The atmosphere in the packing area today was a bit like a kitchen before a holiday – busy but with a sense of reassuring joy. The last batch of cartons was securely sealed, marking the completion of production and quality inspection for all five orders bound for Italy, officially starting the countdown to shipment.
"Like a jigsaw puzzle, the last piece is in place."
Factory manager Mr. Wang stood in front of the neatly stacked cartons, holding the final packing list. "Wu, have you confirmed that the moisture-proof packs are in the A3 boxes? The Mediterranean climate is humid, and we need to protect our smart meter circuit boards." Wu, the loading team leader, was squatting beside the boxes doing a final check, and looked up to reply, "Don't worry, Mr. Wang, each electronics box has double the amount of desiccant, and we'll also lay a moisture-proof layer in the container. With these five orders shipped, we'll feel a lot more relieved."
Foreign trade manager Mr. Tang walked over with his mobile phone, the screen displaying email correspondence with the Italian client. "For the fifth order, the batch of DN80 industrial woltman water meters, the client just confirmed the final parameters," he said, showing the information to Mr. Wang. "They praised our efficient progress; from drawing confirmation to packing completion, we finished three days ahead of schedule."
Five Orders, Five Different "Personalities"
These five orders were essentially a "comprehensive test" given to Tongtuo by the Italian client:
1. The first order was for 500 household smart water meters, primarily featuring IoT remote reading, with the meter bodies required to be pure white matte – to blend in with modern apartment interior design.
2. The second order was for 2000 sets of multi-jet water meters, used to upgrade old mechanical water meters. The client required all of them to be pre-calibrated to EU medium water pressure standards.
3. The third order was the most intricate: ten thousand check valves and connectors of different specifications, packaged into 500 "repair kits," each kit containing a bilingual installation guide.
4. The fourth order was for 800 large-diameter flange meters, used for commercial water supply, with the flange hole spacing re-drilled according to Italian national standards.
5. The fifth order was the most technologically advanced: industrial smart meters requiring integrated pressure sensing and data logging functions. "Every order has different requirements," said Director Zhu from the office, as he checked the final customs documents. "The smart meters need EU plugs, the movements need to be individually sealed in plastic, and the repair kits need to be bagged according to model… We're packing them like we're preparing five different gifts."
An impromptu meeting by the packing line