The term "ethical sourcing" is in fashion these days. And it seems to be a step in the good direction, since it puts responsibility on the sourcer (for example, Wal-Mart and the importer/middleman, if any). "Social compliance" implicitly … [Read more...]
Archives for 2013
Criteria to decide if buying from China is a good idea
Etienne Charlier, at Procurasia, just had a very nice infographic designed. It is presented as a list of criteria to be followed by a company BEFORE starting to buy in China. According to Etienne, sourcing in China is a good idea for … [Read more...]
The growing demand for more transparency in suppliers’ operations
It seems like more and more companies are pushing for more transparency in their suppliers' operations. However, this trend goes against established practices in China. It will obviously be a difficult project in a country where many … [Read more...]
How your Chinese suppliers might become your competitors
One of the fears of many importers is that they train a manufacturer to make their products, only to see that supplier start to sell similar goods in competing distribution channels. The ”Made in Asia” seminar (organized every year by … [Read more...]
Heavy trends in the China sourcing industry
A good number of interesting articles were published recently. The first three address heavy trends in the sourcing world. The New Role Of Written Contracts For Product Purchases In China Steve Dickinson wrote a great piece about a … [Read more...]
How 3D printing can alter product design for superior performance
A few weeks ago, in Will 3D printing replace China mass production?, I concluded that we would see no disruption of mass production in the coming 5 years -- in spite of all the examples the press might find. I just read a book called 3D … [Read more...]
Chinese manufacturers are targeting their own domestic market
Every month, we see data about China's exports (and the latest ones don't make much sense, by the way). But who knows a reliable source of data about China's domestic trade? I was curious to read the findings of the survey of nearly 200 … [Read more...]
How to find a CMT apparel factory
A reader asked me recently how he might find a good CMT factory to make garments. Here is my advice. The first question is: where? For buyers based in Europe: logical choices are Tunisia and Morocco, or Eastern Europe. For buyers … [Read more...]
The rise in popularity of social compliance audits in Asian countries
Because of the bad publicity earned by importers such as Wal Mart and C&A after the recent factory fire in Bangladesh, more and more importers are considering social audits as a normal part of their supplier monitoring process. In … [Read more...]
How a Chinese factory can REALLY improve its quality
Auditing a factory's quality system, and helping them patch the main holes found by the auditor, is helpful. But is it enough? I used to think so. A good quality management system is supposed to stop defects before it is too late. … [Read more...]
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