India’s rise as a manufacturing hub has created unprecedented opportunities. However, many buyers overseas find sourcing in India challenging. They particularly struggle to find legitimate suppliers and manufacturers in India, partly because the landscape is radically different from China.
So how to find a supplier in India? In this guide, we’ll give you a roadmap to India’s sourcing platforms and address the challenges of finding the right manufacturing partners.
Online B2B Marketplaces in India
In recent years, increasingly more suppliers in India have listed themselves on both global and domestic platforms – making it easier sourcing products from India. The benefits of these platforms are that you often can connect with thousands of suppliers for free. Below we’ll go through the main ones.
Alibaba
Alibaba.com is known to many as the biggest platform to source Chinese suppliers. But in recent years, the platform has listed thousands of Indian manufacturers and wholesalers across major consumer goods categories – and is a great starting point to find suppliers in india. These includes textiles, apparel, leather goods, shoes, and more. Simply filter by the country of manufacturers’ origin to India.
Global Sources
Global Sources is another large marketplace, that originally facilitated trade between Greater China and the world – but has since also allowed manufacturers from other manufacturing countries, such as India. Here, you’ll find manufacturer in India and wholesalers in the traditional consumer goods categories such as Consumer Electronics, Smart home and appliance, Fashion, Home and kitchen.
IndiaMART
IndiaMart is India’s largest online B2B marketplace. The platform connects global buyers with Indian suppliers across various sectors, from steel mills, textile companies to trading companies.
While the sheer volume of companies listed on the platform is impressive, it’s important to note that the platform primarily targets the domestic market. Therefore, some of the suppliers you may find here will not have an export license.
Trade India
Trade India is a leading B2B platform in India and a platform to use if you want to source products from india. The platform caters to suppliers, exporters, and manufacturers. It has 80,000+ product categories and thousands of manufacturers and wholesalers from India listed here.
Trade Shows in India
Trade shows are a great opportunity to find suppliers in India. Here are two of India’s largest international trade shows focused on consumer products:
India International Trade Fair (IITF)
An annual international event held in New Delhi, IITF showcases a wide array of products and services across industries. It attracts international exhibitors and visitors, making it a prime venue for global networking in consumer goods and beyond.
IHGF Delhi Fair
The IHGF Delhi Fair is renowned as the world’s largest fair for gifts and handicrafts, including home textiles, decor, and fashion. With international buyers and exhibitors from across the globe, it serves as a nexus for global trade in these consumer sectors. The good part is that all exhibitors are members of the Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts, which means that they have an export license to export overseas.
Trade Promotion Councils in India
In India, various avenues like Trade Promotion Councils and Industry Associations enable international businesses to connect with suppliers. These are particularly crucial in the consumer goods sector.
Trade Promotion Councils: Organisations like the Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) and Handloom Export Promotion Council (HEPC) Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) organize events, provide supplier information, and facilitate connections, buyers-seller meetings both domestic and overseas. Often times attending buyers-sellers meetings in India, the organization will cover your flight ticket and accommodation expenses.
India Quality Inspection and Factory Audits
Monitoring the quality of your products is extremely important in India, partly because the manufacturing landscape is both unique and complex. With manufacturers often blending modern and traditional manufacturing practices, this leads to varied production standards.
As always, it’s important to perform your own due diligence when working with new suppliers. If you’re unsure about the legitimacy of your intended suppliers, we recommend you perform a factory audit in India.
In the event that you are uncertain whether the factory can produce goods that meet your quality standards, conducting a product inspection in India is a wise step. Engaging with third party inspection companies in India that understands the local market and regulations can save time and prevent potential challenges down the line. At HQTS, we follow a strict checklist when performing third party inspections in India covering the following main topics:
By ensuring a stringent quality control process, businesses can maintain product integrity, adhere to compliance requirements, and build strong, trustworthy relationships with Indian suppliers.
Conclusion: How to Find a Supplier in India
In this article, we outlined different ways how to find manufacturers in India. Ranging from online portals like IndiaMart and TradeIndia, Trade shows like the New Delhi Autumn and Spring Fair, as well as trade promotion councils.
However, it’s important to do your own due diligence before working with new suppliers. At HQTS, we have our HQTS India operations located in New Delhi, India, and we can perform factory and supplier audits, quality inspections, and consultancy across pan-India. If you have any questions about third-party quality control, please don’t hesitate to contact us today.
