I found this advertisement in my lift this morning: Do they really need to advertise for milk consumption? I know the central government is pushing it, but it was already growing very fast in large cities. Or is it because of safety … [Read more...]
Archives for September 2009
Letting a supplier ship the products after a failed inspection
I got an interesting question today, by email: I appointed an inspection company, the result was failed. But I needed the goods, so I let the Chinese supplier ship them to me. In this case, what can I do? Can I ask for compensation? And … [Read more...]
Do you control your operations? And what do you do with that info?
This morning I was waiting for a bus, and I couldn't resist taking this photo: The Chinese policeman is standing by the scanning machine, to make sure all luggages are checked. But his colleague, who watches the screen, is away (he … [Read more...]
The conditions that suppliers should accept before QC inspections
Inspections often take place in sub-optimal conditions. Sometimes the goods are not ready. Sometimes the cartons are piled up in a way that makes it impossible to count them or to select them. Sometimes the inspector's time is wasted in … [Read more...]
How to make sure factories respect quality requirements?
Most Chinese manufacturers are not aware of the quality requirements of foreign consumers. I think anybody who has spent some time here in factories to fix production issues has come to this conclusion. Chinese production people and "cha … [Read more...]
Inspection of jeans in Wenzhou
People often ask me to tell some “juicy stories” about inspections in Chinese factories. The ones who are familiar with QC expect me to say a lot of things about corruption, but I don’t have any story on this subject. I am a foreigner and … [Read more...]
The motivations of Chinese state-owned enterprises (SOE)
The Financial Times published an interesting article ("An accident shows how China treats consumers") that describes the view of Chinese state-owned enterprises (SOEs) regarding the export of unsafe products. They represent a large chunk of … [Read more...]
Letters of guarantee: a substitute to quality control for importers?
Some inexperienced buyers learn about letters of guarantee, and they think it is the best thing since sliced bread. It costs nothing and it puts pressure on the supplier to deliver acceptable quality! What does a letter of guarantee look … [Read more...]
The problem of Chinese factories closing suddenly
I had an interesting conversation with a Chinese friend who works for local district’s government (in Shenzhen city). He explained to me how "the Chinese legal system does too little for society". No recourse against factories closing … [Read more...]