The Three Things Export Customers Ask Most: English Manuals, Spare Parts, and Overseas Warranty

Why Overseas Customers Care So Much About These Three Things

When you buy a machine in Taiwan and it breaks, you make a phone call and a technician can arrive the same day or the next. Overseas customers don't have that: a call may cross time zones, parts take a week to ship, and technicians have to fly. So they ask very detailed questions before ordering, usually focused on three things: a manual they can understand, whether spares are on hand, and whether the warranty still counts outside Taiwan.

What an English Manual Should Contain

A useful manual isn't just the Chinese version translated into English. Manuals for exported machines generally include these chapters:

• Machine identification: Model, serial number, year of manufacture, manufacturer name and address
• Technical data: Voltage, phases, frequency, power, capacity range, dimensions, and weight
• Safety instructions: Danger zones, protective devices, emergency stop locations, and the procedure for stopping, cutting power, and lockout/tagout before cleaning and maintenance
• Installation and power connection: Floor, space, power specifications, and grounding
• Operation: Startup sequence, parameter adjustment, shutdown sequence
• Cleaning and hygiene: Which parts can be removed, how to remove them, which cleaning methods to use, and which areas must not be sprayed directly with water
• Maintenance: Maintenance intervals, lubrication points, and suitable types of lubricant
• Troubleshooting: Common situations and how to deal with them
• Parts diagrams and part numbers: So customers can order parts precisely

Pictures, exploded views, and short videos are often more useful than text, especially since floor operators may not read English.

Note that some markets have legal requirements for the language of manuals. The EU Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC requires instructions to be written in an official EU language and marked as the original version; if there's no version in the official language of the country of use, a translation must be supplied. Under the new regulation (EU) 2023/1230, which applies from January 20, 2027, each member state decides the language, which must be easily understood by users; it also allows instructions to be provided digitally only, but if a user requests paper at the time of purchase, the manufacturer must provide it free of charge within 1 month. For details, see CE marking and the EU machinery regulation overhaul.

How to Prepare Spare Parts

Parts for food forming machines fall roughly into three categories:

• Wear parts: Seal rings, O-rings, scrapers, conveyor belts, rubber parts, and so on, which wear with use and washing.
• Forming-related parts: Nozzles, molds, and cutters, needed only when changing products, and which may also be deformed by impacts.
• Electrical parts: Fuses, sensors, relays, push-button switches, and so on.

A common practice among overseas customers is to buy a "startup spare parts kit" with the order, covering at least wear parts and common electrical parts; the higher the production volume and the farther from the manufacturer, the more complete the spares should be. For electrical parts, pay attention to voltage, frequency, and local specifications; see voltage and frequency differences by country.

It's recommended that the spare parts list include part numbers, photos, and recommended stock levels, so customers can quote part numbers directly when reordering and wrong shipments are least likely.

What Overseas Warranty Terms Need to Spell Out

The most problematic part of warranty terms isn't the length of the warranty but "what the warranty covers." The contract should clearly state:

• When the warranty starts: the shipping date, the bill of lading date, or the installation completion date
• Warranty scope: who pays for parts, labor, technician travel, parts shipping, and import duties
• What's not covered: normal wear of wear parts, operation not following the manual, mismatched power supply, and unauthorized modifications
• How to report failures: photos, videos, serial number, and response time
• Whether replaced parts must be sent back

A common overseas warranty arrangement is "parts free, shipping and labor charged separately," but practices vary by manufacturer, so always go by the contract.

For Dong-Yih Machinery's manual languages, spare parts recommendations, and warranty terms, please call 06-257-4644 or reach us through our contact information page. For arranging overseas installation and remote support, see Overseas Installation, Training, and Remote Support.

FAQ

Q: Is there an English manual?
A: The languages manufacturers provide vary, so confirm before ordering. For machines sold to the EU, instructions must by law be provided in a language accepted by the country of use.

Q: Which spare parts should we buy?
A: At a minimum, wear parts (seal rings, scrapers, conveyor belts, etc.) and common electrical parts (fuses, sensors). The farther from the manufacturer and the higher the output, the more complete the spares should be.

Q: How does the overseas warranty work?
A: It depends on the contract; the key points are when the warranty starts and who pays for parts, labor, shipping, and import duties. A common arrangement is parts under warranty, with shipping and labor charged separately.

Q: Is damage from connecting the wrong power supply covered by warranty?
A: Most warranty terms exclude mismatched power supplies and operation not following the manual, so always check voltage, phases, and frequency before connecting.