I listed the useful articles I published between 2009 and now.
This page is long! Feel free to keep scrolling to choose the categories and articles that interest you, or hit the links just below to quickly skip down to their respective sections:
- Challenges for Foreign Buyers
- Sourcing New Suppliers
- China Supplier Vetting
- How To Cooperate With Your Chinese Supplier (20 part series)
- Due Diligence on Suppliers
- Product Specifications & QC Checklist
- Quality Assurance Strategy
- Payments to Suppliers
- Price, Negotiations & Penalties
- Factory Visits/Audits
- ISO Standards & Factory Certifications
- Laboratory Tests & Certificates
- Supplier Relationships
- Legal Issues & Insurance
- Improvement Approach
- Intellectual Property Rights
- Logistics
- New Product Development & Launch
- Packaging & Packing
- Process Audits
- Quality Inspection Nuts & Bolts
- Social/Ethical Audits
- Speed To Market
- Supplier Development
- Managing QA/QC Operations Inside Your Company
- Lean Manufacturing
- Ethical Sourcing
- China Insights
- FBA Sellers
- Offshoring & Reshoring
- Supply Chain Management & Risks
- Coronavirus
- Learn about Popular Production Materials and Processes
Challenges for Foreign Buyers
- 28 Common Problems Chinese Suppliers Cause Importers
- 10 hard truths for small buyers in China
- The lack of transparency in China supply chains
- Traceability of production in China: it has a cost!
- 21 Assumptions About Buying From Chinese Suppliers To Avoid
- How Chinese manufacturers reduce their costs: “the sub-supply chain”
- The 10 biggest misconceptions of importers about China
- Why First-Time Buyers Fall for Trading Companies in China
- The lack of professionalism of some Chinese suppliers
- Chinese New Year: how to manage the disruption?
- Getting Prepared for the CNY Production Stoppage
- 7 Typical Pitfalls for Hardware Startups Producing in China
- Challenges of Small Businesses in China – Q&A with an expert
- 6 ways Chinese suppliers can cheat importers
- How your Chinese suppliers might become your competitors
- How To Get a List of “Good Chinese Factories”?
- 7 Tips to Prevent the “Different Bank Account” Scam
- Partnering with a Chinese factory: a sweet dream?
- Frustrations of importers in China: a Gartner study
- Top 10 mistakes committed by importers
- Chinese suppliers and subcontracting
- China buying experience: shopping mall or contractor?
- Communication with Chinese Suppliers: Banging Your Head Against the Wall?
- Buying Food Ingredients from China? Can You Trust that Info?
- Fabric Suppliers & Dyeing Houses in China: a Source of Headaches!
- China Factories: 7 Key Factors That Cause Shipment Delays
- How To Diversify Manufacturing Sources Out of China and Cut Risk
- 5 Marketing & Sales Mistakes Hardware Startups Tend To Make
- Why Pay Close Attention To Your Factory Managers’ Personalities?
- New Importer from China? Beware the Credulous Foreigner Syndrome!
- How To Fight Back Against Fake Goods In China Trade Shows
- How to start manufacturing in 10 steps for Kickstarter entrepreneurs
- Beware of this China Scam: The Commodity Bait and Switch
- China Sourcing: Does Your Sales Contact Really Work At The Factory?
- Some Problems Can’t Be Detected During Apparel QC Inspections
- Setting Up a New Factory in China: from Idea to Operation
Sourcing New Suppliers
- List of Contract Manufacturers in China – Top 13 Factories
- Why do Chinese suppliers change names?
- Scams by Chinese suppliers: what to do?
- Working with small Chinese manufacturers
- Tips for Selecting Chinese Suppliers of Injection Molded Products
- Finding a suitable Chinese supplier is an art more than a science
- Why most factories refuse to give customer references
- Buying from a large private Chinese factory
- What Products are Very Hard to Buy Outside China?
- Maturity of Manufacturing Areas in China
- An Alibaba Gold Supplier Status Doesn’t Mean Anything
- The four levels of Chinese factories
- Best Practices for Choosing the Right Chinese Factory
- China Sourcing 101: the 15-Part Guide for New Buyers
- Upwork vs. a Sourcing Agency for Managing Your China Production
- Selecting a Contract Manufacturer (CM) for Your Electronic Product in China
- How China Is Losing Competitiveness… On Paper
- OEM, ODM, Contract Manufacturers: Choose your China Supplier Wisely
- How To See if a Chinese Manufacturer Is Capable of Improving in the Future?
- Why Your China Sourcing Agent Is NOT Looking for New Suppliers
- Low Volume Manufacturing in China for Your New Product
- Sourcing Manufacturers: What Type To Choose For Your Production In China/Vietnam?
