Importing goes smoother with us involved
Get us in before you order and the whole thing runs better. We measure the site properly, review the drawings and finishes, check the detail before production and before shipping, and talk to the supplier directly. You still carry the usual import risks, but far fewer of them turn into problems on install day.
- Use your own supplier, take one of our recommendations, or have us order it for you
- Measurements, drawings, finishes and hardware checked before production
- Installed here by experienced cabinet makers, with our factory behind them
Already ordered, and you just need it installed?
If the cabinetry is on the water or already on site, you don't need the import service, you need a crew.
Three ways to bring us in
Everyone is at a different stage and wants to keep hold of a different amount themselves. Pick the level that suits, or tell us where you're up to and we'll say which one fits.
Pre-order drawing and measurement review
You have picked your supplier and you want a second set of eyes before you commit.
You take our notes back to your supplier and run the order yourself.
Measure, design coordination and pre-shipment checks
You want us across production without handing over the commercial relationship.
You still place the order and own the supplier contract. We make sure what ships is right.
Full coordination and installation
You want one coordinated proposal and one local point of contact from supplier engagement through to installation.
We coordinate installation and handover, with local factory support available for adjustments and rectification work.
Whichever level you pick, you can use your own supplier, take one of our recommendations, or have us place the order. Already ordered? You don't need this service, you need our install crews.
A closer look at measuring
A factory on the other side of the world builds exactly what the drawing says, so the drawing has to match the building as it was actually built rather than the plans. When we measure we design the tolerance in too, with fillers, scribes and adjustment where the building needs it, so the cabinetry goes in when it lands.
What we check, and when
Getting us involved before production is the best way to prevent installation problems. These are the checks that catch the issues while they are still cheap to fix.
Site measurements
Taken here, by us, against the building as it was actually built.
Shop drawings
Reviewed line by line against the measured site before they are approved.
Cabinet dimensions
Every cabinet checked against the run it has to fit into.
Fillers and scribes
Confirmed as drawn and allowed for, rather than assumed.
Finishes and colours
Checked against the specified finish, including across separate batches.
Hardware
Hinges, runners and handles confirmed as the specified items and quantities.
Appliance sizes and clearances
Checked against the Australian appliances actually going in.
Missing pieces
Counted off against the order before the container is sealed.
Packing and shipping preparation
Where included, we check how it has been packed for the trip.
What an unmanaged import looks like
These are the problems we get called in to fix on imports nobody coordinated. Every one of them is cheaper to prevent than to repair.
Panels that need re-sizing
Runs set out to plan dimensions instead of the measured building, so end panels and benchtop returns have to be cut down on site.
Missing filler pieces
Fillers, kickboards and scribes that were never specified because nobody allowed for the walls being out.
Appliance cavities that don't suit
Openings cut for appliances that aren't sold here, so Australian ovens, dishwashers and cooktops won't go in without modification.
Walls out of square
Imported runs assume perfect walls. Without designed-in adjustment the finished line reads crooked, or simply won't close up.
Damage in transit
Chipped edges, crushed corners and water damage that nobody inspected for before the container was sealed.
Wrong or missing hardware
Hinges, runners and handles that don't match the doors, discovered on install day with the trades behind you already booked.
Already dealing with one of these?
We fix imported kitchens we didn't order all the time. Our crews adjust, re-scribe and re-cut on site, and anything needing factory-grade edging or a remake goes through our own factory on priority turnaround.
See our install crewsRecent projects
Cabinetry we measured, coordinated or fitted. Tap any project to see the full set of photos.
Middle Park Residence
Residential · 14 photos
Middle Park Kitchen & Joinery
Residential · 10 photos
Gather House, St Kilda West
Residential · 10 photos
Wilmoth Project
Residential · 5 photos
Glen Iris Kitchen
Residential · 5 photos
Taylors Lakes Kitchen
Residential · 6 photos
Import questions
If yours isn't here, get in touch.
Either. Some clients want the lot: supplier selection, design coordination, measuring, QC, freight and install. Plenty of others have already picked their factory and just want us to measure, check the drawings and be across production. Tell us where you're up to and what you'd rather keep yourself.
Yes. If it's already ordered or on the water, what you need is our install crews. They fit imported cabinetry every week and handle the adjustments on site. Head to the Install Crews page for that.
Plenty of people do, and a lot of our clients keep talking to their own supplier and bring us in around it. What we add is someone on this side checking the measurements and the drawings, giving you feedback on what will and won't work here, and having the detailed conversations with the factory before production starts.
Our crews adjust, re-scribe or re-cut on site where possible. Anything needing factory-grade edging or a full remake goes through our own Tullamarine factory for priority turnaround, so you're not waiting on a reorder from overseas.
Yes, and it's where this service pays for itself. We can quote per kitchen or per lot, prototype the first unit, then repeat the solution across the development.
Once the drawings and scope are approved, we can give you a fixed price for CabCrew's services: measuring, coordination, project management and installation. Supplier, freight, duty, customs and other third-party charges are identified separately, either as fixed amounts where they're locked in or as allowances where they aren't. We don't quote those as fixed, because exchange rates, freight and port costs move and we won't pretend otherwise. What you get is one document showing exactly which numbers are firm and which are estimates.
That depends on which level you use, and we put it in writing before anything is committed. Most commonly you hold the supplier contract and remain the importer, and we coordinate on your behalf. We can also place the order for you where you'd rather not deal with an overseas supplier directly. Either way you'll know before you commit who is contracting with the factory, who is named on the shipping documents, and who is responsible for duty and customs.
We're based in Tullamarine and cover jobs all over Victoria.
Thinking about importing?
Talk to us before you order, that's when it's cheapest to get right.