Drawings
PDF, DXF, DWG or other relevant technical information where available.
Manufacturing Parts & Components
Source Manufactured Components to Your Specification.
Nine Sharks helps businesses source bespoke and production components from suitable manufacturers against drawings, materials, dimensions, finishes, quantities and commercial requirements.
Send drawings, specifications, images or existing component references.
Built around your requirement
Start With the Drawing, Specification or Part You Need.
Manufactured components are often purchased against technical requirements rather than a standard catalogue listing. Nine Sharks can assess sourcing opportunities using the information you already have, whether that begins with a drawing, existing part, datasheet or defined material and dimensional requirement.
Materials
Specified metals, alloys, polymers or other required materials.
Dimensions & Tolerances
Critical dimensions, tolerances and fit requirements where applicable.
Finishes
Surface treatment, plating, coating, painting or other finishing requirements where relevant.
Quantity
Prototype, low-volume, batch or repeat production requirements can be assessed commercially.
Documentation
Specify any material, dimensional or other documentation required as part of the enquiry.
Sourcing capabilities
Manufacturing Routes We Can Investigate
The appropriate manufacturing route depends on the component geometry, material, quantity, tolerance, finish and commercial requirement.
Precision Machined Components
Source turned, milled and other precision-machined components against customer drawings and technical requirements.
- CNC turning
- CNC milling
- Ferrous materials
- Non-ferrous materials
- Defined tolerances
- Required finishes
Cast Components
Source cast components against drawings, material requirements, dimensions, finishing needs and expected production quantities.
- Material
- Casting route
- Machining
- Finish
- Quantity
- Documentation
Forged Components
Source forged parts where component strength, material selection, geometry and downstream machining or finishing form part of the specification.
- Material grade
- Geometry
- Machining
- Finish
- Volume
- Documentation
Fabricated & Cut Components
Source fabricated metal components produced against drawings and dimensional requirements, including requirements that may involve cutting, forming, bending and welding.
- Sheet cutting
- Laser cutting
- Bending
- Forming
- Welding
- Assembled fabrication
Pressings & Stampings
Source pressed and stamped production components based on material, geometry, tooling requirements, finish and expected volumes.
- Tooling
- Material
- Repeat quantities
- Finish
- Dimensional requirements
Assembly & Kitting
Where a requirement involves multiple sourced components, assembly or kitting requirements can be assessed as part of the sourcing brief.
- Multiple components
- Assembly brief
- Kitting need
- Commercial requirement
Prepare your RFQ
The Better the Brief, the Better the Sourcing Assessment.
Providing clear technical and commercial information helps potential manufacturing sources be evaluated against the same requirement.
Technical Information
- Drawing or dimensional information
- Material / material grade
- Tolerances where critical
- Surface finish / coating
- Heat-treatment requirement where applicable
- Inspection/documentation requirement if applicable
- Existing sample or reference
Commercial Information
- Required quantity
- Expected repeat frequency
- Delivery destination
- Required date
- Current or target pricing where the buyer chooses to share it
- Any known tooling requirement
One commercial partner
Source the Component Without Managing Multiple Supplier Conversations.
Nine Sharks can investigate suitable manufacturing sources, assess the requirement commercially and provide a Nine Sharks quotation based on the proposed sourcing solution.
Requirement
You provide the component requirement, technical information and quantity.
Source
Nine Sharks investigates potentially suitable manufacturers and supply options.
Quote
You receive a commercial quotation from Nine Sharks against the proposed sourcing solution.
Supply
Following agreement, Nine Sharks procures the goods from the selected source and supplies them to your business under the agreed commercial terms.
Beyond unit price
A Component Quote Has More Than One Number.
For manufactured parts, the lowest unit price is not automatically the strongest commercial option. The complete sourcing requirement may involve tooling, material, quantity, lead time, finishing and repeat supply.
Material
Correct material and grade can materially affect performance and cost.
Tooling
Certain manufacturing routes may require tooling or setup investment.
Volume
Production quantity can influence the viable manufacturing process and commercial terms.
Finishing
Secondary machining, coating, plating or other finishes can affect both price and lead time.
Repeat Supply
Recurring requirements should be considered differently from one-off purchasing.
Examples of Manufacturing Requirements
These are examples of the types of requirements that can be assessed, not a fixed product catalogue.
- Machined shafts
- Bushes & sleeves
- Brackets
- Custom fasteners
- Pins
- Housings
- Flanges
- Mounting components
- Fabricated assemblies
- Pressed metal parts
- Forged components
- Cast components
Specification before sourcing
Small Technical Details Can Create Large Commercial Differences.
Two components that appear visually identical can differ materially because of alloy, tolerance, heat treatment, finish, inspection requirements or production volume. Capturing those details early helps ensure potential supply options are being compared against the same brief.
DrawingMaterialToleranceFinishQuantityCommercial Quote
Have a component requirement?
Send Us the Drawing.
Upload your drawing, specification, image or existing component information together with the required quantity and delivery requirement.
You do not need to know the manufacturing route before submitting an enquiry.Manufacturing Sourcing FAQs
Can I send a technical drawing?
Yes. Drawings and dimensional information can form the basis of a manufacturing sourcing request. Include material, quantity, finish and other critical requirements where known.
Do I need to know which manufacturing process is required?
Not necessarily. If you know the required process, include it. If not, provide the available drawing, material, quantity and functional requirements so the sourcing request can be assessed.
Can Nine Sharks source custom components?
Yes. The manufacturing sourcing service is intended for components purchased against defined drawings, specifications, dimensions or other technical requirements, subject to commercial feasibility.
What manufacturing processes can be sourced?
Current sourcing categories include precision machining, casting, forging, fabrication, pressings and stampings, and selected assembly or kitting requirements. Suitability depends on the individual specification.
Can I provide an existing component instead of a drawing?
Images, samples, datasheets or other references can help define a requirement, although sufficient technical information may still be required before a reliable quotation can be developed.
What quantities can you source?
Quantity requirements are assessed individually. Manufacturing method, tooling and setup costs may mean different processes are suitable for different volumes.
Can you source repeat production requirements?
Repeat and ongoing requirements can be included in an RFQ. Providing expected annual or periodic quantities helps the commercial requirement be understood more accurately.
Does Nine Sharks manufacture the components?
Nine Sharks is a sourcing and trading company rather than the manufacturer. It investigates suitable manufacturing sources and, for agreed transactions, purchases the goods from the selected supplier and supplies them to the buyer under agreed commercial terms.