- 18 Electronic Product Design Firms For ‘Made-in-China’ Products
- How to Find a High-Quality Chinese Supplier? Not a Short Recipe…
- Why Your Ground Agent in China is NOT Helping Cut Costs
- Understanding the Basics about Food GMP
- Upwork vs. a Sourcing Agency for Managing Your China Production
- Selecting a Contract Manufacturer (CM) for Your Electronic Product in China
- How a China-Based Buying Office Can Add Value
China Supplier Vetting
- Vetting Suppliers In China [Podcast Series]
- How To Check a Chinese Supplier & Confirm They Fit Your Needs
How To Verify Suppliers in China (11 part series of blog articles)
- China Supplier Vetting, Part 1: Background Checks
- China Supplier Vetting, Part 2: Questions to Ask Before a Visit
- China Supplier Vetting, Part 3: Evaluating Engineering Capability
- China Supplier Vetting, Part 4: On-site, subjective evaluations
- China Supplier Vetting, Part 5: On-Site Factory Quality Audits
- China Supplier Vetting, Part 6: On-Site Social Compliance Audits
- China Supplier Vetting Part 7: Factory Process & System Audit
- China Supplier Vetting Part 8: Factory Testing Facilities
- China Supplier Vetting Part 9: In-Depth Due Diligence
- China Supplier Vetting Part 10: Pricing, Negotiation, Contracts
- China Supplier Vetting Part 11: Wrapping It Up
How To Cooperate With Your Chinese Supplier (20 part series)
- Be Prepared for Many Chinese Factory Closures This Coming CNY
- Still Hoping Your Manufacturer meets Your Quality Standard?
- 4 Habits of Your Chinese Suppliers You’ll Have to Get Used To
- Training Sessions on Supplier Development (In Guangzhou & Shenzhen)
- How Likely Are Your China Suppliers To Be Shut Down?
- China Suppliers Lack Transparency… What Implications for Buyers?
- Dangers of Subcontracting and Losing your Core Competencies
- After You Order, Your Chinese Factory Announces a 2 Months Delay?
- Managing China’s Unique Production Challenges
- Jewels Plating Problems: Can You Trust Chinese Factories?
- China Suppliers: from Problem Reporting to Solution
- Are You in Contact with Your Supplier’s Quality Mgr. or Sales Rep?
- Quality Inspectors vs. Project Managers for your China Production
- The Steps FBA Sellers Should Not Skip When Buying in China
- The 7 Major Risks You Run With Your China Manufacturers
- Bad News from China, Raw Material Prices Just Increased!
- T/T Payment Terms with China Factories: Set the Right Incentives
- What Does PPAP Stand For?
- The 3 Major Risks for Amazon FBA Sellers in China
- Sending Money to a Chinese Factory: Don’t Get Confused
Due Diligence on Suppliers
- Chinese Supplier Verification Tips, Based on the Business License
- How importers get scammed by Chinese suppliers
- Background checks on Hong Kong companies
- Is it SAFE to send payments to a Hong Kong company for China productions?
- 6 tips for background checks on Chinese suppliers
- Due Diligence for Buying a Chinese Factory
- Chinese Supplier Background Check: how useful is it?
- What Makes Supplier Due Diligence & Compliance Harder
Product Specifications & QC Checklist
- Preparing specifications for production in China
- How to prepare a QC inspection checklist [infographic]
- Integrate inspection tools in your QC checklist!
- How to use quality inspectors to define specifications for your China factory
- What should be in a purchase order (PO) to a Chinese supplier?
- Be ULTRA SPECIFIC with your Chinese Suppliers
- Preparing a list of quality defects for QC inspectors
- The role of pre-production samples
- Template for Design Sheet and Testing Plan for China Production
- Product specifications template for importers in China
- Product Compliance 101: What Every Importer Must Know [Q&A]
- Product Specifications: What Tolerances for Measurements?
- What is the Bill of Materials and why is it important?
- CPSIA Compliance For American Baby & Kids Product And Toy Importers
- What Simple Checklist for More Reliable Quality Inspections?
Quality Assurance Strategy
- How Factory Audits, Inspections, and Lab Tests Fit Together
- 4 proven ways to enforce your quality standard in China
- QA vs. QC – what importers need to know
- QC inspections are only a part of your quality assurance strategy
- The 10 components of a good quality assurance strategy in China
- Quality decision vs. business decision
- How Quality and Price are Tightly LINKED in China
- Hands-off buyers: accepting the risks of importing
- Hands-on buyers: qualifying factories and nurturing them
- Checklist for importers in China and low-cost Asia
- Chinese factories: the restaurant analogy
- Chinese suppliers’ lack of reliability: 5 tips for importers
- Why you Need a Backup Factory for your China Production
- Switching from Acceptance Sampling to Process Control
- Inspecting During Production vs Monitoring Production
- QC Inspections for Hand-Made vs. Machined Products
- The giant hole in China quality assurance programs
- Quality control plan: defining expectations before production
- Reviewing Samples in China to Save Time & Money
- 5 Ways To Have a Chinese Manufacturer Take Responsibility for Quality Issues
- So You Inspect Quality but Chinese Suppliers Don’t Improve?
