![Could Rising COVID-19 Cases In China Before CNY ‘21 Affect Supply Chains? [Podcast]](https://qualityinspection.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/CouldRisingCOVID-19CasesInChinaBeforeCNY21AffectSupplyChainsPodcast.jpg)
What would YOU do if lockdowns in China over Chinese New Year threatened your supply chain..? As cases climb in Northern China there's a very real threat that tightening restrictions could affect supply chains in China. In this … [Read more...]
Archives for January 2021
Brands and Retailers: Please Stop Doing Social Compliance Audits in Asia
Finbarr Bermingham and Cissy Zhou wrote an interesting article in the South China Morning Post, entitled Bribes, fake factories and forged documents: the buccaneering consultants pervading China’s factory audits. An interesting Linkedin … [Read more...]
7 Tips to Manage the Transfer of Production To Another Chinese Factory
There are cases where importers really need to leave a current supplier. Some situations are unlikely to improve over time, and they are even likely to get worse. I wrote about this in 7 Reasons to Switch to a New Chinese … [Read more...]
Good Project Management With Chinese Suppliers From A Product Designer’s Perspective [Podcast]
![Good Project Management With Chinese Suppliers From A Product Designer’s Perspective [Podcast]](https://qualityinspection.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GoodProjectManagementWithChineseSuppliersFromAProductDesignersPerspectivePodcast.jpg)
Let's hear from an experienced product designer about project management with Chinese suppliers... In this episode, we catch up with Andy Bartlett, a friend of Sofeast, who is an enormously experienced product designer from the UK, to … [Read more...]
Environmental Audit On Your Factories: 6 Questions To Ask First
With the increasingly pressing imperative to slow climate change down, and with the recent COP 26 conference, a few clients inquired about ways to confirm that their suppliers have taken steps to protect the environment with a view to doing … [Read more...]
7 Reasons To Switch To A New Chinese Manufacturer
Many times, importers ask me "how to control production better?", and they proceed to give me examples of the recent issues they have had with their current Chinese supplier. And I often tell them "switch to a better supplier". Now, … [Read more...]
Why Do Importers Need Product Reliability Testing? [Podcast]
![Why Do Importers Need Product Reliability Testing? [Podcast]](https://qualityinspection.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/WhyDoImportersNeedProductReliabilityTestingPodcast.jpg)
Product reliability testing is a must for importers who want to avoid risk... 2020 added considerable strain and difficulty to many importers' lives, so today, more than ever, it's so important to implement measures to protect your … [Read more...]
New Physical Products: Patents Should Come After Market Success
We talk to a startup company developing a new physical (hardware) product at least once a week, and I'd estimate that about 25% of them try hard to secure a patent. I get it. They are afraid of being copied. They know investors and … [Read more...]
Does Checking 100% of a Production Batch Make Sense? Yes, It Often Does.
Nearly 2 years ago I wrote When To Do a Random AQL Inspection vs. Check 100% of the Goods. It is a good overview of these 2 options: Send inspector(s) to your supplier's factory for checking random samples Have the manufacturer of … [Read more...]
How To Validate Your Supplier’s Factory’s Production Capacity (From Abroad) [Podcast]
![How To Validate Your Supplier’s Factory’s Production Capacity (From Abroad) [Podcast]](https://qualityinspection.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/HowToValidateYourSuppliersFactorysProductionCapacityFromAbroad.jpg)
You can't visit suppliers in China due to coronavirus. How can you validate their production capacity without going on-site? As we head into 2021 travelling to see suppliers in Asia, in particular China, remains difficult for most … [Read more...]