Looking for your next supplier in the EU or elsewhere in Europe? In this guide, we explain how you can find suppliers on the continent and determine if these are qualified.
Further, we also look into why it can be difficult to find suppliers in Europe in the first place – and why some factories tend to not respond.
Supplier Overview
Need help finding suppliers for your product?
- We can help you source suppliers in the following areas:
- 1. US & Mexico
- 2. European Union
- 3. Turkey
Europages
Eurpages is as close as you get to Alibaba.com when it comes to manufacturing within Europe. Type in a product name and you will get a list of suppliers which can then be filtered on the following parameters:
- Country
- Type of business
- Product category
You can also find product images and contact details. However, you cannot place orders directly via the site but must contact the supplier.
Despite the name, there are many suppliers on Europages that are not based in Europe, which is important to keep in mind when selecting suppliers.
Trade Shows
Another option is to visit one of the trade fairs that are held in Europe – normally on an annual basis. In this way, you can meet representatives of potential manufacturers for a few quotes on the spot. Below are a number of examples:
- Messe Frankfurt
- Koelnmesse
- Intertex Portugal
- LINEAPELLE
- Design Expo
- MICAM Milano
Chambers of Commerce
Chambers of Commerce are present in all European countries. These organisations often have manufacturers as company members and can provide recommendations.
Examples
- British-Portuguese Chamber of Commerce
- British Polish Chamber of Commerce
- American Chamber of Commerce in Estonia
- The Swedish Chamber of Commerce in Slovakia
- The Swedish Chamber of Commerce in Spain (Madrid)
- The Swedish Chamber of Commerce in Spain (Barcelona)
As you can see above, some countries have multiple chambers in the same country. Keep in mind that chambers are generally private organisations rather than state-managed or affiliated with embassies or consulates.
Sourcing companies
Another option is to contact a dedicated sourcing company. These tend to be focused on a certain region and have a certain degree of industry specialisation. The benefit is that you can access their database of manufacturers.
In addition, they tend to understand the suppliers in their database well enough to determine which companies are best suited for your products.
Keep in mind that sourcing companies charge for their services. They may do so based on a fixed rate basis, order commissions calculated as a percentage on the order value – or both. It’s important that you clarify the payment terms with the sourcing company before you start a project.
Selecting a qualified supplier in Europe
The most important criterion when sourcing suppliers in Europe is that the factory is specialised. In short, they should manufacture the same type of products, using the right materials.
For example, if you intend to manufacture baby rompers made of organic cotton you must take both the product type and the material into consideration. Some, but not all, garment manufacturers have experience making baby clothing. The same applies to the material, as organic cotton is often GOTS certified.
Example: Organic cotton baby romper
| Qualification level | Low | Medium | High |
| General clothing factory | X | ||
| Baby clothing factory | X | ||
| GOTS certified baby clothing factory | X |
Trading companies
Some suppliers in Europe exclusively import finished goods from overseas, in particular, China. It is therefore important to verify if the supplier has their own production facility in Europe or not. If that is not the case, then you might as well go directly to overseas factories.
Imported materials
Notice that it’s perfectly normal, even expected, that European manufacturers procure materials and components from China and other countries.
Contact multiple suppliers
Dealing with suppliers is a numbers game. Suppliers can drop off because they are not qualified, or because they are not interested in your order. As such, you need to contact at least 8 to 10 suppliers to have a reasonable chance of finding one that is both qualified and interested in making your products.
FAQ
Why is it often more difficult to find manufacturers in Europe?
When it comes to China, finding suppliers is almost too easy. Go to Alibaba.com and enter a product and you will quickly have a couple of hundred suppliers to choose from. In addition, Alibaba makes it possible to place orders directly via the site, as well as book sea and air freight. In the last 20 years, they have gone from being the “yellow pages” for importers to becoming something of a platform where you can manage the entire process.
There is no comparable platform where you can easily find and transact with European manufacturers. The closest you can get is Europages, but it’s not on par with Alibaba – but there are not nearly as many suppliers to choose from. Further, many of the companies listed are not located in Europe in the first place.
Maybe this will get better in the future, but the lack of a centralized database makes it significantly more difficult to find suppliers.
This is not necessarily because nobody has tried. One theory I have is that European suppliers tend to be more conservative in the sense that they prefer trade shows and in-person meetings over developing an online presence and responding to buyer leads digitally.
Could it be that a manufacturer in Europe does not exist for my product?
Another explanation for not finding suppliers could also be that there is no manufacturer in Europe for your particular product. Far from all manufacturers are manufactured in Europe today. For example, you may struggle to find OEM electronics manufacturers or plastic iPhone case factories.
As such, you may also face a situation where there simply are no European factories to choose from.
Even for us, it can be challenging to determine in advance whether it is realistic to find manufacturers in Europe for many products. However, we can fairly quickly make an assessment as to whether there are producers or not.
Why don’t I get any responses from European suppliers?
European manufacturers can often be somewhat conservative when it comes to dealing with new businesses that don’t have an established track record. Further, many factories rightly have an aversion to dealing with buyers that lack clear product specifications. In short, they expect organised buyers that know what they want, and that can reach their MOQ requirements.
It’s therefore important to ensure that you have your technical drawings, bill of materials, logo files, and packaging artwork in order before you contact suppliers.