- 3 Basic Guidelines for Garment Quality Assurance in China
- How to Conduct Stricter QC Inspections, Apart from a Lower AQL?
- Quality Control of Made-In-China Products in Different Industries
- Limits of Letting a Supplier Self-Inspect their Product Quality
- Why Supplier Self-Inspections Are Getting More Popular in China
- How To Start Working with an Inspection Company Without Ticking Suppliers Off
- What To Do If You Are Afraid of Poor Quality from Your Chinese Factory?
- Why a First Article Validation Can Save an Entire Production from Quality Issues
- From Random Inspection to Mistake Proofing (Zero Defect)
- Evaluating a Battery Manufacturer in China for Consistent Quality
- 4 Ways to Test Battery Capacity on an Electrical Product
- Checking for Forward and Backward Traceability in a Factory
- Checkpoints & Defects for Inspections of Mechanical Parts
- How To Cut Your Quality Control Budget by Up To 80%
- How Amazon FBA Sellers Should Control Quality in China
- Real-Time Inspection Updates on Wechat/Whatsapp? Really?
- The Magic Triangle: Product Specifications, Sample Reviews, and QC Inspections
- Can You Trust the Measurements from Your China Factory?
- Beware of Combined Sampling (Many Products in 1 Lot)
- The Root Cause Analysis — an Art Seldom Practiced in China…
- From Data Science To Machine Learning in Manufacturing, for Smarter Quality Control
- The 5 Levels of Quality Standards: From Worst to Best Practices
- Quality Planning for Importers: Classify Orders by Risk Level
- What Is the Confidence Level when Working with AQL Tables?
- Traceability in Manufacturing: Do your Chinese Suppliers Do it Right?
- The Sad State of Quality Systems in Most Chinese Factories
Payments to Suppliers
- RMB settlement for paying Chinese suppliers
- Letters of credit when buying in China: the basics
- Statistics about payment terms between importers and Chinese suppliers
- China Manufacturing: Options for Payment
- How a letter of credit protects importers
- Confirming quality when paying by irrevocable letter of credit
- Confirming quality when paying by bank wire (T/T)
- Tie payments to quality acceptance, for each shipment
- How to get a Chinese supplier to accept a letter of credit
- How to Pay Chinese Suppliers by Bank Transfer (T/T)
- International Payment to Chinese Factories: Q&A
- How to Pay a Service Provider Based in Hong Kong or China?
- The 3 Best Ways for Importers To Pay Chinese Suppliers
Price, Negotiations & Penalties
- How and why Chinese suppliers increase their prices
- Negotiating for Slower Price Increases from Chinese Factories
- China Price Inflation: Where are Cost Reduction Opportunities?
- Using penalties effectively
- China: when price negotiations impact product quality
- China: why pushing for faster production is dangerous
- Imposing fines on Chinese suppliers
- Rising prices in China: 5 solutions for importers
- How to decrease a minimum order quantity
- You can negotiate prices hard without being a tough buyer
- Should you tell China suppliers about your target price?
- When should you request quotations from Chinese factories?
- Do Penalties for Poor Quality Make Sense for your Suppliers?
- How Does the VAT Rebate for Exports out of China work?
Factory Visits/Audits
- What questions can you ask a Chinese factory during a visit?
- What can you observe in a Chinese factory?
- Factory tours in China: what to watch out for
- Are Technical Auditors Necessary for ISO 9001 Audits?
- Auditing a small Chinese factory: does it make sense?
- ISO 9000 factory audits for your China suppliers
- How does a factory audit work? [infographic]
- Chinese factories: what can be checked
- Quality system: a checklist for factory auditors
- Engaging a Consultant to Prepare a Factory Audit
- Conducting factory audits for continuous improvement
- Factory Audits and Product Inspections: Similarities and Differences
- Quality Auditor vs. Consultant Working on Improvements
- Continuous Auditing to Keep Pressure on a China Factory: How it Works
- Are Calibration Reports Always A Must? Why Auditors Should Think Before Raising Suppliers’ Costs
- The Real Purpose of Factory Audits? Evaluate and Prevent Risks.
ISO Standards & Factory Certifications
- Benefits of ISO 9001 for a Chinese manufacturing organization
- Core quality tools in the automotive industry
- Factory Audit Tips: 10 Signs of a Bad ISO 9001 Implementation
- What Factory CERTIFICATIONS Mean in China
- Are ISO 9001 Certified Suppliers the Best in China?
- Are there Many Fake ISO 9001 Certifications in China?
