The real map.
Every supplier and sub-supplier for each product, down to raw material, and how they connect. Not the sales profile. The real chain.
Program 1 of 6 · Asia Agent Pte Ltd
Mapping & Origin
Know who really makes your product, and prove where it's made.
Most importers know the supplier on the invoice. CBP and the EU now ask about everyone behind it: who made the parts, where the real manufacturing happens, and who got paid.
We map the real chain, down to raw material, in every country you make in. Then we build the records that prove it.
- Timeline
- Most projects take 2 to 6 weeks
- Where
- China, Vietnam and India
- Price
- From $5,000
- Scoped
- In writing, before you pay
What changes when you can see the whole chain
Knowing the factory is not the same as knowing the chain. Behind most products sit a trading company, a main factory, a handful of sub-suppliers and the people who made the raw materials. Each one is a place where quality, cost, origin or payment can go quietly wrong.
That's not a reason to worry. It's a reason to look once, properly, and write it down. Most suppliers are good, and the map usually shows it. When something isn't right, you learn it before the order, not at the port.
The result is simple: you can answer "where was this made, from what, and by whom?" for every product, in every country, with records to back it.
Who it's for
- Importers who make in more than one country, or are thinking about adding one.
- Importers with one supplier whose parts and materials come from several places.
- Private label brands, industrial buyers and equipment importers buying directly from factories in China, Vietnam or India.
- Importers who are changing suppliers, scaling volume, or recovering from a supplier dispute.
If one supplier in one country is all you need to understand, we can work with you directly, month to month: China Agent Ltd for China, and Vietnam-Agent.com and India-Agent.com for those hubs.
What you get
The production flow.
How the product is actually built, step by step, with the machines, the process and the skills the line needs. Documented well enough that another supplier could repeat it.
The origin evidence pack.
For each product, the records that show where the real manufacturing happens: production records, purchase records and shipment records that line up. This is what CBP and the EU look for.
The supplier reality.
Business license, ownership, capability and export readiness for each supplier, seen face to face.
The money check.
Who you are actually paying, the bank and beneficiary structure, and where the money goes, before funds are released.
The control plan.
A short list of what to lock in before production: contracts, simple procedures and quality gates. Plus a risk review in plain words: where a part could be swapped, where one supplier holds too much leverage, where duty exposure sits, and what to fix first.
How it works
1.
We scope it together.
A call to understand your product, your suppliers and your volume. We confirm what to look at first, and the price, in writing.
2.
We visit.
In each hub, we sit down with your suppliers, face to face. We explain what's needed and why. That's how the records actually get handed over. Visits in each country are usually done within days once they're scheduled.
3.
We map and connect it.
We build the map, the production flow and the origin evidence, and check them against each other: purchase records, production records, shipments and payments.
4.
We hand it over.
You get the map, the evidence pack and the control plan, with a short walk-through.
What we look at
Materials and parts.
A full bill of materials, mapped to the real sub-suppliers and not just the final assembler.
Process and machinery.
The machines, techniques and skills used today, and the control points where quality or substitution risks usually appear.
Capability and papers.
Business licenses, ownership, certificates, export documents and customs readiness, so nothing blocks a shipment later.
Where the manufacturing happens.
Whether the real transformation happens in the country you ship from, with the records to show it, product by product.
Counterparty and payment.
Who you are paying, whether the bank details match the company, and the common ways money gets diverted.
Weak points.
Substitution risk, capacity risk, hidden dependencies and the places where one supplier holds all the leverage.
What it costs
From $5,000.
Most mapping projects run between $5,000 and $18,000. The price depends on the number of suppliers, the number of products, and how deep we go (sub-suppliers, production flow, compliance and payment checks).
Every project is scoped and priced in writing before you pay. You know the work, the price and the end date before we start. For larger volumes, mapping is often built into a bigger project and scoped with it.
After the map
The map is yours. What happens next is your choice.
- Run it yourself. Your team, or any employer-of-record provider you choose, can use the map and the control plan as they are.
- Build the system around it. Compliance System Build turns the map into supplier files, procedures and training inside your company.
- Add or move a factory. Production Move adds Vietnam or India, or moves a product, with the origin records built in from the first run.
- Stay close in each hub. For one-on-one work with a supplier, month to month: China Agent Ltd in China, or Vietnam-Agent.com and India-Agent.com in those hubs. An option, never a requirement.
Questions about Mapping & Origin
Who is Mapping & Origin for?
Importers who make in China, Vietnam, India or several of them, and want to see the whole chain before placing serious orders. It's especially useful when you are scaling volume, changing suppliers, adding a country, or recovering from a supplier dispute or a customs question.
How long does it take?
Most mapping projects take 2 to 6 weeks, depending on the number of suppliers, locations and the depth of checking. Visits in each country are usually done within days once they are scheduled.
Why does it matter where the real manufacturing happens?
US customs decides a product's origin by where it was substantially transformed, not where it was last packed or shipped from. Goods assembled from parts made elsewhere may not count as made in the country they ship from. Clear production records show where the transformation actually happened.
What if my supply chain is already spread across countries?
Then the map matters more. We look at each supplier on its own, find the weak links, and connect everything into one view, so your multi-country chain can be explained in one place.
Do you help us find a new factory?
When your plan needs a new factory, we help you find and qualify it. You sign with the factory directly. Asia Agent takes no commission or margin from any factory.
Do I need separate consultants for compliance and supplier checks?
The map, the origin evidence and the control plan come from one team, built together. Your customs broker and trade counsel still advise and file.
What happens after the map?
It's yours. You can run it with your own team or any employer-of-record provider, or ask us to build the system around it. For month-to-month work with one supplier, China Agent Ltd covers China, and Vietnam-Agent.com and India-Agent.com cover those hubs.
How do I get started?
Book a 30-minute meeting. We'll talk about your product, your suppliers and your volume, then scope the project in writing.
Want to see the whole chain before you commit?
Tell us what you make, where, and who your suppliers are. We'll tell you what a map would cover and what it would cost.