Every company develops a cadence that their business is built upon and Tempco is no exception. From the early years of manufacturing just three products to today’s catalog with over 100 distinct product lines, Tempco has updated and improved upon the flow of manufacturing and business throughout our 50-plus years in business. To help you stay in step with us, we developed this list of frequently asked questions from new and established Tempco customers.
 

What Payment Terms or Options are available?

NET 30 Term: To establish NET 30 terms, an order over $1000 is required. We require all necessary references (4) and customer banking information.
Note: Once approved, please ensure your PO states NET 30 term.

Credit Card: To pay for an order with a credit card, please submit a purchase order (PO) to your Tempco Territorial Sales Manager (TSM) that states payment type of “CIA/Credit Card”. After your PO has been placed, a link will be sent to you via email. You will enter your credit card information and submit it to Tempco for your order to be processed.
Note: Credit card payments may be subject to a convenience fee.

PROFORMA Invoice with ACH wire transfer: Once a PO is received by Tempco, your order will be submitted to our Order Entry Team. Within 24 hours your PROFORMA invoice with wire transfer information will be provided to you via email.
Note: Production of the order will NOT begin until payment is received by Tempco.

Does Tempco offer a Product Warranty?

Tempco offers a one-year warranty for manufacturing defects on approved product designs. For controls, there is a 2-year warranty unless otherwise quoted.

What is an RMA?

RMA stands for Returned Material Authorization and is needed to file a warranty claim with Tempco. If issues arise with a product, please reach out to your Tempco TSM to initiate an RMA. Your TSM will need the following to process your request:

• Product part number
• Product date stamp code
• A description of the issue
• Pictures (if possible)

If you did not purchase directly from Tempco, please contact your supplier. Your supplier should contact Tempco on your behalf to begin the RMA process.
Once we receive your product, we will review the defects and advise on repair, replacement, or other disposition. Because heaters are sometimes misapplied, Tempco will advise on product or design improvements to extend operating life.

Does Tempco charge Cancelation Fees?

If the product you purchased is modified stock, non-stock or custom-manufactured, you will be responsible for costs incurred by Tempco as of the date of cancellation. These costs may include, but are not limited to:

• Engineering costs
• Manufacturing labor and overhead costs
• Material and inventory costs
• Freight costs
• Any other costs related to your order

If the product you are returning is a stock item, there is a restocking fee. The charge consists of 10% of the order dollar amount plus additional related costs and processing fees.
Note: Only unused (stock) items are available for return.

Can you explain other fees that Tempco charges?

Non-Reoccurring Engineering (NRE) Fees: Tempco charges industry standard engineering fees associated with the design of custom products. These charges will be quoted and applied to the first order only. If similar items are ordered later, the engineering charge is generally dropped from these items after the first charge has been paid. This charge is not subject to discount.

Tooling/Wood Patterns and Permanent Molds Costs: Manufacturing often requires special tooling, wood patterns or permanent molds. Charges for these items will represent only a portion of the total cost of the related tools, therefore Tempco will retain ownership over these items.

Set Up Costs: These are typically applied to small orders of highly complicated heaters in order to offset the many steps performed for a small production run.

Approval Drawings Fees: We often issue approval drawings when items ship internationally, or there is a question regarding the many details involved with heater manufacturing. The drawing is included in the initial pricing and part of our Standard Operating Procedures. We do charge $75 for approval drawings for the following items:

• Catalog items
• Products specified by catalog ordering codes or hardware codes
• Existing part numbers
• Minor design changes to old designs (i.e., Lead length change, voltage or wattage change, material change, customer part number change, etc.)
• New designs that are a minor change to an existing design (i.e., Lead length change, voltage or wattage change, material change, customer part number change, etc.)

Material Surcharges: Because Cast-in Thermal Components require a significant amount of material, Tempco calculates a surcharge based on weight. We prefer to keep base prices constant, then apply a surcharge in reaction to frequent market changes. The material surcharge in you quote is based on the product weight (in pounds) multiplied currently by either $0.40 for aluminum or $1.00 for bronze.

How does Shipping work with Tempco?

On orders for items that we carry in stock, Tempco will ship the exact quantity specified. However, in the manufacturing of our non-stock products, it is necessary to allow for losses in production and for this reason, we reserve the right to ship orders with the following shipping variations per units ordered:

• 1 - 5 units ordered: No Variation
• 6 – 10 units ordered: ±1 Unit
• 11 - 25 units ordered: ±2 Units
• 26 – 49 units ordered: ±4 Units
• 50 units ordered and over: ±5% Units

No matter how long Tempco has been your business partner, we hope that this list has made working with us easier. We strive to meet industry expectations with continuous improvement in the design, manufacture and sale of our products. We look forward to continuing to be your chosen supplier for electric heating elements, temperature sensors, temperature control products and process heating systems.