- Food safety standards: ISO 22001, HACCP, GMP
- Writing a procedure that is consistent with ISO 9000 standards
- ISO/TS 16949: Great Improvements Over ISO 9001
- Advantages and Drawbacks of the ISO/TS 16949 Standard
- The Advanced Product Quality Planning Process
- Getting China Manufacturers to Pay Certification Costs
- New Version of ISO 19011 Is Available – Guidelines for Auditing
- Does ISO 9001 Actually Prevent Process Improvements?
- How a Factory Can (and Should) Go Beyond ISO 9001
- Basics about ISO 9001: The Standard and the Certification Process
Laboratory Tests & Certificates
- What Certifications are Necessary for a Given Product & Country?
- Do not trust Chinese manufacturers’ certificates!
- 5 tips for testing China products against regulatory standards
- 3 Ways To Get Faster Results From Laboratory Tests On Your Products
- The five types of product TESTING laboratories in China
- What to Do When A Supplier Can’t Provide Product Certificates?
- Testing laboratories in China: dark practices and perverse effects
- SAFETY COMPLIANCE: major risks for European importers
- Asking Suppliers to Pay for Laboratory Tests
- What are Laboratory Certifications Worth in China?
- How to Check Lab Test Certificates/Reports?
- List of testing laboratories in China
- The Basics about Laboratory Tests Every Importer Should Know
- Product Reliability Testing | 7 FAQs
- Why Design Defects Are Behind Many Quality/Safety Issues
- What Is a Certificate of Conformity (COC), and How To Get One?
- Reliability Testing Plan For A Home Appliance (an Electronic Hairbrush) in China [Example]
- Are Your Chinese Factory’s Batteries Made by Samsung, LG, or Panasonic?
- Reliability Testing on Electronic Products in China: Don’t Skip It
Supplier Relationships
- China production: keeping your quality standard up
- Relationships with Chinese suppliers: be clean!
- 6 Effects of Signing a Strong Manufacturing Contract with your Supplier
- Managing Chinese suppliers: how to maintain your authority
- Tips to communicate effectively with Chinese suppliers
- What to do after receiving bad quality products from China?
- How to send a container back to china
- The art of granting exceptions to your quality standard
- Supervising production in china
- The 3 categories in your Chinese supplier list
- Bad relationship with a Chinese supplier: just end it!
- Negotiate about prices, not about quality standards
- Moving Tooling/Molds from one Chinese Factory to Another
- Setting up a Supplier Evaluation System that Works in China
- Why Do Most Chinese Dislike Processes?
- IT Systems for Managing your China Procurement
- 10 Tips for Transferring Molds between Plastic Factories
- KPIs and IT Tools of Purchasing Departments (Expert Q&A)
- Helping a Chinese Factory while still Holding Them Accountable
- How To Manage Chinese Suppliers based on Facts & Data
- China Supply Chain Transparency and Monitoring: Not Getting Easier…
- Communication with Chinese Suppliers: Banging Your Head Against the Wall?
Legal Issues & Insurance
- Respecting contracts and telling the truth in China
- Liability insurance for importers
- Are Chinese courts unreliable?
- Why contracts are useful in China
- My China Factory Has Gone Bankrupt: How to Get my Deposit Back?
- Letters of guarantee: a substitute to quality control for importers?
- Buyers of Masks and other PPE: Are You Exposed to Serious Liability?
- Would Liability Insurance Protect You When Buying Product from China?
- How Does the VAT Rebate for Exports out of China work?
Improvement Approach
- Re-inspections: the key is to manage corrective actions
- Quality control vs. process improvement
- How product design can create production quality issues
- Use corrective actions plans to ensure effective repairing
- What QC Tools To Use for Problem Resolution?
- Getting to the root cause of a quality problem
- A simple method to find a production problem’s root cause(s)
- How to Solve Your China Production Problems
- How the Kingfisher Group is Re-organizing Sourcing Operations To Cut Costs
- No Process Improvement Action Plan in Chinese Factories? Why?
- Avoiding Plastic Injection Molding Defects: Key Preventive Measures
- What Can Quality Professionals Do When Most Suppliers Are Off (CNY)?
- Do You Focus on Product Redesign Rather than Process Improvement?
- Are Preventive Maintenance and Process Control the Same Thing?
- 3 Basic Process Improvement Tools: Flow Chart, FMEA, Control Plan
- The Right Way To Approach Production Automation
- Understanding a Manufacturing Process in Your China Factory
- How a Chinese Factory Can Get ISO 9001 Certified
- The Process FMEA: Template, Use Cases, and Example
- Why Chinese Factories Don’t Get Better: Constant Fire Fighting
- The Best of Process Improvement Tools: The Flow Chart
- Using a Continuous Sampling Plan for Your China Production
- Using Statistics To Improve Production Quality in China
- Solving a Quality Problem Seldom Necessitates High-Tech Engineering
- 3 Steps for Manufacturing ‘Off-The-Shelf’ Products in China
- A Control Chart You Can Ask Your Chinese Suppliers to Keep Track Of
- Basic Statistics Any Chinese Factory Can Understand
- What KPIs for Your Procurement Office in China?
