Shipping a Diesel Generator to Africa: What to Confirm with Your China Forwarder

Before your China forwarder books collection, agree which generator is being released, where it will be available, its final packed dimensions and gross weight, and who will handle loading and export formalities. Put those details in one order-specific handover sheet. A message saying “production finished” is not enough to book a truck.

This checklist is for buyers arranging an actual generator purchase who already buy from China or have a China forwarder. It starts after the equipment requirements are clear. If you still need to decide what to buy for resale, use the first-order planning guide first.

ZHONGCHAI supplies generators on EXW terms. Record the named place and the agreed Incoterms® version in the order. “EXW China” leaves the collection point unclear. Your forwarder needs the actual address, warehouse or site contact, receiving hours and any vehicle-access restrictions.

Under EXW Incoterms® 2020, delivery takes place and risk passes to the buyer when the goods are made available at the named place, not loaded on the collecting vehicle. Loading and export clearance are not the seller's default obligations. Confirm who will perform each task and who bears its costs and risks. If additional help is agreed, record its scope rather than assuming that it is included in the equipment price. See the ICC Academy explanation of EXW and FCA.

Ask the forwarder to confirm how export formalities will be handled before committing to collection. The onward route, insurance and destination arrangements also need named responsible parties. Review the purchasing terms alongside the written agreement for your order.

A catalogue may give the dimensions of an unpacked generator. A wooden frame, protective packing or separately packed accessories can change the space and weight the forwarder must allow for. Ask for the final package count, length × width × height of each package, gross weight and packing type. State the units used.

If those figures are preliminary, label them as estimates and agree when they will be confirmed. Tell the forwarder about any revision before collection or booking decisions are final. Let the forwarder assess the container, consolidation and handling arrangements using the actual packing data; do not select a container from the generator's kVA rating.

Request photographs that show the whole packed unit, its identification marks and any separate accessory packages. The supplier and forwarder should agree suitable handling points and packing requirements for the actual equipment. Have the forwarder check applicable requirements for timber packaging, batteries and residual fuel with the carrier before accepting the booking. A packing photograph alone does not establish compliance.

Separate production completion from readiness for collection. Before the truck is arranged, confirm that the agreed inspections are complete, any unresolved items have been recorded, the required documents are available, and the packing is ready for the agreed movement.

Link the inspection record and photographs to the identified generator. Record the accessories travelling with it and those packed separately. If a controller, enclosure or accessory has changed from the agreed order, resolve that change in writing before releasing the unit. The pre-shipment evidence guide explains how to request records for the actual machine.

Keep the dates separate: inspection completion, packing completion, collection, forwarder receipt and the estimated departure and arrival dates. A warehouse receipt does not confirm vessel departure, and a vessel arrival estimate is not a commissioning date. If the site needs power by a particular date, tell the forwarder and installer before accepting the schedule.

Have the buyer, supplier and forwarder check the draft commercial invoice and packing list against the order. Review the consignee details, equipment description, quantity, values and currency, package marks, package count, dimensions and weights. Keep a link between the machine identification and its packing reference so that a separately packed item is not overlooked.

The destination broker should confirm the customs classification and any permits, conformity procedures or origin documents required for that shipment. Requirements cannot be inferred from the word “Africa”; the destination and transit route matter. Obtain that answer early enough to arrange any required pre-shipment steps.

Review the transport-document draft and cargo-release instructions with the forwarder before issuance. Keep the final shipping documents and the technical handover file together, but give each its proper purpose: the packing list describes the shipment; it does not prove the generator passed its agreed tests.

Send the same version to the supplier and forwarder. Leave an unconfirmed field visibly marked “to confirm for this order” rather than filling it with a catalogue figure or a previous shipment's details.

• Order and equipment: order reference, model, quantity, machine identification and agreed configuration.
• Collection: exact address, contact, hours, proposed date and conditions that must be met before release.
• Packages: count, marks, dimensions and gross weight for each package, plus the packing photographs.
• Accessories: items inside the main package, separate packages and any outstanding items.
• Responsibilities: loading, export formalities, onward transport, insurance and destination handling; responsible party and agreed scope for each.
• Documents: invoice, packing list, applicable shipment documents and the person confirming each one.
• Route and receiving point: destination country, port or transit port, final town and forwarder warehouse reference where applicable.
• Receipt and exceptions: who signs for the packages, records condition and reports a discrepancy, with the relevant contacts.

Ask both parties to acknowledge the collection details. If packing or timing changes, send a revised sheet and identify the change. This helps prevent the driver, warehouse and supplier from working from different messages.

In ZHONGCHAI's 37.5 kVA Cummins order for Kenya, the customer asked the forwarder to review packaging. Wooden protection was discussed before the unit was handed to the nominated Guangzhou warehouse on 8 December 2025. The record shows a specific packing discussion and a handover within China.

It does not document receipt, installation or operation in Kenya. Nor does it establish the packing dimensions, freight cost or delivery arrangement for a new order. Use the case to see the sort of records to request, then agree the details for your own equipment.

It may support an initial discussion. Ask what assumptions the estimate uses, then obtain a revised quotation based on confirmed packed dimensions, gross weight, collection address and route before relying on it for the shipment.

Only if that onward service is separately agreed. Check where each party's service ends, what charges are included, and who arranges clearance, inland transport and unloading. Do not treat a China warehouse receipt as evidence of overseas delivery.

Arrange for the receiving party to record package marks, count and visible condition, and keep photographs and the receipt. Report discrepancies promptly through the agreed supplier, carrier and insurer procedures. Confirm the applicable notification deadlines for the shipment beforehand.

Start with the contact page and save your basic power requirement, intended use and China purchasing experience through the initial form. You can then continue on WhatsApp. For that discussion, have your selected model or confirmed power requirement, quantity, destination, required date and any China forwarder details ready. If you already have an equipment quotation, include its reference so the packing and collection discussion stays tied to the right order.

Prepared by ZHONGCHAI · Updated 2 November 2026. Actual packing data, release dates, transport charges and order-specific responsibilities remain subject to written confirmation.