4 min read
What should travel with the shipment
A document that cannot answer a specific question is a liability with a letterhead.
The five that matter
A packing list with carton and pallet dimensions; a specification sheet with nominal values and tolerances; a material declaration by percentage and construction; a batch reference; and, where relevant, the retained sample reference.
Together these answer the questions that otherwise arrive three weeks later by email, from a customer who is holding the goods and cannot sell them.
The test of a good declaration
It names the construction, the percentages, the presence or absence of a binder, and the date. It does not use the words "eco-friendly" or "medical grade" without a defined scope.
If a supplier cannot state the construction in one paragraph, the document is being used to avoid a question rather than to answer one.