Guide to Importing Machinery from China to Pakistan

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By Riz Khan

Pakistan’s economic growth has increased the demand for machinery, essential for the country’s industrialization and productivity improvement across various sectors. Despite global challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic, Pakistan has witnessed economic resilience with growing exports and production, especially in the textile and agriculture sectors. The increased demand for machinery is an opportunity for technological advancement and higher profit margins due to more significant investment potential.

China caters to a wide array of machinery needs across different industrial sectors with offerings such as packaging machinery, food processing equipment, and construction vehicles. Each machinery type serves to enhance the productivity and efficiency of Pakistan’s growing sectors. China’s machinery, known for its affordability and quality, is a valuable asset for Pakistani businesses aiming to optimize operations and meet rising demands.

Packaging machines from China like wrapping, filling, capping, and multi-functional machines are pivotal in improving product presentation and efficiency, directly impacting profit margins for Pakistani companies.

China’s food processing machinery, including cutting, beverage, disposal, and roasting machines, fulfills the increasing demand for processed foods by enhancing efficiency in production lines.

China’s construction machinery such as concrete mixers, excavators, earthmovers, and industrial trucks are essential in supporting Pakistan’s infrastructure growth spurred by ongoing urbanization.

The adoption of Chinese agricultural machinery like tillers, transplanters, and seeding machines is crucial for improving Pakistan’s significant yet underperforming agricultural sector.

Import Textile Machinery from China to Pakistan

China’s textile machinery like spinning, dyeing, knitting, and weaving machines supports the revival and productivity boost of Pakistan’s textile industry, a major contributor to its GDP.

Pakistani Market for Machinery

The slow but sure increase in the GDP and overall output for Pakistan is driving demand for machinery. Adoption of better technology and industrialisation in Pakistan has led to higher demand for machinery and there is much more room for more investment through machinery to improve Pakistan’s productivity in many different sectors. This push for higher productivity is being actively pursued by the current government.

In addition, during COVID-19, Pakistan was one of the only countries to see improving economic indicators with higher exports and higher production. The textile and agriculture sectors specifically saw a significant increase in demand and as such demand for machinery has risen along so that production capacity can be improved, and that excess demand can be cleared off.

Therefore, the Pakistani Market for Machinery is ripe for profit margins as the future promises more adoption of technology and therefore higher usage of machinery in addition to many other factors that are driving the demand for machinery in Pakistan.

Types of Machinery you can import from China to Pakistan

China, like other industries, produces a wide variety of machinery for different industries. These different types of machinery including but not limited to packaging machinery, food processing machinery, construction machinery, agriculture machinery, textile machinery, and many others. In this section, we will list the different types of machinery that can be imported from China to Pakistan.

Packaging Machinery From China to Pakistan

The packaging is now becoming a more integral part of the entire product and marketing process. Companies now want to ensure that the packaging is, attractive but also efficient to minimise costs and maximise productivity to ensure higher profit margins. Examples of packaging machinery that are offered in China:

  • Wrapping machine;
  • Filler machine;
  • Capper machine;
  • A multifunction packaging machine.

Food Processing Machinery

Rising income and higher demand for processed foods around the world have also driven the demand for food processing machinery. China produces A-grade quality food processing machinery that is exported all around the world, examples are:

  • Fruit & vegetable trimming/cutting machine;
  • Beverage machine;
  • Processing machine;
  • Irrigation and disposal machine;
  • Roasting machine.

Construction Machinery from China

Increasing rates of urbanisation and generally higher construction of structures all around the world mean there is a very high demand for construction machinery. China is able to fulfil this demand very well and it is one of the most imported machinery from China and can be seen being used in many projects. Examples of the construction machinery are:

  • Concrete machine;
  • Excavation machine;
  • Dirt/earthmoving machine;
  • Hoisting machine;
  • Industrial/construction trucks.

Import Agricultural Machinery from China to Pakistan

Pakistan’s agricultural sector contributes almost 18.9% percent to the total GDP and employs a whopping 42.3% of the labour force. This shows that the force is unproductive and that the demand for agricultural machinery is increasing to boost productivity. China is one of the best countries to import agricultural machinery at economical rates. Some examples of the machinery are:

  • Fertilizer & planting machine;
  • Tillage machine;
  • Transplanter machine;
  • Seeding machine.

