An email lands in your inbox. Subject line: Quote — Sacrificial Anodes.
To the untrained eye, it looks simple. Compare the price per unit, check the delivery date, and issue the PO. That is the most dangerous assumption a procurement director or technical superintendent can make.
That document is not a price list. It is a threat assessment. It is the single point of entry for the counterfeit, non-conforming, and underweight anode fraud that leads to costly drydock repairs and reputational damage.
Most suppliers count on you to stop at the price. An A+ partner expects you to audit their integrity. Here is the three-point checklist to decode any anode quote and spot a high-risk supplier in under two minutes.
- Demand the Certificate of Analysis (COA).
Any quote you receive must be backed by proof of its chemical composition. A real COA from an independent foundry looks like this:
It is a detailed report with specific percentages for each element in the alloy. It is not a marketing document.
- The A+ Supplier: Provides a per-batch COA on request that directly corresponds to the batch you are purchasing.
- The Red Flag: Vague claims like “conforms to standard” with no verifiable COA. If they cannot produce this document, they are hiding something.
- Verify the COA Against the Standard.
Having the COA is not enough. You must verify its data against the governing specification. For most zinc anodes, this is MIL-A-18001K. The acceptable limits are public knowledge:
- The A+ Supplier: Simplifies this for you. They provide a clear compliance summary that shows how their batch data fits within the required specifications. They do the work to prove their integrity.
- The Red Flag: A supplier who sends you raw data and expects you to do the validation yourself. This is a sign of a supplier who values their time more than yours.
- Audit for Weight and Traceability.
Chemical composition is only half the story. Fraud often occurs in the physical product.
- The A+ Supplier: Specifies a guaranteed weight tolerance (our standard is ±3%) and proves it with a verifiable audit protocol. This includes my personal 33% random weight-check audit on every shipment, documented with a photo log. All products are marked with batch numbers that link directly to the COA.
- The Red Flag: A quote that shows “price-per-piece” but lists no guaranteed minimum weight. No batch marking on the product means no accountability.
A supplier who fails these checks is not offering you a discount. They are transferring their operational risk directly onto you.
We built Nautical Armor on a different principle: spec sheets are guarantees. Our COAs, our ±3% tolerance, and my personal audit are not marketing lines. They are proof you can verify.
The next time a quote lands in your inbox, demand the proof.
GVAPO Tripinović
Founder, Nautical Armor
gvapo@nauticalarmor.com
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