here is the full flow from first contact to production instruction:
- Contact us. Reach us on WhatsApp or by email (shawn@balford.net). We respond within 24 hours.
- NDA. If you need confidentiality, we sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement before you share any drawings.
- Send your drawings. Share PDF 2D drawings, CAD files, or 3D models.
- Specify requirements. Tell us the raw material, process, surface treatment, packaging, trade terms, payment terms, and target delivery date.
- Quotation. We send a formal quotation covering price, tooling, lead time and terms.
- Deposit & tooling. After you approve the quotation, you pay the deposit and we build the tooling and produce samples.
- Sample approval. You receive and approve the samples.
- Production instruction. You issue the mass-production instruction and we start volume production.
Payment Terms
We keep our payment terms flexible for international buyers:
- Trade terms: FOB Ningbo or FOB Shanghai is our standard term. CIF, DDP, DAP and EXW are also quoted on request.
- Payment: 30–60 day open account is available only in selected markets (Western Europe excluding Spain and Portugal, northern Italy, the Nordic countries, the USA and Canada, Australia and New Zealand, Japan and Singapore). Everywhere else: 30% deposit, balance against a copy of the bill of lading.
- Collection company: Payments are collected by our foreign-trade agency company, ZHEJIANG INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS GROUP WULIU CO., LTD. The beneficiary name, bank, account number and SWIFT code are published on the global sourcing and export information page.
- Deposit: A tooling deposit is required before tooling starts; production payment terms are agreed per order.
Guarantee Terms
- All quoted lead times are based on confirmed drawings and material availability.
- Parts warranty: delivered parts are warranted free from defects in material and workmanship for 60 days from the date of delivery.
- We guarantee the parts meet the approved samples and the agreed drawing tolerances.
- Tooling ownership. We are not in the business of selling tools, so the answer depends on what already exists in our die store. There are three cases:
- Case 1 - the complete tool already exists. The part runs as it is, or needs only small changes, which we absorb. There is no tooling charge to you and no ownership is transferred, because there is no tool purchase to transfer.
- Case 2 - we hold part of the tooling. The rest has to be added, or the existing tool reworked substantially. You pay part of the labour and material at cost, with no profit added. Ownership remains with Balford and the invoice line is issued as labour or tool modification rather than as the sale of a tool.
- Case 3 - the tool has to be built from scratch. If you want ownership, we quote the tool at a commercial price, which covers the after-sales support that follows the tool and the transfer of the design to you; ownership then transfers on the agreed terms. If you do not want ownership but need exclusive manufacturing, we charge labour + material only, and we sign an exclusive-manufacturing agreement.
- Where non-conforming parts are caused by our manufacturing, sorting or rework at the buyer's site is carried out at our cost; where the parts cannot be salvaged we remake them at our cost and cover the air freight and the import duties, taxes and clearance charges in the buyer's country. If neither route is acceptable, we will issue a credit note at the buyer's choice.
- Exclusivity of buyer-funded and shared tooling (liquidated damages). Balford shall not use buyer-funded or shared tooling to produce parts for any other customer, and shall not offer or sell parts produced from that tooling to anyone else. If Balford breaches this clause, Balford shall pay the buyer liquidated damages of five times the tooling price paid by the buyer, with a minimum of USD 100,000 per occurrence where the buyer has paid the full commercial price of the tooling, and of RMB 50,000 to RMB 2,000,000 per occurrence on every other programme, the parties agreeing that this is a genuine pre-estimate of the buyer's loss, that it is payable on demand, and that it is enforceable as a contractual debt in addition to any injunctive relief.
Quality Assurance and Product Responsibility
We operate an ISO 9001:2015 quality management system covering quoting, tooling, production, inspection and shipping.
- First article inspection: FAI reports are provided with samples and first production batches.
- In-process control: Dimensions, material and surface are checked against the control plan during production.
- Material traceability: Mill test certificates are available for critical materials.
- Product responsibility: We are responsible for manufacturing defects in workmanship and material. Where a defect is ours and it is reported within the 60-day parts warranty above, we carry it to the end and there is no monetary cap on our own quality failures: if the parts can be sorted or reworked at your site we pay the sorting and rework cost; if they cannot, we remake them at our cost, and we also bear the air freight and all import duties, taxes and clearance charges in your country. Defects that are not attributable to us — buyer-supplied design, material or specification — remain outside our responsibility.
- Buyer responsibility: The buyer is responsible for the correctness and completeness of drawings, specifications, and material/process requirements provided to us.
Lead Times (Natural Days)
Lead times below are for sample delivery from confirmed drawings. They are natural days (calendar days), not working days.
| Process | Sample Lead Time | Expedited (rush) |
|---|---|---|
| Single-operation stamping die | 15–30 days | ≈ 15 days |
| Progressive and transfer die stamping | 30–60 days | ≈ 30 days |
| CNC machining (turning) | 7–15 days | ≈ 7 days |
| Sheet metal fabrication | 7–30 days | ≈ 7 days |
| Tube bending | 7–15 days | ≈ 7 days |
Rush orders can reduce lead time by about half, subject to tooling complexity and material stock. Production lead times depend on order quantity and are confirmed in the quotation.
Response Time Commitment
We commit to the following response times:
- Quotation response: typically within 24 hours after receiving complete drawings and requirements.
- Feasibility / DFM feedback: typically within 24 hours for most parts.
- Email and WhatsApp messages: typically answered within 24 hours on business days.
- NDA signing: typically within 24 hours.
Frequently Asked Questions
Balford is the export brand of Zhejiang Balford Mechatronics Co., Ltd., a metal stamping and fabrication manufacturer registered in Zhuji, Zhejiang, China. The business license and ISO 9001:2015 certificate are published on this page for verification.
FOB Ningbo or FOB Shanghai is our standard trade term (CIF, DDP, DAP and EXW on request). Payment is 30–60 day open account in selected markets only; every other market ships on 30% deposit with the balance against a copy of the bill of lading. A tooling deposit is required before tooling starts. Payments are collected by our foreign-trade agency company, ZHEJIANG INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS GROUP WULIU CO., LTD — the beneficiary, bank, account number and SWIFT code are published on the export information page.
Sample lead times in natural days: single-operation stamping dies 15–30 days, progressive and transfer dies 30–60 days, CNC turning 7–15 days, sheet metal 7–30 days, tube bending 7–15 days. Rush orders can roughly halve these times, depending on tooling complexity and material availability.
Yes. If you need confidentiality, we sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement within 24 hours before you send drawings or specifications. You can contact us on WhatsApp or by email at shawn@balford.net.
We run an ISO 9001:2015 quality management system with first-article inspection, in-process control, and material traceability. FAI reports accompany samples and first production batches, and mill test certificates are available for critical materials. Parts warranty: delivered parts are warranted free from defects in material and workmanship for 60 days from the date of delivery.