- China Management Best Practice: Always Give Some Context
- What Good Assembly Work Instructions Look Like
- How To Know if Your China Factory Is Good?
- How To Fill Out an 8D Report and Fix a Problem in a Factory
- Fixing Problems at the Root: ‘Upstream Thinking’
- Tips for Writing SOPs and WIs that Will Actually Be Useful
- A Good Way To Analyze Data to Drive Process Improvements
- Two Preventive Maintenance Examples: Go for More Structure
- 11 Steps To Set Up a Process Control Plan
- How To Ensure your Chinese Factory Purchases Good Components?
- How To Keep A Clean Factory And Stop Dust On A Budget
- What Are the Process Inputs & Parameters to Keep under Control?
- How Blockchain Can Help Importers & Regulators Manage Supply Chains
- No Process Improvement Action Plan in Chinese Factories? Why?
Intellectual Property Rights
- Manufacturing in China can be risky! 10 Examples of China IP Theft
- Preventing parallel supply chains
- Brand protection in China: Q&A with an expert
- How to complain about counterfeit/fakes on Taobao
- China Trade Shows: Don’t Get Your New Product Designs Stolen
- 5 ways to avoid being copied in China
- Co-development with Chinese suppliers
- When a China factory invokes IP ownership
- Does your China factory sell your products on Taobao.com?
- Making a hard-to-copy product in china
- Checking a Product’s Intellectual Property Rights Before Buying
- How to Protect against Copies when you Manufacture in China
- Don’t Let a Chinese Supplier Circumvent You: 5 Tips
Logistics
- Dangerous gases in containers
- How to check the loading of a container by a factory?
- Shipping under FOB or CIF terms?
- Fulfillment and drop-shipping from China: Q&A with an expert
- Basics of freight forwarding in China: Q&A with an expert
- When to ship LCL rather than FCL? Advice for importers.
- 4 options for managing shipping and Customs issues with China
- Avoiding humidity inside containers
- Consolidating Small Orders in China before Shipment
- How 4PLs Can Help Reduce Costs Across a Supply Chain
- You Don’t Have to Use an Incoterm when Buying from China
- How to Send Small Quantities & Samples In and Out of China
- The Logistics of Exporting from China — Air and Sea
- How Do Logistics From China Work for Importers?
- Expert Guide for Importing from China
- US Compliance Documents When Importing from China: Q&A With an Expert
- Avoiding Mold on Imported Products Shipped in Ocean Containers
New Product Development & Launch
- New Product Development: 12 Tradeoffs Every Hardware Startup Faces
- The New Product Launch Roadmap you should use to develop & make a product in China
- Product development with chinese factories
- NPD Process for SMEs Buying from China [free e-book]
- What Determines the Cost of a Plastic Injection Mold in China?
- Why Does Making a Mold In China Take a Month?
- Injection Molding Tool: What Design Mistakes to Avoid
- Review your Business Performance in the Market – Part 19
- How to Send Good Design Files to Chinese Manufacturers
- Managing your Product’s Life Cycle
- How HALT & HASS Can Help your Product Development Efforts
- 4 Tips for Production Launch of an Electronic Product in China
- Your Chinese Manufacturer Can Help Improve Your Product Design!
- Training your China Factory before Production Starts
- What Are Your Non-Recurring Engineering Costs for Production in China?
- Having a Chinese Manufacturer Make Molds and Tools for You
- What Needs to Be Done Before Production Starts (PPAP)
- What Are the Steps and the Objectives of Making Prototypes in China?
- Example of Indiegogo Project Made in China: NAOX
- Manufacturing an Electronic Product in China: Ideas for Cost Saving
- Design Optimization For Production of Electronics in China
- Making Prototypes for an Electronic Product Made in China
- Selection of a Chip Set and Planning the Writing of Firmware
- PCBA Schematics Design for Your Production in China
- R&D and Power Consumption Evaluation
- What It Takes to Develop a New Electronic Product in China – Part 1
- R&D and Power Consumption Evaluation – Develop an Electrical Product In China Part 2
- Are Shenzhen Manufacturers Innovators or Copycats?
- Don’t Skip the Pilot Run for Your New Product Made in China!
- How to Increase Speed of Developing New Products in China
- How Long Does a Custom Product Development Take in China?
- Selecting a Plastic Injection Material for China Manufacturing
- 5 Steps for Manufacturing a New Product in China
- Investing in an Injection Mold: What Is Best Practice in China?
