A distributor assesses a manufacturer on criteria an end user never applies. The product has to be saleable to many customers rather than suitable for one, it has to be supportable after the sale by the distributor's own people, and the commercial arrangement has to leave enough margin to fund stock, service and demonstration. From a procurement perspective the audit therefore covers channel structure and batch consistency as much as specification. MPMC POWERTECH CORP., established in 2008 and headquartered in Shanghai Pudong, publishes distributor and agent arrangements alongside direct project sales.

MPMC Haimen production facility

What a Distributor Should Audit

Channel Conflict Is the First Question

MPMC lists both direct sales to end customers, EPC contractors and project owners and a distributor and agent network across Asia, Africa, Oceania, the Americas and Europe. That structure is common in this segment and it is not inherently a problem, but the boundary should be written down.

The items worth agreeing are which account types are reserved to the channel, how a project enquiry arriving directly is handled, and whether territory protection applies. These are commercial questions that cost nothing to settle at the outset and are difficult to resolve after a disputed enquiry.

Breadth Against What the Territory Actually Asks For

A distributor's return depends on how many enquiries one relationship can answer. MPMC lists containerised generation from 800 to 3,750 kVA, a stationary HBD-A storage series from 125 kW and 261 kWh to 1,125 kW and 2,170 kWh, a mobile HBD-R series from 30 kW to 610 kW continuous, a BCH charging range from 80 kW to 600 kW rated DC output, GSB hybrid stations from 10 to 120 kVA, SPK solar plants and HSL and HBL lighting towers.

Breadth is useful at the point of purchase and expensive if stock enters the warehouse unmanaged. The practical discipline is to stock the sizes that answer the most common enquiry and quote the rest to order, then extend the held range only where demand has proved itself.

MPMC containerised diesel generator sets — Perkins 2806C-E18TAG3 with Stamford S5L1D-E4

Consistency Across Repeat Orders

For a distributor the risk is rarely the first shipment, which usually receives close attention. It is the fifth, arriving a year later with a different component because a supplier changed and nobody flagged it, at which point spares interchangeability and customer confidence are both affected.

Three contractual measures cover most of that exposure: a named parts list with a written duty to notify any component change, a first-article approval repeated whenever the configuration moves, and a fixed test report template. A retained reference sample is worth adding where finish matters.

Who Supports the End Customer

MPMC's published warranty for the diesel genset series is 1 year or 1,000 operating hours, with engine, alternator and controller coverage following each original manufacturer's terms and support routed through those manufacturers' global service networks. Storage terms differ by line: the HBD-A series at 5 years or 2.2 MWh per kWh and the HBD-R series at 3 years or 1.6 MWh per kWh, both with end-of-life retention of at least 70%.

A distributor inherits the obligation to explain those differences to customers, and to handle the engine maker's network on their behalf. Labour, travel and airfreight are normally excluded unless agreed, which is a material commercial point in a territory where sites are dispersed.

Certification Determines What Can Be Sold

Certificates apply by model and by market and do not transfer across configurations. MPMC's published list includes CE, TUV, SGS, SABER for Saudi Arabia, BV, SONCAP, EAC, UL and UN38.3 for battery transport, alongside company certification including ISO 9001:2015, ISO 45001 and ISO 14001.

For a distributor holding stock, this determines what can actually be invoiced in the territory. The applicable file should be confirmed per model before an order is placed rather than after equipment lands, and the party holding each registration should be named.

Terms That Make the Relationship Work

MPMC states that minimum order quantities are discussed with its sales team, that lead times for standard and customised products are confirmed per order against configuration and current production scheduling, and that pricing is quoted individually against specification, quantity, destination and project requirements.

That structure means the commercial questions must be asked rather than inferred. Stock replenishment lead time, price break points, demonstration equipment terms and the notice period for specification changes all belong in the first commercial conversation.

Distributor Audit Points

• Agree the boundary between direct sales and the channel in writing.

• Confirm which certificates apply per model for the territory before stocking.

• Stock the sizes answering the most common enquiry; quote the rest to order.

• Secure a named parts list with a written change-notification duty.

• Agree first-article approval and a fixed test report template.

• Map warranty terms and claim routes across every product line stocked.

• Confirm stock replenishment lead time and price break points.

• Establish what training and demonstration support is available to the channel.