| Product Construction | Common commercial formats include 2-ply or 3-ply tissue, approximately 13–18 g/m² per ply, with folded sheet sizes commonly specified between 20 × 20 cm and 25 × 25 cm. | Approved sample, technical specification sheet, grammage test report, and dimensional inspection record. | Compare ply count, total basis weight, softness, absorbency, tensile strength, lint level, and sheet dimensions against the approved sample. | Unclear ply definition, inconsistent sheet size, or refusal to provide measurable specifications. |
| Pricing Structure | A comparable quotation should state basis weight, ply, sheet dimensions, packing configuration, printing, carton quantity, Incoterm, port, and validity period. Pulp prices, energy, freight, and exchange rates can materially change the final cost. | Itemized quotation, cost-breakdown sheet, Incoterm confirmation, packaging specification, and freight assumption. | Compare landed cost per 1,000 sheets or per retail pack rather than only the quoted unit price. | A significantly lower price with missing freight, packaging, testing, tooling, or compliance costs. |
| Minimum Order Quantity | Standard unprinted products generally support lower order quantities than customized printed packs. Custom artwork, private labeling, embossing, and special folding usually increase the minimum order quantity. | Written MOQ by SKU, setup-cost schedule, artwork approval procedure, and packaging component MOQ. | Request separate MOQs for paper, printed film, cartons, and finished goods to identify inventory exposure. | One combined MOQ with no explanation of which component creates the constraint. |
| Production Capacity | Capacity should be stated by product format and production line, not only as a total annual company figure. A credible plan includes normal monthly output, peak capacity, maintenance downtime, and reserved capacity for the buyer. | Production-line list, recent capacity statement, monthly production plan, equipment photographs, and third-party factory audit. | Check whether forecast demand can be met during seasonal peaks without excessive overtime or subcontracting. | Capacity figures that cannot be linked to identifiable converting lines or documented production records. |
| Lead Time and Delivery | A reliable quotation separates sample approval, raw-material purchasing, printing or packaging preparation, production, quality inspection, and dispatch. Repeat orders should normally have a shorter lead time than first orders. | Order schedule, historical on-time-delivery records, production milestones, and shipment documents with sensitive commercial data removed. | Measure on-time delivery against the confirmed ex-factory date for at least three completed shipments. | Repeated date changes, vague production milestones, or no documented corrective action after delays. |
| Quality Management | A mature supplier should control incoming pulp, basis weight, moisture, dimensions, ply separation, packaging count, print registration, foreign matter, and final-carton condition. | Quality manual, inspection checklist, calibration records, batch traceability procedure, and pre-shipment inspection report. | Define an agreed inspection plan with measurable acceptance limits before mass production. | No lot identification, no retained samples, or only visual inspection without basic dimensional and weight checks. |
| Forest-Fiber Traceability | For responsible-sourcing claims, the supplier should identify the applicable certified material percentage, product scope, certificate status, and chain-of-custody route. FSC and PEFC are internationally recognized forest-certification systems with chain-of-custody requirements. | Valid certificate number, scope statement, certificate expiry date, transaction or claim documentation, and packaging claim approval. | Verify the certificate independently through the relevant certification-system database and confirm that the exact product is covered. | Use of a logo without a valid certificate, unclear certified-content percentage, or certificate scope unrelated to tissue products. |
| Management Certifications | ISO 9001 supports quality-management control, while ISO 14001 addresses environmental-management systems. These certifications do not automatically guarantee product quality or environmental performance for every SKU. | Certificate issued by an accredited certification body, valid scope, covered site address, and expiry date. | Confirm that the certificate covers the manufacturing site and relevant tissue-converting activities. | Expired certificates, unverifiable certificate numbers, or certificates issued for a different legal entity or facility. |
| Product Safety and Chemical Compliance | For skin-contact paper products, buyers should define requirements for inks, adhesives, fragrances, dyes, optical brighteners, heavy metals, microbiological condition, and restricted substances according to the destination market. | Recent laboratory reports, raw-material declarations, safety data where applicable, and destination-market compliance statement. | Use an independent laboratory for risk-based testing of the finished product and packaging, especially after material or formula changes. | Generic test reports with no batch, product code, laboratory identity, test method, or sampling information. |
| Packaging and Logistics | Export packaging should protect against moisture, crushing, odor transfer, contamination, and carton deformation. Carton dimensions and stacking pattern should be optimized for the intended container and warehouse system. | Packing specification, carton drop or compression test where required, pallet plan, container-loading photos, and shipping marks. | Calculate cartons per pallet, pallets per container, cubic utilization, gross weight, and protection level under expected transport conditions. | Excessive empty space, weak cartons, missing moisture protection, or shipping marks that do not match purchase documents. |
| Reliability and Business Continuity | A dependable supplier maintains traceable raw-material sources, backup equipment or maintenance plans, documented corrective action, financial and legal transparency, and a clear escalation contact. | Factory audit, business registration, insurance information where relevant, business-continuity plan, complaint log summary, and corrective-action records. | Use a weighted scorecard: quality 30%, delivery 25%, total cost 20%, compliance 15%, and communication or continuity 10%. | Frequent personnel changes, unresolved complaints, unexplained subcontracting, or inability to provide consistent documents. |
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