- What Is the APQP? (Advanced Product Quality Planning Process)
- Prototyping in China: 27 Best Options for Plastic, Metal, PCBA, Silicon and more
- New Product Concept Brief: 5 Things Your Industrial Designer Needs To Know
- 6 Tips To Nail Your Hardware Product’s Concept BEFORE Engaging A Design House
- Documenting Your New Product Development Process (for Quality & Speed)
- Low Budget New Product Development For Importers From Asia [Q&A]
- Don’t Send Immature Product Designs To A Chinese Manufacturer!
- The Danger of Developing your Custom Product with an ODM Factory
- Incubators in China for Developing a new Electronic Hardware Product
- Design Reviews on New Electronic Hardware Products – Q&A with an Expert
- Carbon vs. Alloy vs. Stainless: Steel Grades You Might Buy in China
- The 7 Most Common Product Launch Pitfalls in China
- Pros and Cons of Crowdfunding (Kickstarter/Indiegogo) for Startups
- On-Time Delivery for your New Product Made in China? Possible?
Developing a New Product Series (18 part series)
- Developing your own Product and Getting it to Market – Part 1
- Screening Ideas for New Product Launch – Part 2
- The Stage ‘Gate’ Review Meeting in the NPD Process – Part 3
- Testing the Concept (New Product Development) – Part 4
- Three Different Types of Prototyping for China Manufacturing
- Different Methods of Prototyping
- Developing the Product – Part 5
- Developing the PCB for a Product Made in China – Part 6
- Designing Physical Mechanical Parts for China Production – Part 7
- The Importance of Prototype Build before Production – Part 8
- Product Functional Testing Before China Production – Part 9
- Design Review Iterations (New Product Development) – Part 10
- Build Of Pre-Production Tooling – Part 11
- Initial Product Build – Part 12
- Assembly Review after an Initial Product Build – Part 13
- Safety and Regulation Requirements china – part 14
- Technical Data Files for China Production – part 15
- Packaging Considerations for your Product – part 16
- Test Marketing before Producing a Large Batch in China – part 17
- Commercialization of your New Product – Part 18
Packaging & Packing
- Checking the export cartons
- The importance of packaging optimization for importers
- Saving money thanks to better packaging
- How to test the protection of your products during transport
- Packaging: How to Protect your Shipment Effectively?
- Best Practices for Protecting Electro-Mechanical Products
- Practical tips for avoiding mold on imported shoes
- Making Components’ Shipment and Presentation Easier (Before Assembly)
- Design for Distribution: What Hardware Startups Need To Know
Process Audits
- Setting up Injection Molding Machines in China
- Auditing a Die Casting Process in China
- Auditing a Plastic Injection Molding Process in China
- Auditing Metal Machining Processes in China
- Auditing Electronics Productions in China
- Auditing Assembly & Packing Operations in China
- Quality System Audits vs. Process-Specific Audits
- Auditing a Rubber Molding Process in China
- Auditing Wood Machining Processes used for Making Furniture
- Auditing Cut & Sew Processes for Garment Manufacturing
- Do Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) Audits Drive Improvement?
Quality Inspection Nuts & Bolts
- Final random inspection: a guide for importers
- Inspection during production: a necessity?
- Container loading inspection: a guide for importers
- Pre-production inspection: what benefits for buyers?
- The advantage of a dedicated inspection room
- Sampling plan calculations for quality inspections [infographic]
- Inspection level vs. inspection severity
- How to check many small orders produced at the same time
- Statistical quality control tool: get a valid sampling plan
- Procedure for dealing with failed inspections
- Inspection of textile products: what tests can be done?
- How to select the cartons to inspect in a factory
- Why checking quality during loading is a bad idea
- QC inspections on a platform: pros and cons
- How many samples to inspect? It depends…
- How to reduce the number of man-days for a QC inspection
- How to misuse the ISO 2859 standard: sets vs. pieces
- Bundling different products in one inspection: danger!
- How to draw samples for a QC inspection
- Piece by piece inspection: pros and cons
- Timing for a final random inspection
- How to reduce the frequency of quality inspections
- QC Inspectors cannot follow different quality standards
- How to choose an AQL limit?
- Procedure if a problem is detected during an in-process inspection
- How to arrange reference samples for QC inspections?
- Limits of QC inspections based on AQL & random sampling
- QC Inspections: How to Read the AQL Tables
- Inspections of moulds and tools in China
- Common questions about what an AQL inspection guarantees
- The Special Inspection Levels in the AQL Tables
- Defect sorting job (100% check)
- Final product inspections: should the whole order be ready?
- How suppliers can play to avoid QC inspections
- The Different Sampling Plans Contained in the ISO 2859 Series
- Mobile Applications (on Tablets) for Quality Inspections
- Defect List vs. Checkpoint List
- QC Inspections: Why some Points are NOT Checked on All Samples
- How a Mobile App can Help Quality Control Inspectors
- How does a random quality inspection work? [infographic]
- The different types of sampling plans for QC inspections
- How Technology Will Support Quality Control [Infographic]
- How to Prevent the Factory from Swapping the Goods after Inspection
- What is the “AQL” (Acceptance Quality Limit) in simple terms?
