Here are some interesting or useful articles that I found recently. Thousands Strike at Nike, Adidas, Reebok Factory in Dongguan over Invalid Contracts A serious strike in a Taiwanese-owned factory, located in Dongguan city, is … [Read more...]
Archives for April 2014
The US Are As Competitive As China… Or So the BCG Says
The Boston Consulting Group just updated their manufacturing cost index. It shows that producing in Mexico can be cheaper than in China. And that China costs are nearly on par with those of the US -- the difference is only 4%! The BCG … [Read more...]
Talent Acquisition and Retention in China
Last week, the European Chamber of Commerce in China organized a forum about HR best practices in China. Talent acquisition and retention is one of the major challenges of  companies that have an office in China, so I thought my notes … [Read more...]
Auditing Assembly & Packing Operations in China
Most export manufacturers in China only do the assembly and the packing in house. They purchase the components and materials from other suppliers who take care of all the machining and other heavy processing. What is assembly? The subject … [Read more...]
Overview of the Indonesian Production Sector
Our assistant Maria researched Indonesia's export industries, trends, labor costs, and logistical issues. Here is her article. The current manufacturing sector set-up Indonesia is popular for its natural resources, such as timber, … [Read more...]
The Remarkable Inflation in China
The French Chamber of Commerce in China just released the videos of most of the excellent presentations given in their big sourcing event, Made in Asia. I just watched the presentation by Ben Simpfendorfer from Silk Road Associates, a … [Read more...]
Reviewing Samples in China to Save Time & Money
A reader asked me recently how to reduce their Fedex/DHL/UPS bill. They spend thousands of dollars every month just for receiving samples to approve. The good news is, there are ways to reduce that cost. And my company already provides … [Read more...]
Quality System Audits vs. Process-Specific Audits
When it comes to estimating how reliable a potential supplier is, most importers choose to send a quality auditor. There are advantages to this approach, but experience has taught me that it is not always the best option. In this article … [Read more...]
Quality Control of Products Shipped Directly to Amazon
I get contacted more and more often by Amazon merchants who have to source their products from China. And many of them are still learning the basics of successful procurement in a different country. Quality control is a huge issue for … [Read more...]
Auditing the PCBA Process of an EMS Factory in China
If you have purchased electronics products from China, you may well have been in contact with an Electronic Manufacturing Services (or commonly known as EMS) company. These suppliers provide design, test, manufacture, as well as return … [Read more...]