When a German customer asks you to register as a bearing supplier, establish three things first: the company contracting and receiving payment, the factory making the bearings, and the product and manufacturing site covered by the customer’s approval. A German sales company can fulfil the commercial role, but it does not replace the actual factory in quality records. A supplier number is not product or series-production approval.
Problems arise when purchasing receives one company’s registration details, the sample arrives under another name, and the inspection report has no matching drawing revision. Each document may exist, but the customer cannot connect them. Before incorporating or changing a sales company, put the supplier form, sampling request and proposed contract side by side.
- Commercial onboarding identifies who the customer buys from and pays.
- Quality approval identifies which product and manufacturing route may be supplied.
- Check whether an overseas supplier is acceptable before treating a German company as a prerequisite.
What a buyer’s approval procedure actually covers
Schaeffler’s production process and product approval guide—Appendix 3 of S296900-92, Version B, February 2024—offers a specific buyer example. Its process assessment considers the designated production location, equipment, materials and personnel. Page 14 distinguishes approval, conditional approval requiring resampling, and rejection requiring new sampling; initial samples must be released before series deliveries. [Original guide, printed pages 4 and 14]
This is that buyer’s procedure, not a German statutory approval system or proof that every industrial bearing order needs a full PPAP submission. Ask your actual customer whether this is distributor purchasing, OEM selection or a series-production qualification. The application and buyer determine the required evidence.
| Decision in the buyer’s guide | What to clarify before proceeding |
|---|---|
| Approved | Supply within the scope actually approved by the customer |
| Conditional approval; resampling required | Obtain the written limitations and outstanding submissions; do not report unconditional approval |
| Rejected; new sampling required | Address the product or process issue and follow the customer’s new-sampling requirements |
Original decision diagram based on printed page 14 of the Schaeffler guide; checked 2026-10-23. This is a documented buyer workflow, not a statistical approval rate or a JWhelp approval service. Delivery remains subject to the customer’s written decision.
Map the factory and sales company separately
Suppose Factory A makes the bearings outside Germany and Sales Company B in Germany will sell to a German equipment manufacturer. This is an illustrative arrangement, not a customer case. Do not automatically put Company B in every field. Ask purchasing whether B can be the supplier of record, then ask quality how Factory A should be identified as the real manufacturing site.
| Record or activity | Identify the actual role | Do not substitute |
|---|---|---|
| Quotation, purchase order and sales contract | The buyer-approved contracting seller; keep the agreed transaction consistent | A German address for confirmation that the company is accepted |
| Manufacturing location and quality records | The real factory, processes and relevant subcontracted operations | A warehouse address for a production site |
| Samples and inspections | Sample batch, actual manufacturing route, inspector and report issuer | A trading company name for manufacturing or test capability |
| Invoicing and payment | The seller, tax treatment and account ownership appropriate to the transaction | A convenient bank account for a documented seller relationship |
| Import and stock | The importing, inventory and sales roles in the goods flow | The delivery address as proof of importer identity |
This mapping does not require every role to belong to one company. Different entities may have legitimate roles, but the commercial, goods and quality relationships must be clear. Local representation should not obscure who made the product.
Prepare commercial and product records
Use separate commercial and product folders with one shared product-and-entity reference sheet. Purchasing needs a workable order and payment relationship; quality needs evidence about the bearing supplied for a particular application. Follow the buyer’s actual fields, document versions and language requirements.
Commercial records: make the order executable
Prepare the proposed seller’s legal name, registered address, registration and tax details, contacts, bank account and transaction explanation. Follow the buyer’s verification process for a company or account change. Schaeffler’s global Coupa registration guide separates company, address, banking and financial/tax information across printed pages 10–13, illustrating why each field needs checking. [Buyer registration guide, 2024 edition]
Product records: connect the sample to the intended series part
A broadly similar catalogue number is not enough. Match the full bearing designation and suffix, the approved drawing revision and the application requirements. Clarify clearance, precision, seals, cage and lubricant where relevant. The customer’s application determines whether additional speed, load, noise or life evidence is needed. A salesperson should not fill that gap with a vague claim of “European compliance”.
| Suggested connection | Question before submission |
|---|---|
| Drawing → designation → sample number | Does the report match the buyer’s current revision rather than an old catalogue? |
| Sample → batch → factory | Was the sample made through the intended production route? Were deviations disclosed? |
| Measurement point → method → result | Who measured it, how, and which requirements remain unverified? |
| Material → outsourced operation → traceability | Who performs heat treatment or coating, and does the customer restrict the source? |
| Packaging → label → delivery batch | Can receiving staff connect the delivered bearings to the quality records? |
You do not need to commission every possible test before learning what the buyer requires. Agree the evidence first, then obtain it from the manufacturer or a competent inspection provider. A commercial services provider cannot stand in for the factory’s technical results. Untested requirements remain open items.
Treat entity changes and manufacturing changes differently
Receiving a supplier number does not settle later changes. A different sales company principally changes commercial and tax records; a different manufacturing route may affect the scope of quality approval. Ask the buyer what must be reviewed or resubmitted rather than assuming one form covers everything.
| Proposed change | Who should review it first | Suggested record |
|---|---|---|
| A German company replaces the contracting seller; factory unchanged | Purchasing and finance; quality checks that the manufacturing identity remains correct | Entity relationship, amended order/contract and link to existing approvals |
| The same bearing moves to another factory | Buyer quality and purchasing | New location, equipment/process differences and required reapproval |
| A heat-treatment or other process subcontractor changes | Factory quality and buyer quality | Change description, affected designations/batches and buyer confirmation |
| Drawing, tolerance or material changes | Buyer engineering and quality | Revision scope, sample requirements and treatment of existing stock |
These are our suggested review prompts, not a claim that every change triggers the same procedure. Resolve the scope before shipping a batch made at a different factory, to an old drawing or through an unreviewed manufacturing route.
A practical sequence from onboarding to delivery
- Get the original request. Identify the owners of commercial onboarding, technical evaluation and quality release, and any genuine local-entity requirement.
- Confirm the transaction. Is the factory selling directly, or does a sales company purchase and resell? Identify import, stock and invoicing separately.
- Fix the product scope. Use the specific bearing designation and drawing revision rather than submitting an entire catalogue as the qualification scope.
- Submit the requested samples and evidence. Match them to the real factory and list incomplete verification openly.
- Check release before delivery. Align approval limitations, purchase order, batch markings and change-notification requirements.
A distributor buying standard components may have a lighter process than an OEM qualifying a production-critical bearing. Meet the actual requirement without creating an unnecessary approval project. Equally, a newly incorporated German company cannot replace a manufacturing assessment the customer has explicitly requested.
Where we can help and what to send us
We can help with German company formation, VAT registration and ongoing filings, and agreed local warehousing and customer support once the transaction route is clear. Product selection, testing and factory qualification remain with the manufacturer, customer and relevant technical specialists. We do not promise OEM approval or purchase orders.
Send the customer’s onboarding form, the bearing designations, your current manufacturing and contracting entities, and any written requirement for a German company. We can then discuss which part of the transaction the local company and tax arrangements need to support.
To confirm with the buyer: acceptance of an overseas supplier, the sales-company/manufacturing-site records, quality approval scope, and import and invoicing arrangements. Discuss your supplier-onboarding arrangement →
Sources and verification
Sources checked: 2026-10-23