On a complete bus-body painting line we quoted, the robots carried a margin of about 12 % — the value of the line was in the booths, the ovens and the conveyor. That is the shape of most painting projects: the equipment everyone discusses is a minority of the money, and the offers that look cheapest are usually the ones missing scope.
The scope checklist
| Block | Typical content | Who usually forgets it |
|---|---|---|
| Robots | Manipulator, controller, teach pendant, cables, mounting, 7th axis or positioner | Nobody |
| Application equipment | Guns or bells, colour change, 2K mixing, metering, in-arm hoses | The buyer, when comparing robot prices |
| Paint supply | Pumps, circulation, hold-pressure valves, day tanks, filtration, cleaning stations | Both sides — this is the classic change order |
| Booths and air handling | Spray booths, supply-air conditioning, extraction, filters, fire and gas detection | Nobody, but the cost is underestimated |
| Ovens and flash-off | Drying ovens, flash zones, heat source and ducting | Underestimated on solvent lines |
| Conveyor and handling | Overhead or floor conveyor, hangers, roller beds, indexing | Hangers — and hangers change the robot selection |
| Controls and safety | Cell PLC, HMI, guarding, interlocks, light curtains, purge interlocks | Specified late, priced late |
| Utilities interface | Compressed air quality and volume, power, water, waste | Assumed to exist at the required quality |
| Services | Simulation, pre-shipment integration test, remote support through commissioning, training, documentation | Trimmed to win the order, then needed anyway |
How to write an RFQ that produces comparable offers
- State the three inputs first: parts (with drawings), paint system and required cycle time. Everything else is derived from them.
- Give the hazardous-area classification and the standard you are working to — ATEX, GB/T 3836, TR CU 012/2011, ПУЭ zoning — so bidders quote the right equipment rather than the cheapest.
- Ask for a compliance table against your technical specification, item by item, with deviations written out. A supplier who marks everything "compliant" has not read it.
- Ask for the scope split explicitly: what is in the offer, what is customer scope, what is excluded. Comparing two offers without this compares nothing.
- Name the acceptance criteria and the test method: film build at named points, cycle time per model, ratio accuracy, run-off defect rate.
- State the incoterms, the packing basis and the documents you need for customs — the paperwork is part of the delivery, not an afterthought.
How we quote
- Every item named in your technical specification appears as a priced line, including 2K units, in-arm mixers, flushing systems and air treatment. An item that is not listed is an item someone supplies free later — usually us, and we would rather price it.
- Tracks are priced per metre, the same unit you will check them in.
- Deviations from your specification are written into a compliance table and confirmed in writing. On one welding proposal the deviation was a light curtain instead of the specified safety mat and enable button — that belongs in a table, not in a footnote.
- Model numbers in the offer are checked against the attached datasheet before the offer is sent, and quantity × unit price is verified independently.
What we can and cannot do
We supply CMA painting robots and EFORT industrial robots, together with the application equipment, paint supply, tracks, positioners and integration around them, and we source the remaining line equipment in China. Certificates are published with their numbers; where coverage of a variant is not confirmed, we say so.
We do not present an engineered proposal as a delivered installation, and we do not quote without the three inputs. Both rules cost us occasional orders and save every project that follows.
Frequently asked questions
Can you supply only the robots?
Yes. One project was twelve GR6150-2900 arms without paint equipment, pre-fitted to the customer's own specification. Arm-only supply is a normal scope when you have your own integration team.
What incoterms do you work on?
EXW, FOB, CIF or DAP. We prepare the commercial invoice, packing list, certificate of origin and dangerous-goods documentation where applicable, and the technical conformity file your customs authority asks for.
How long does a line take?
A robot workstation is typically 4–6 weeks after deposit; a complete line with booths and ovens runs to months, and the contract schedule should be written with production, pre-acceptance, sea freight, installation and commissioning as separate durations rather than one number.
Request a quote Send drawings and we check the selection before quoting.