Dealer guide
More and more of our dealers sell warehouse trucks under their own brand. In Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan this is called СТМ (собственная торговая марка); elsewhere it is private label or OEM. The trucks come from our factory, but the name on the truck, the colour and the relationship with the end customer belong to the dealer.
Done well, a private label range gives a dealer things a distributor of a well-known brand never has: control over the price, no other dealer selling the same badge in the next town, and a brand that becomes worth more every year. Done badly, it leaves the dealer with trucks that nobody can service. This guide covers what to agree with a factory before the first order, based on how we handle private label orders at Accelift.
Build your brand on the factory’s strongest models
Every factory has a few products it builds in volume and a longer list it can make. Ask which is which. A private label range built on the factory’s core models gets the most tested design, the steadiest quality and the best supply of spare parts.
For us, those models are electric pallet trucks and electric stackers. They are what our assembly lines build every day, and they are where our prices are strongest. A typical private label range starts with:
- a compact lithium pallet truck such as the SL15L3 or SL20L3, for shops, distribution and light warehouse work;
- a walkie electric stacker such as the CL15JB, for loading racks and lorries;
- later, heavier pallet trucks and stackers with higher lift, once the brand is known.
Start narrow. Two or three models that sell well do more for a new brand than a catalogue of thirty that nobody has heard of.
Colour and logo
This is the part dealers worry about most, and it is the simplest. We paint the trucks in the dealer’s corporate colour and put the dealer’s logo on them. To get it right the first time, send us:
- The colour as a RAL code, for example RAL 2004 orange or RAL 1023 yellow. A photo or a colour on a screen is not enough, because every monitor shows it differently.
- The logo as a vector file (AI, EPS, PDF or SVG), not a JPG copied from your website. A vector file stays sharp at any size.
- Where the logo should go: the mast, the chassis cover, the battery cover. Tell us if you also want your website or phone number on the truck.
Before production starts, ask for a photo of a finished truck in your colours and approve it in writing. It takes a day and saves arguments later.
Agree at the same time what else carries your brand: the operating manual, the nameplate, the packing. Settle it before the first order, not while the container is being loaded.
Minimum order
We do not set a minimum quantity for private label orders. We would rather start small with a good partner than lose the business over a number.
In practice, the sensible size for a private label order is a 20 ft or 40 ft container with mixed models. A full container keeps the freight cost per truck low, it is the simplest way to ship, and it puts enough stock in your warehouse to show customers that the brand is serious. Mixing models is normal: pallet trucks pack around the taller stackers, and your whole starter range arrives in one shipment.
Prices and delivery terms
Our prices are FOB Shanghai or Ningbo. FOB means we deliver the trucks, cleared for export, on board the ship at the Chinese port; sea freight, insurance and import costs from there are on the buyer’s side. Most dealers already work with a forwarder who handles this, and FOB prices from different factories are easy to compare.
The price of the same model changes with its configuration, mainly the battery (lead-acid or lithium, and its capacity), the lift height and the fork size. When you compare offers, compare the same configuration.
A dealer building a brand needs room in the market. We price private label orders so that the dealer can sell at a competitive level and still earn a healthy margin, because a brand that sells well is good for both of us.
Lead time
Normal delivery time is about one month from order confirmation. Settle the colour and the logo before you confirm, so the clock starts with everything decided. The first order in a new colour needs the most care; repeat orders in the same colour are routine.
Warranty and spare parts: where the long-term profit is
Our warranty is one year. Whichever factory you work with, get the warranty terms in writing and agree how a claim is handled: what you send, who pays for the part and how it reaches you.
Spare parts deserve more attention than they usually get. A truck is sold once, but it needs wheels, seals and batteries for years. We supply spare parts to our private label partners at our lowest price, so over time the after-sales side becomes a steady source of profit for the dealer, not a cost.
Two habits pay off:
- Add a starter kit of fast-wearing parts, such as load wheels, drive wheels and hydraulic seals, to the first container, while the freight is already paid.
- Record the model and serial number of every truck you sell, so the right part can be found quickly.
A checklist before you sign
- Which models are the factory’s core products?
- Your colour as a RAL code and your logo as a vector file
- Where the logo goes, and what else carries your brand: manual, nameplate, packing
- A photo of a finished truck in your colours, approved before production
- The FOB port, and the exact configuration behind each price
- Container size and model mix
- Delivery time, counted from order confirmation
- Warranty terms and the claim procedure, in writing
- Spare parts prices, and a starter kit for the first shipment
For lead times, documents and shipping in more detail, read importing warehouse equipment from China. When you are ready to build your own brand, send us your logo, your colour and the models you have in mind, and we will come back with a quotation.