One of the biggest mistakes importers make is to work with a "cheap" factory. The price is good, but you need to revise your expectations way, way down. Instead of "cheap" or "expensive" factories, I like to talk about "high-volume, … [Read more...]
Archives for August 2016
The Magic Triangle: Product Specifications, Sample Reviews, and QC Inspections
Recently I was asked what the "20% of efforts that give 80% of results" are when it comes to quality control in China. Interesting question. Well, first is to find the right supplier. That's probably the most important thing you can do, … [Read more...]
Conference for Hardware Startups in October, in Hong Kong
Global Sources has totally revamped the free conferences they run besides their trade shows in Hong Kong. They seem to primarily target hardware startups, but days 3 and 4 can be interesting to any company. Here is the new … [Read more...]
What Good Assembly Work Instructions Look Like
A few weeks ago, I wrote How To Ensure Quality In Chinese Factories By Writing Work Instructions. (By the way, we have recently published a number of resources on the CMC website. If you are interested in good factory management, you … [Read more...]
5 Steps for Manufacturing a New Product in China [video]
So many steps are involved in manufacturing a new product in China, it is easy to lose sight of the whole project. After working with hundreds of importers, we have noticed that very few companies have a strong plan. Nearly all skip … [Read more...]
Dongguan Factories: Is there Light at the End of the Tunnel?
Dongguan city is just North of Shenzhen, yet it is a different city in nearly every respect. As I pointed out last week, there is no real center. Dongguan is composed of 32 towns that are quite spread out (going from one side of Dongguan … [Read more...]
How To Know if Your China Factory Is Good?
I hear buyers talk about their "good suppliers" and their "bad suppliers", yet they are often unable to pinpoint what makes them "good" or "bad". Maybe one factory has better "systems". But few buyers actually take the time to look into … [Read more...]