A journalist asked me this question: "Is China over, as a sourcing destination?" My response was no... but it might be a destination for a different type of sourcing projects. No in the very short term, because supply chains can't be … [Read more...]
Archives for September 2011
In China, make no assumptions
Last week I had an interesting conversation with a few friends. An American said "when I arrived here and I started sourcing products, what really hurt my business was all the assumptions I was making". And another friend responded "what … [Read more...]
Lingerie production clusters in China
Last week I wrote about the future of Guangdong manufacturing. I thought it would be nice to show how an industry gradually moved away from its center in Hong Kong and Guangdong province. I picked the lingerie (bras and panties for … [Read more...]
How to send a container back to china
When a first-time importer asks me for advice, one of the first things I tell him/her is "you can't send the container back to your China factory, and re-working the goods in your country would be expensive, so make sure product quality is … [Read more...]
Traceability of production in China: it has a cost!
Earlier this week, I got a few questions from a European importer who has positioned his brand as "socially and environmentally responsible". They asked me how they could make sure their productions are done in conditions they would … [Read more...]
Bundling different products in one inspection: danger!
According to the ISO 2859 standard, one inspection should be performed on "items of a single type, grade, class, size and composition, manufactured under uniform conditions at essentially the same time". In clear, if you are going to … [Read more...]
Why do China factories “steal” intellectual property?
On the CSIC Linkedin group, I responded to the question "Is there a cultural element to intellectual property theft in China?" by writing: If they think they will benefit from stealing your IP and they can get away with it, they will do … [Read more...]
What future for Guangdong manufacturing?
The Guangdong province of China (and specifically the Pearl River delta) was THE country's hub for export manufacturing in the 1980s. But the situation has changed a lot: Local governments are pushing many industries out, to make room … [Read more...]
How to misuse the ISO 2859 standard: sets vs. pieces
It is quite easy to misuse the ISO 2859-1 standard (or its American equivalent, the ANSI/ASQC Z1.4 standard). A common mistake is probably to base the calculation on the number of sets, rather than the number of pieces. Why should it be … [Read more...]
The 7 deadly sins of Chinese factories
If you purchase from China, there is one thing you have noticed: prices are going up, often by 10-25% a year. The reason is not that manufacturers are increasing their margins, but that their costs are rising very fast. Yet, these same … [Read more...]