Terms of trade
Terms of trade.
The commercial terms we work on, published so you can read them before you contact us instead of after you have committed. Where our suppliers differ from each other, what is published here is the weaker figure, because it is the only one that holds whichever plant fills your order.
Incoterms
We quote CIF to your named port of discharge as standard, so the price includes the goods, ocean freight and insurance to that port. FOB and EXW are quoted on request where you want to control the freight yourself.
The Incoterm and the rules edition applied are named on every quotation. Import duty, taxes and customs clearance at destination are yours in all cases, and the quotation says so on its face.
Payment terms
50 percent deposit on order confirmation against a signed proforma. 50 percent on a passed independent pre-shipment inspection, before the goods are loaded.
Quotations are in USD unless agreed otherwise in writing. If you would prefer not to send a deposit at all, ask us and we will tell you what is workable on your order. The full sequence is set out on the payment protection page.
Lead time
Up to 60 days from cleared deposit to vessel departure. Ocean transit time is additional, depends on the route, and is stated for your port on your quotation. Above 250 kVA the lead time depends on the plant that builds the set and is confirmed on your proforma before you order, so treat the figure above as the band up to 250 kVA rather than a promise across the whole range.
The figure published here is the slowest across the plants we buy from. Where your order is placed with a quicker plant you get the shorter date at order confirmation.
Warranty
12 months from arrival or 1000 running hours, whichever comes first. This is the floor that every plant we buy from supports, so it is the figure we publish.
Where a specific unit carries longer cover, that is stated in writing on your order confirmation for that order. It does not change the published floor.
Claims are handled by Steelgaard directly. You deal with us, in your language and your time zone, not with a factory abroad.
The warranty covers defects in materials and workmanship. Excluded are consumables, filters and fluids, damage from incorrect installation or wiring, contaminated fuel, operation outside the rated load, and missed servicing.
Inspection and acceptance
Every order is subject to independent pre-shipment inspection by an inspector you nominate, at the plant, against your signed proforma. The report is issued to you.
If the goods fail the agreed specification they are not loaded and your deposit is returned less the inspection fee. Shortage or transit damage should be reported within 7 days of arrival with photographs, so that it can be raised against the carrier or the insurer while the claim is still live.
Packing and marking
Neutral export packing. No factory markings, no plant name and no manufacturer branding on the canopy or the crate. Your inspector verifies this at the plant before the goods load.
Buyer branding on the canopy is settled in writing before production starts, on the orders where it is available.
Documents provided
Commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading, certificate of origin and the independent inspection report. Any test or conformity documentation your entry requires is listed on your quotation for your order.
On the lanes we quote, a pre-export conformity certificate is arranged by us where the destination requires one, and its cost is a stated line on your quotation rather than an addition later. Requirements differ sharply by destination: Tanzania and Kenya both require a certificate issued before the goods sail, and the UAE requires none for this tariff heading.
Title and risk
Title to the goods passes on receipt of the full price. Risk passes in accordance with the Incoterm named on the quotation.
Cancellation
Before production starts, your deposit is refunded less any costs already committed, itemised so you can see what they were.
Once production has started the deposit stands against the plant's work in progress. If we cancel for any reason other than your default, your deposit is returned in full.
Limitation of liability
If a set is defective, our liability is the invoice value of the goods that gave rise to the claim. That is the whole price you paid us for them, not a share of it.
Indirect loss is excluded: lost production, lost profit, downtime, and the cost of hiring standby equipment while a set is repaired. That is the standard allocation in machinery supply. It is also why the inspection happens before the goods load and why marine insurance to your port sits inside the price instead of being sold to you afterwards.
Nothing here limits what cannot be limited by law, including liability for death or personal injury and liability under mandatory product liability rules. Those apply whatever a contract says.
Governing law
These terms and any order formed under them are governed by Finnish law and subject to the courts of Finland. This does not remove any mandatory protection you have under the law of the country where you operate.
What is not a term
Everything on this website is indicative. Prices move with the plant, with freight and with steel. Nothing here is an offer capable of acceptance.
The contract is the quotation and the order confirmation, agreed in writing by both sides. If something matters to you, get it onto that document, and we will put it there.
Anything here you want changed?
Tell us which clause does not work for your market and you get a straight answer on whether we can move on it.
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