- Aligning and Calibrating In-Line and Final Inspections
- How to Check 100% of a Small Production Batch Before Shipment
- Supply Chain Management: the Role of Quality Inspections
- China Environmental Inspections & Factory Closures: an FAQ
- Sampling Is an Important Part of a Random Inspection
- How Product Specs, Sample Reviews, and QC Inspections Fit Together
- Understanding Product QC Inspections: What Is in a Man-Day?
- Why a First Article Inspection Can Save an Entire Production from Quality Issues
- How To Test Plastic Material Properties [Videos]
- A Simple AQL Calculator To Prepare Your Product Inspections
- 100% Inspection in a Third Party Facility in China: The How-To
- How Much Does a Quality Inspection in China cost?
- When To Do a Random AQL Inspection vs. Check 100% of the Goods
- Must-know Basics of Quality Assurance in China & Vietnam for Buyers
- When AQL Sampling Plans Can’t Find Defective Products
Social/Ethical Audits
- Social compliance audits in factories: perverse effects
- Prison labor in China: one more risk to deal with
- How to ensure that your factory can pass a social audit?
- Social compliance audits don’t work!
- Ethical sourcing in China: a view from the ground
- What a Social Auditor Should Check in Chinese Factories
- The Value of Worker Interviews during Social Compliance Audits
Speed To Market
- Better sales forecasts and more flexible supply chains
- Managing urgent shipments in China
- Delays and re-inspections: what impact on delivery dates?
- How to avoid production delays in China
- Production delays and quality problems often come up together
- Incubator VS Accelerator VS Go It Alone: The Startup’s Conundrum
- How The Gap Increases Speed in their Apparel Supply Chain
Supplier Development
- Actionable Tips To Improve Sourcing From China & Develop Suppliers
- 7 Signs of a Poorly Managed Chinese Factory
- Training an internal inspector in a Chinese factory
- How to develop Chinese suppliers
- 5 building blocks for developing good Chinese suppliers
- Chinese suppliers: 6 distinctive traits of forward-thinking LEADERS
- Automation in Chinese factories: not a solution!
- Is your factory improving its processes?
- Different types of production organization
- Why semi-automation is better than full automation
- What should factory operators do when defects are found?
- 7 Common Mistakes Revealed by Factory Org Charts
- 7 Mistakes Chinese Factories Make in Production Planning
- Limits of Statistical Process Control in China
- How to Use Statistical Tools to Improve Production Processes
- How to Fire Bad Managers in a Chinese Factory
- What Chinese Factory Managers Don’t Understand
- Chinese factory TURNAROUND: is it good to hire new managers?
- Bad China Suppliers Quality: Still Tolerable in 2018?
- Progress and Challenges of China’s Manufacturing Sector
- A Key China Sourcing Criterion: Can Your Factory Improve?
- Tired of Your Chinese Factories’ High MOQs & Long Lead Times?
Managing QA/QC Operations Inside Your Company
- Giving money to inspectors? It’s normal!
- Corruption of inspectors: the role of social pressure
- Avoiding kickbacks in China
- Training for QC inspectors: Q&A with an expert
- How your inspectors can fail to notice quality problems
- Choosing a Good Quality Inspector or Auditor
- Challenges in Managing Quality Inspectors in China
- Managing QC Inspectors, Part 1: The Hiring Process
- Managing QC Inspectors, Part 2: Checklist and Equipment
- Managing QC Inspectors, Part 3: Training, Coaching, and Auditing
- Managing QC Inspectors, Part 4: Evaluating their Performance
- Managing QC Inspectors, Part 5: Avoiding Bribery
- Managing QC Inspectors, Part 6: Planning the Inspections
- Managing QC Inspectors, Part 7: The Quality Manager in China
- Managing QC Inspectors, Part 8: QC vs. QA
- Software for your Company’s Quality Inspectors: All You Need To Know
- Best Practices for Hiring, Training, and Evaluating QC Inspectors
- Analyzing Differences in Measurements with Your Factory
- How Quality Planning Drives QC and Process Improvement
- How to set up a Receiving Inspection: Checklist, Procedure, Reporting form
- Undetected QC Issues: 7 Common Failures of Chinese Inspectors
- Dimensional Control: Should Inspectors Write their Findings?
- What Is The Minimum Viable Quality Management System For A New Manufacturer? [7 Steps]
- Transitioning to Supplier Self Inspections: Go Stage by Stage
Lean Manufacturing
- Why few Chinese factories are adopting lean principles
- Yes, lean production is possible in China
- The benefits of a factory’s lean turnaround
- Lean transformation: how it drives costs down
- How a Chinese factory can REALLY improve its quality
- How to avoid human mistakes in production? The lean approach.