Import Textile Machinery from China to Pakistan

This is perhaps the most demanded machinery in Pakistan. The textile sector of Pakistan has started to recover and is now looking for further boosts in productivity. It contributes 8.5% to the GDP of the nation and employs 38% of the manufacturing workforce in Pakistan. Chinese machinery has always been imported to Pakistan due to its cost-effective rates and top quality. Examples of textile machinery are:

  • Spinning machine;
  • Dyeing and finishing machine;
  • Knitting and weaving machine.

In addition to these types of machinery, there is a very wide range of different machinery being manufactured in China and being sold to buyers. It is a heaven for businesses to purchase machinery either for trading purposes or for business investment.

Safety, Compliance, and Import Documents for Chinese machinery

When importing machinery from China, you must be aware of many different certifications and documents that you need to import machinery from China to Pakistan. Failing to produce necessary documents upon request by authorities will lead to devastating consequences including but not limited to seizure and disposal of goods, heavy penalties, and recalls. Therefore, it is absolutely imperative that you are completely aware of the different regulations surrounding this area.

European Union

As with many other products that are imported into the European Union, all products must be CE certified and be compliant with the Machinery Directive. You must also meet the ISO standards, have the RoHS compliance, and other specific regulations.

United States

The United States requires machinery to be compliant primarily with the ASTM International Standards. Your machinery must also be compliant with the standards of different agencies (varies according to the type of machinery and the state being imported to) including ANSI, NFPA, and UL.

Pakistan

Pakistan does not have specific laws on the machinery being imported into the country. However, safety and compliance certifications serve as a hallmark of quality and safety. Many suppliers nevertheless certify their products and use different agencies to do so. You may use SGS Pakistan for this and other agencies. Uniway Sourcing will be happy to assist with such matters so that your import from China to Pakistan is worry-free.

Damages, Returns, Warranties, and Replacement Parts

It is imperative that you confirm any warranty when purchasing and importing your machinery from China to Pakistan and have the same written clauses in the contract if being used. Chinese suppliers usually do provide spare parts at their cost however the freight costs must be borne by the buyer.

However, please note that this can be costly and time-consuming and therefore sourcing parts locally can be a more viable option depending on your specific situation. We stress again that you must verify the different warranty terms to avoid any issues in the future.

Returns and damages must also be specified in any terms of agreement or contract that you have drafted with the supplier. Please ensure that you clarify different situations and preferably use a lawyer or use a sourcing agency to assist you with this very delicate matter.

Quality Control, Maintenance, and Services

In our article about quality control, we have mentioned the importance of quality control and this is even more important for large products such as machinery. Returns of entire defective machinery can face a lot of issues and cost you quite a lot which is why we recommend that you use a sourcing agency that has local and industrial knowledge and can conduct advanced levels of quality control with experienced inspectors.

As for maintenance and services, we recommend that you use local services. This is because Chinese personnel coming over to Pakistan can be costly and time-consuming. Please ensure that when you use local services, you use experienced and knowledgeable personnel.

Duty-free machinery import from China to Pakistan

The Finance Supplementary Act of 2019 under Chapters 84 and 85 of Customs Act, 1969, the FBR has allowed zero duty and tariffs on machinery and plant imports from China. Under phase two of the China Pakistan Free Trade Agreement, further concessions have been made for importers of machinery in Pakistan from China.

This is an excellent opportunity as it will significantly reduce the costs for the importers in Pakistan and therefore makes China a very attractive country to import machinery from.

Trade shows in China for Machinery

Trade shows offer great benefits as they congregate all different machinery suppliers in one place which gives a great opportunity for Pakistani importers to learn more about the machinery industry in China and make an informed decision when importing machinery from China to Pakistan. An indicative list of trade shows is given below.

Qingdao International Metal Processing Equipment & Tech. Exhibition

Venue: Qingdao International Convention Centre

China International Machine Tool Equipment Exhibition

Venue: Ningbo International Convention and Exhibition Centre

Wuhan Advertising Technology and Equipment Exhibition

Venue: Wuhan International Expo Centre

Canton Fair Spring Phase 1

Venue: Guangzhou – Canton Fair Complex

There are many others that you can attend. You may ask us for further details.

Importing machinery from China to Pakistan does not need to be a cumbersome and complicated process. You need to connect with the right sourcing agent or company and Uniway Sourcing has decades of experience in sourcing products for many of our satisfied customers. Pakistan is a country ripe with growth opportunities and the demand for machinery has been expanding rapidly and China is a great country to import machinery from.

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