We seem to be at a pretty low point right now: Billions of people are confined at home. Economists are predicting a disaster and seem to think 2020 will probably be worse than what most of us can remember. The behavior and … [Read more...]
Archives for March 2020
Fixing Problems at the Root: ‘Upstream Thinking’
I have been enjoying the book Upstream: The Quest to Solve Problems Before They Happen by Dan Heath. It is not really a business book, as it covers many examples outside of business, but it does a great job of arguing in favor addressing … [Read more...]
Advantages of Bioplastics vs. Disadvantages: Memo for Product Designers
As product designers look for more sustainable options to please increasingly environmentally savvy consumers, they are often looking at the advantages of bioplastics, such as lower production CO2 emissions, sustainable raw materials, … [Read more...]
Advice for Buying Face Masks in China without Losing your Shirt
With the COVID 19 pandemic hitting more countries, and more people realizing how serious the situation is, it seems tens of thousands of people started looking for face masks and other personal protection products. And what I see is a … [Read more...]
How You Can Prepare for the ‘After Coronavirus Peak’ in the West
The COVID-19 pandemic is now clearly impacting the entire world, with heavy and unpredictable consequences. It is no longer just a Chinese issue. The problem has been 'exported'. But let's look at China first. The situation is changing … [Read more...]
China Factories: 7 Key Factors That Cause Shipment Delays
Last week, on Linkedin, I ranted about the many (not all) Chinese manufacturers that "fail to plan appropriately, are over-optimistic, and disappoint their customers with last-minute shipment delays". Someone commented that I should … [Read more...]
List of Contract Manufacturers in China – Top 14 Factories
These days it’s easy to find article after article stating that manufacturing in China is on the way out. And that's true, at least partly. Vietnam, Thailand, Mexico, and Portugal have many good potential suppliers, including some contract … [Read more...]
COVID-19: Have a Resilient Supply Chain, Stop JIT, Never Single-Source? Really?
I am getting tired of reading "expert commentaries" about the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic on supply chains. They all seem to say the same thing, and (in my mind) they tend to overlook certain facts. Let's look at 4 commonly held … [Read more...]
Unable To Go To Your China Factory Because Of Coronavirus?
The COVID-19 virus is spreading rapidly throughout the world. Wikipedia keeps count of it, country by country. This website show interesting maps that are kept up to date. Some countries are under-reporting their toll (Iran), while … [Read more...]
Documenting Your New Product Development Process (for Quality & Speed)
A large part of the new product development process is the series of approvals to get through. It helps prevent quality issues in mass production and it helps reduce miscommunication... both of which are the biggest causes of a slower time … [Read more...]