Background information
-Product: 316L stainless steel cold-rolled steel pipe (thickness 0.5mm, width 600mm, surface 2B smooth, JIS standard)
-Customer: A metal products processing factory in Saudi Arabia, mainly engaged in the production of food machinery accessories, purchasing raw materials from China for the first time.
-Trade terms: CIF Dammam Port (INCOTERMS 2020), payment method 30% advance payment + 70% stocking to complete payment.
-Special requirements: Must pass Saudi SABER certification, meet SASO standards, and provide English + Arabic bilingual documents.

II. Detailed process
1. December 2023: Preliminary communication and quotation
- Demand confirmation: The customer emails a procurement demand, requiring the provision of a chemical composition report of 316 stainless steel pipes (must include Mo content ≥2.1%), a mechanical properties test report (yield strength ≥205MPa) and salt spray test data (＞48 hours).
- Technical docking: Our engineers held a video conference with the customer to confirm the edge burr control standard.
- Quotation: Send a pro forma invoice (PI-2312SAU01), stating the unit price $xxxx/ton CIF Daman, MOQ 20 tons, delivery time 45 days, and attach ISO 9001 certificate and Mill Test Certificate template.
- Bargaining negotiation: The customer asked for a 5% price reduction and proposed a 60-day payment period. Finally, we negotiated a 2% price reduction and maintained the original payment terms, and promised to provide free SABER certification guidance.

2. January 2024: Sample confirmation and contract signing
- Sample delivery: 1 meter stainless steel pipe sample (DHL tracking number QGD0754396) by air, with a test report issued by a third-party testing agency (SGS), focusing on the pitting resistance equivalent (PREN≥25) that the customer is concerned about.
- Sample feedback: After the customer's laboratory test confirmed that the sample was qualified, we immediately adjusted and confirmed that the additional cost would be borne by the factory.
- Contract signing: The customer signs the PO number and simultaneously wires a 30% advance payment through Saudi Al Rajhi Bank. The production plan is started after the financial confirmation.

3. January-February 2024: Production and certification

- Production scheduling: The factory organizes production according to the ASTM A240 standard.

- SABER certification:

- Assist customers to register an account on the SABER platform and submit the documents required for the product HS Code and PC certificate (Product Certificate), including production flow chart and risk assessment report.

- Intertek, a designated agency in Saudi Arabia, will go to the factory for an audit, focusing on the temperature control record of the melting furnace (1550±10℃) and the cold rolling thickness tolerance (±0.03mm). The PC certificate will be issued after the audit is passed.

- Process quality inspection: Each steel pipe is laser-sprayed with a number, and 5% are randomly selected for metallographic testing (grain size level 7), and video records are retained for customer inspection.

4. March 2024: Payment collection, inspection and shipment
- Third-party inspection: The customer entrusts the BV inspector to come to the factory, sample 10 pieces according to the AQL Level II standard, confirm that there are no scratches on the surface and the tolerance meets the standard, and issue a Clean Report of Findings.
Final payment collection: The customer pays the final payment of $xxxx within 5 working days after the stocking is completed.
- Booking and shipment: Entrust the freight forwarder to book a 20GP container for sea transportation of xx, load the container at the port on March 15, and handle CO (issued by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade) and insurance (PICC insures all risks) at the same time.

5. April 2024: After-sales
- Customer customs clearance: Assist in providing the SABER SC certificate (Shipment Certificate) code, and the customer completes customs clearance and picks up the goods within 3 days.
- After-sales follow-up: After receiving the customer's signature confirmation email, send the "Customer Satisfaction Survey Form" and invite to participate in the quarterly video conference to discuss the subsequent 50-ton order stocking plan.