工厂

工厂 (gōngchǎng) is "work shed." The simplified form 厂 reuses an ancient character for a cliff overhang, a shelter with one wall; the traditional form is 廠. On the floor people say 厂里 (chǎng lǐ, "in the factory") and 厂家 (chǎngjiā) for the manufacturer as a business. The vocabulary below is the dialect of that world, much of it unknown to Chinese speakers outside manufacturing: 大货 for the bulk order, 丝 for a hundredth of a millimetre, 唛头 for a carton's shipping mark. Textbook business Chinese skips all of it, and it is what your merchandiser will write in every WeChat message.

The sequence matters more than any single word. Each stage ends with a 确认 (confirmation), and each confirmation is the reference for the next stage: the approved sample is the standard for the mold, the sealed sample is the standard for bulk, and bulk is inspected against the sealed sample. Disputes later turn on which sample was confirmed, when, and by whom, so learn the stage names well enough to use them in a sentence.

模具 (mújù) covers every custom tool: injection molds, stamping dies, fixtures. 开模 (kāimú, "open a mold") is the act of commissioning one and is often the largest single cost in a new product. The question that matters most is not the price but the ownership: 模具归谁 (mújù guī shéi, "who does the mold belong to?"). A buyer who pays the 模具费 normally owns the tool, but unless the contract says so, and says the factory may not use it for anyone else, the factory holds it physically and can make your part for others. Ask the question in the meeting, then get the answer into the contract; the contract and IP page in this series covers the clauses.

Steel grades are read digit by digit: 304 is 三零四 (sān líng sì), 316 is 三一六 (sān yī liù), and 316L adds the letter. 不锈钢 (bùxiùgāng) is "steel that does not rust." 食品级 (shípǐnjí, food grade) is the claim every supplier makes, so ask for the 材质报告 (cáizhì bàogào, material certificate) or a third-party test report rather than accepting the word. A vacuum bottle has an inner liner, 内胆 (nèidǎn, literally "inner gallbladder"), and an outer shell, 外壳 (wàiké); specify the grade for each separately, because a factory can meet "316" on the liner and use 304 or something cheaper on the shell.

出货 (chūhuò) is the last word of the sequence and the moment leverage changes hands. Before shipment the factory wants your balance payment and you hold it; after shipment the goods are in a container and the factory holds the money. That is why inspection happens before 出货, why the balance is usually due against the inspection report or the bill of lading (提单 tídān), and why a buyer's most useful sentence in the final week is 验货通过以后再付尾款 (yànhuò tōngguò yǐhòu zài fù wěikuǎn): the balance is paid after inspection passes. The price, payment, and contract pages in this series pick up from there.