A few days ago I talked to the quality assurance manager of an American brand name company. They have progressively outsourced production to China. And they sell mostly to large retailers in the US. An uncomfortable situation This is … [Read more...]
Archives for September 2009
How suppliers can play to avoid QC inspections
Most inspections take place just before shipment. What type of issue does this create? And how can an unscrupulous supplier take advantage of it to avoid inspections? Chinese suppliers know when a shipment is urgent--the buyer is usually … [Read more...]
Quality system: a checklist for factory auditors
Factory audits, like product inspections, need to be performed in an objective manner. A buyer that pays for audits of two factories should be able to compare the findings and use them to pick a supplier. It means auditors should work … [Read more...]
Why we shouldn’t check 10% of the order quantity
Some of my new clients, when they book their first inspection, tell me "please check 10% of the order quantity". Here is what I typically respond: Usually we follow the statistical tables that everybody in the industry works with. They … [Read more...]
How Chinese factories treat their customers
After my post about how Chinese factory owners treat their workers, here is a post about how they treat their customers. Much could be said on this subject, but I gave a shot at summarizing it. Some customers are more equal than … [Read more...]
Transferring the responsibility onto the exporter
When sourcing in China, importers often ignore that some tools are at their disposal for reducing their risks. The key lies in transferring the responsibility onto the exporter. There are mostly three types of risks regarding the … [Read more...]
What does CMT (Cut, Make & Trim) mean?
I work in a quality control firm and we work a lot for the textile industry, which has its own jargon. For example: "CMT" (Cut, Make & Trim). What does it mean? … [Read more...]
How Chinese factory owners treat their workers
I mostly go to factories in the Guangdong province. Over the last few months, I have heard complaints such as "we are trying to hire, but we can't find enough workers". I even heard "it's nearly Chinese New Year, the workers that stayed in … [Read more...]
When a relationship turns sour with a Chinese supplier
Foreign buyers working with Chinese suppliers take time to grasp the subtle but determining differences in the way business is done here. One of these "Chinese things" was exposed in a good post from Jack Perkowski, entitled America's China … [Read more...]
Buying from a large private Chinese factory
Small importers tend to have the feeling that buying from a large factory is more expensive but more reassuring. There is some truth regarding the higher prices, but risks are not necessarily lower. Buyers should be aware of the different … [Read more...]