After 7 years of exporting bakery equipment to over 30 countries, we have heard pretty much every question you can imagine. Here are the ones that come up again and again, answered honestly.
This is probably the number one question we get. And honestly, the answer depends on where you are.
For customers in Southeast Asia — Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines — sea freight usually takes 7 to 15 days. We had a customer in Ho Chi Minh City receive his dough divider in 9 days once, which was pretty fast.
For Africa, it is a different story. Lagos, Nigeria takes about 25 to 30 days. Mombasa, Kenya is around 28 to 35 days. And for countries further inland like Uganda or Zambia, you need to add another week or two for trucking from the port.
The Middle East is somewhere in between — Dubai takes about 15 days, Jeddah around 18 days.
Our advice: always plan for 2 weeks more than you think you need. Customs clearance can be unpredictable, and you do not want to be stuck without a machine when your bakery is supposed to open.
I will be straight with you — for new customers, we cannot do payment after delivery. This is not because we do not trust you, but because international trade works differently than domestic business.
Our standard terms are 30% deposit to start production, and 70% balance before shipping. Once you pay the balance, we send you the original bill of lading, and you can collect the goods when they arrive at your port.
For customers who have ordered from us 2 or 3 times and built a relationship, we can sometimes be more flexible. We have done 50% deposit / 50% against copy of BL for repeat customers. But for the first order, it is always 30/70.
We accept T/T bank transfer, Western Union, and PayPal for smaller amounts under $5,000. For larger orders, bank transfer is always the cheapest option for both sides.
For single machines like a dough divider or a spiral mixer, probably not. These machines are designed to be plug-and-play. You just need to connect the power, and they are ready to go. We provide detailed manuals and video guides.
We had a customer in Tanzania who set up his entire bakery — divider, mixer, sheeter, oven — by himself, just following our videos. He called us once because he was not sure which wire was which, but that was it.
For complete automatic production lines, it is a different story. If you are buying a full line with conveyor belts, proofing chambers, and multiple machines connected together, we strongly recommend having our technician come to your factory for installation and training.
The cost for a technician is usually around $100 per day, plus flight tickets and accommodation. For a complete line, the installation takes about 7 to 10 days. It is worth it — a properly installed line will run smoothly for years, while a poorly installed one can cause endless headaches.
First of all, do not panic. All our machines come with a 1-year warranty for the whole machine and 2 years for the motor. If something breaks due to a manufacturing defect, we will send you the replacement parts for free.
Here is how it works in practice: you send us a video or photos of the problem, our technician diagnoses it, and if it is a warranty issue, we ship the replacement parts to you by DHL or FedEx, which usually takes 3 to 5 days.
Most problems are actually easy to fix. The most common issue we see is a worn-out belt or a faulty sensor, which takes about 15 minutes to replace. We will send you a video showing exactly how to do it.
After the warranty period, we still provide lifetime technical support. You can call or WhatsApp us anytime, and we will help you troubleshoot. We also sell spare parts at cost price — we do not try to make money on spare parts, because we want you to keep buying from us for years to come.
Absolutely. This is actually one of the first things we ask when you contact us. Different countries have different voltages and frequencies, and using the wrong one can damage the machine.
Here are the common configurations we do:
Just tell us your local voltage when you place the order, and we will configure the machine accordingly. There is no extra charge for voltage customization — it is part of our standard service.
This is completely normal, especially if you are opening a new bakery. Most of our customers are not experts when they first contact us, and that is okay.
Just tell us a few things:
Based on this information, we will recommend the right machine for your needs. We will never try to sell you a bigger, more expensive machine than you actually need. We have customers who started with a small tabletop machine and came back 2 years later to upgrade to a full production line.
The worst thing is buying a machine that is too small and then having to replace it 6 months later. We would rather you start with the right size from the beginning, even if it means spending a bit more upfront.
Every bakery is different, and you might have questions that are not covered here. Feel free to reach out to us on WhatsApp or email — we usually reply within a few hours.
WhatsApp: +86 137 5500 7928
Email: sinry009@hnhcym.com