As I wrote in What are Laboratory Certifications Worth in China?, it is important to verify the test reports or conformity certificates. I would guess that between 10% and 30% of the certificates given by Chinese suppliers to their … [Read more...]
Archives for January 2014
Do Importers NEED Trading Companies to Buy in China?
A reader asked me an interesting question: I am really disappointed and fed up from the dishonest way of doing business: changing prices in the last moment, late deliveries and all the other tricks that were mentioned in your blog. In … [Read more...]
Challenges of Small Businesses in China – Q&A with an expert
Recently I chatted with Fredrik Gronkvist, and I thought he had very interesting advice for small.medium size importers. He was kind enough to respond to this Q&A. Fredrik is a co-founder of Chinaimportal, a company that offers … [Read more...]
7 Signs of a Poorly Managed Chinese Factory
Before you can evaluate a Chinese manufacturer's quality level or engineering capabilities, one thing should jump at you: are they well managed? I made a list of 7 signs that you should observe when touring a plant. Let's start at the … [Read more...]
What Factory CERTIFICATIONS Mean in China
Purchasers without a background in the quality field often have trouble understanding what "our factory is certified" really means. I will try to clarify it in this article. How does it work? A factory that wants to get a certification … [Read more...]
Developing new Product Designs for China: Q&A with an expert
I asked Herve Hy Meng, design director at Hintside, to share his experience and suggest some best practices. His company helps importers as well as startups/inventors avoid the traps of China production. They have an interesting approach … [Read more...]
Adapting to Higher Costs in China: Conference in Guangzhou
If you are in South China after Chinese New Year and if you have an interest in sourcing-related issues, you should consider attending this conference organized by the European Chamber of Commerce: Profitable Sourcing - Strategies to … [Read more...]
Getting Prepared for the CNY Production Stoppage
It is this time of year again when factories don't know how long their employees will stay... When traveling around China becomes a nightmare... And when all the buyers say "you must ship my order before the holiday"... Chinese New Year is … [Read more...]
What are Laboratory Certifications Worth in China?
As an importer, you take responsibility for the safety of the products you sell on your market. In many countries, you hold the same liability as if you had manufactured the products yourself. It means that, if you import sensitive … [Read more...]
Using the High Speed Train Network to Move Inside China
I just took the newly opened high-speed train (gaotie / 高铁) line between Shenzhen and Xiamen. And I have been riding other lines regularly, around Guangzhou and around Shanghai/Ningbo. Wikipedia provides solid information about the … [Read more...]