This article was written by Kevin Howard, a packaging engineer and owner of Packnomics. A few days ago, we wrote about Design for Distribution. In this article, let's focus on the design of the components of a product, and the impact it … [Read more...]
Archives for January 2019
Benefits of ISO 9001 for a Chinese manufacturing organization
I wrote recently about ISO 9001: What are the standard and the certification process 10 ways it can get poorly implemented in a factory To summarize my view on this topic: It is a good standard, keeping in mind that it was … [Read more...]
Design for Distribution: What Hardware Startups Need To Know
I had an interesting conversation about Design for Distribution with Kevin Howard, a packaging engineer and owner of Packnomics. (Kevin wrote before about packaging optimization on this blog.) … [Read more...]
Design Reviews on New Electronic Hardware Products – Q&A with an Expert
I had the chance to ask a few questions to John Teel, founder and lead engineer at Predictable Designs about design reviews on new electronic hardware products. He helps companies who are designing and developing new electronic hardware … [Read more...]
Factory Audit Tips: 10 Signs of a Bad ISO 9001 Implementation
A few days ago, I wrote about the basics of ISO 9001 -- both the standard and the certification/registration process. I got some comments on Linkedin about how useless ISO 9001 is. It is useless indeed in many manufacturing facilities I … [Read more...]
Must-know Basics of Quality Assurance in China & Vietnam for Buyers
Many new or inexperienced importers who are outsourcing their production to suppliers in China (or wider Asia such as Vietnam) for the first time go into the process almost blind. They're later hit with crippling issues that can make the … [Read more...]
How a Factory Can (and Should) Go Beyond ISO 9001
I wrote a few articles about ISO 9001 recently: The standard itself pushes companies in the right direction, but the auditing & certification process has many flaws: Basics about ISO 9001: The Standard and the Certification … [Read more...]
Basics about ISO 9001: The Standard and the Certification Process
How many of your suppliers claim to be ISO 9001 certified? Is it true? And, to start with, what does it mean? I want to shed some light on this topic. The purpose of the ISO 9001 standard is to "help businesses and organizations to be … [Read more...]
9 Things Only a Large Company Can Obtain in China/Vietnam
I see some good advice, published in Linkedin or elsewhere, aimed at importers sourcing products from China, Vietnam, or other low-cost Asian countries. A lot of this advice is sound. However, I noticed that a good chunk is NOT … [Read more...]
Setting Up a New Factory in China: from Idea to Operation
We have followed the needs of some clients and set up our own assembly center in South China. I took some notes about the 6 phases we have followed, to get from idea to operation. But first, for those curious of what a factory looks … [Read more...]