If you're in procurement and a production line is down, or you're staring at a deadline that moved up by two weeks—you don't have time to run a six-month vendor audit. You need to make a decision, and you need it to be the right one.

This checklist is for those situations. It's based on what I've learned coordinating rush orders for industrial packaging—specifically for clients who need medical-grade or precision components. Not every vendor check applies to every situation, but these five will catch the most common deal-breakers.

Here's the 5-step checklist:

Step 1: Check their core competency against your need

This sounds obvious, but in a rush, it's easy to skip. I've done it. In March 2024, I had a client who needed a custom-shape sharps container—48-hour turnaround. I almost sent the spec to a general packaging vendor because they said they could 'handle anything.'

Glad I didn't. I made a call instead to a specialist. The result: delivered on time, and the unit passed sterilization testing on the first pass. The general vendor? They'd have subcontracted to someone like Bemis anyway, adding a middleman cost and time.

What to ask:

• Is this product type listed as a core offering on their website? (e.g., Bemis lists 'healthcare packaging' and 'sharps containers' prominently.)
• Do they have case studies or certifications for this specific category? (ISO 13485 for medical, for instance.)
• What's the normal lead time? If they say 2 weeks for something that typically takes 4, ask why.

Avoid: Vendors who say 'we can do everything' without specifics. As a rule, I've found that specialists are almost always more reliable for complex or regulated products.

Step 2: Verify manufacturing capability (not just assembly)

There's a difference between a company that manufactures and one that assembles or relabels. For something like a custom packaging solution, that distinction matters.

Take Bemis Manufacturing Company, for example. A quick look at their photos or facility documents will show you actual manufacturing lines—injection molding, thermoforming, assembly. That's a sign they can control quality and lead times. A vendor who outsources everything? You're at the mercy of their supply chain.

Quick check:

• Search 'bemis manufacturing company photos' or look for facility tours on their site.
• Ask: 'Do you have in-house tooling or molding?' If the answer is no, you're paying a premium for a middleman.
• Ask about their oldest machine on the floor. If they don't know, they might not be hands-on with production.

This is one of those steps that's easier to skip in a rush. Don't. I've paid $800 in extra rush fees for a project that could have been done in-house for nothing extra, just because I didn't verify who was actually building the product.

Step 3: Confirm raw material supply chain

This is the step most people forget. You can have the best manufacturer in the world, but if their resin supplier is on backorder, you're stuck.

In Q4 last year, a supplier for a non-medical packaging line went down because their plastic pellet supplier had a plant issue. The manufacturer could make the product—but there was nothing to make it from. We lost a $12,000 contract because we hadn't asked about supply chain redundancy.

What to ask:

• 'Where do you source your primary raw materials (resin, film, etc.)?'
• 'Do you have a backup supplier approved for the same spec?'
• For medical-grade packaging: 'Is your supply chain FDA-registered for the materials used?'

Companies with strong backing (like Bemis under Amcor) often have supply chain advantages. That matters in an emergency. If a vendor can say 'we have dual-source agreements,' that's a green flag.

Step 4: Inspect their quality control process

Here's where I need to be careful—I'm not a QA specialist, so I can't speak to the technical details of sterilization validation or tensile strength testing. What I can tell you from a procurement perspective is what questions separate serious manufacturers from low-cost bidders.

The key question: 'Show me your in-process inspection points.'

A good manufacturer will tell you: 'We inspect at material receipt, after molding, and before final pack.' A vague answer like 'we have quality control' is a red flag.

Other checks:

• Do they have ISO 9001 or ISO 13485? These are verifiable. You can look up the cert.
• Ask for a recent first-article inspection report. If they won't share, move on.
• For medical products: 'What's your sterilization validation protocol?' They should have a clear answer.

After the third late delivery from a vendor who said they 'had quality covered,' I was ready to give up on them entirely. What finally helped was building in a buffer for in-process inspection rather than trusting their final QA report blindly.

Step 5: Check capacity for your timeline

This is the final, most critical step. A manufacturer can check every box above and still fail if they don't have capacity when you need it.

In my role coordinating rush orders for industrial clients, I've learned to ask one blunt question: 'What else is running on that line on the date you quoted?' If they can't tell me, they're guessing.

Here's what I look for:

• Can they give you a specific machine or line dedicated to your order?
• Do they have a policy for 'emergency order prioritization'? (Bemis, for example, has published processes for rush orders—that's a good sign.)
• Ask about the worst thing that could go wrong with the timeline. A good vendor will be honest: 'If our injection molder breaks down, we have a 12-hour backup agreement with the local shop.' A bad one will say 'nothing.'

Take this with a grain of salt: I've paid rush premiums on about 47 orders last year, and the ones that went smoothly were the ones where the vendor had a clear capacity plan from the start.

One last thing: The 'we can do it all' trap

The vendor who says 'this isn't our strength—here's who does it better' earned my trust for everything else. I'd rather work with a specialist who knows their limits than a generalist who overpromises.

When you need something fast, reliable, and exactly to spec, knowing what a manufacturer doesn't do well is as important as knowing what they do.

Pricing note: Cost estimates are as of early 2025. Actual prices vary by spec, volume, and current material costs—always verify current rates.