For machine shops
If you run a shop, here is how we work.
We place precision machining work with a small number of qualified shops. This page is what we send you: what the work looks like, what we require, how qualification runs and how we pay.
The work
What we would send you.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Volumes | Prototype and low-volume production, one to a few thousand pieces |
| Tolerance | ±0.05 mm routinely; ±0.03 mm on qualifying features |
| Materials | Aluminium, stainless, tool steel, titanium, alloys, engineering plastics |
| Sectors | Semiconductor, aerospace, medical equipment, energy |
| Documentation | Dimensional results, material certificates, and a clean handover of anything non-conforming |
| Repeat business | Where a part goes into a customer's ongoing build — the majority of what we place |
What we require
Four things, and only one is about machines.
You can evidence process control
Calibration records, a documented inspection method, and traceability from a shipped part back to the material and the operator. ISO 9001 makes this faster to demonstrate but is not the only way to demonstrate it.You tell us early when a date is at risk
This is the one we care about most, and the one most likely to end a relationship. We promise our customers a weekly written update; we cannot keep that promise if we find out about a slip after it has happened.You flag non-conformance rather than shipping it
A part you tell us about is a problem we can solve together. A part you ship hoping it passes becomes our problem at incoming inspection and your last order.You treat customer drawings as confidential
Under NDA, not shared, not used as samples, not shown to anyone outside the job. We treat a leak as ending the relationship.
Qualification
How it actually runs.
You send capability details
Machine list, certifications, materials you are comfortable in, and a few sample parts you are proud of. An email is enough to start.Supplier survey
A documented questionnaire covering quality system, inspection equipment and calibration, capacity and confidentiality practice. It becomes part of our approved-supplier record.A first trial job
Real, paid, and deliberately small — enough to see how you communicate when something is harder than expected, which is the thing a survey cannot tell us.Ongoing performance tracking
On-time delivery, first-pass yield and how you handle a problem. Tracked per job and shared with you, not kept as a private score.
Questions
What shops ask us.
Do I need to be ISO 9001 certified?
It makes qualification much faster, but it is not an absolute bar for every job. What is not negotiable is that you can evidence process control: calibration records, a documented inspection method, and traceability from a shipped part back to the material and the operator. A certificate is a shortcut to demonstrating that, not a substitute for it.
How do you pay, and when?
Agreed in writing before the first order, and we pay to those terms. If a payment is going to be late you hear it from us in advance — we ask our customers to judge us on exactly that behaviour, so it would be difficult to justify not extending it to our suppliers.
Will you send drawings before I am qualified?
Only under a signed NDA, and only what is needed to quote. Customer drawings are confidential and we treat a leak as ending the relationship. Expect us to be equally careful with yours.
What kind of volumes are we talking about?
Prototype and low-volume production, typically one to a few thousand pieces, with repeat business where a part goes into a customer's ongoing build. We are not placing high-volume commodity work.
How do I start?
Send an email with your capability list, machine list, certifications and a couple of sample parts you are proud of. If there is a fit we will follow with a supplier survey and a first trial job — a real one, paid, small enough that a problem is not expensive for either of us.
Get in touch
Send your capability list, machine list and certifications to enquiries@hsquaredtech.com with “Supplier” in the subject, or use the contact form and pick the supplier option.