- Lean and ISO 9001 are very compatible
- History of Manufacturing Practices in the US, Japan, and China
- Lean, 6 sigma, etc.: comparison of process improvement approaches
- Flexible Manufacturing in China: How To Set It Up
- The Problem With Visual Management Boards in Factories
Ethical Sourcing
- Global Supply Chains: Transparency Drives Compliance Risks Down
- How To Comply with Standards that are Impossible To Reach?
- Minimizing and Identifying Frauds and Corruption in a Factory
- Environmental Concerns in China Are Reaching a High Point
- The Risk Assessment Approach in China Manufacturing
- The Horrendous Safety Record of China’s Manufacturing Sector
- 6 Steps and 1 Key To Reduce Subcontracting Risks in China
- Most Chinese Factories Are Bad at Sourcing Materials & Components
- The Danger of Choosing a “Cheap” Chinese Factory
- The Risks of Paying Sourcing Contractors (Employees) in China
- 3 Common Ways Factories Try to Cheat Inspectors/Auditors
China Insights
- Tips for Recruiting Good Talent For a China Factory or Buying office
- Is There a Future for Manufacturing in China?
- Do Many Amazon Products Come Right From Alibaba in China?
- Beijing’s Efforts at Upgrading its Manufacturing Sector by 2025
- Chinese Factories Designing, Branding, and Selling on Amazon: Q&A
- Dongguan Factories: Is there Light at the End of the Tunnel?
- Why Chinese Factories Focus on Inspection, Not Improvement
- Shenzhen, the Best City in China for Manufacturing?
- Is Factory Consolidation Accelerating in China?
- The Electronics Market in Shenzhen: Everything Is Possible?
- Chinese Suppliers Selling on Kickstarter / Indiegogo?
- The Evolution of Hong Kong Trade Shows
- Counterfeit Goods in China: Are Things Getting Better?
- Was the RMB Suddenly Devaluated? (Just Rumors!)
- Manufacturing Sectors of Dongguan, District by District
- HuaQiangBei in the Electronics Supply Chain
- Can Alibaba Really Avoid Counterfeit Goods?
- Conference for Hardware Startups in October, in Hong Kong
- Conferences in Hong Kong and Shenzhen in 2017
- How the US/China Trade War Accelerates the ‘Made in China 2025’ Plan
- Chinese Suppliers Are Getting Less Flexible. Now What?
- 9 Things Only a Large Company Can Obtain in China/Vietnam
- 9 Consequences of the Upcoming US-China Trade War
- The Future of the Greater Bay Area: High-Tech Manufacturing
- China’s Corporate Social Credit System: Watch Out For Supplier Risk!
- Chinese Suppliers Harder To Work With than Last Year, 2020 Survey Respondents Say
FBA Sellers
- Standards for Selling on Amazon FBA Platform Are Getting Stricter
- Does The Safety & Quality Of Products Sold On Amazon Pose Risks?
- Why Amazon FBA Prep Services Should Be Done in China (not USA)
Offshoring & Reshoring
- When Should American Companies Reshore Manufacturing Or Stay In China?
- Transferring Production from China to Vietnam to Avoid Tariffs
- What If Your Chinese Supplier Offers To Make Your Product in Vietnam?
- Will US Tariffs Drive Manufacturing From China To Vietnam?
- Manufacturing Electronics in Taiwan: A China Alternative?
- Effects Of The US-China Trade War On Manufacturing Relocations
- China Still Best For New & Complex Manufacturing Projects
Supply Chain Management & Risk
- Supply Chain Risk Management, Part 1: What are VUCA and Black Swans?
- Supply Chain Risk Management, Part 2: The Business Continuity Plan
- Supply Chain Risk Management, Part 3: A Purchaser Supply Chain KPI Scorecard’s Benefits
- Supply Chain Risk Management, Part 4: How Much Inventory Do You Need?
Coronavirus
- Wuhan Epidemic: Why Major Supply Chain Disruptions Are Coming Up
- Diverging Views on the China Virus Outbreak: Whom To Listen To?
- China Epidemic: Real Effects on Logistics and Manufacturing
- How You Can Prepare for the ‘After Coronavirus Peak’ in the West
- Advice for Buying Face Masks in China without Losing your Shirt
- Unable To Go To Your China Factory Because Of Coronavirus?
- Coping With Coronavirus: How Importers Can Check If A China Factory Is Ready & Has Capacity
- What the Coronavirus Means for Importers of China Products
- Will China Lock Entire Provinces Down A Second Time in 2020?
- COVID-19: What Are The 7 Major Risks for Importers of China Goods?
- Requirements To Import PPE: You Need To Go Beyond Certificates
- Verifying Certificates for Masks, Gloves, and Other PPE from China
- 9 Reasons Why You Can’t Buy Face Masks with Low Risk in China
- COVID-19: Have a Resilient Supply Chain, Stop JIT, Never Single-Source? Really?
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