T/T Payment: How to Pay Chinese Suppliers by Bank Wire Transfer
A T/T payment is a common way to pay Chinese suppliers, but what is this payment type, how to make one, and what FAQs do importers have about the process? In addition, when you’re ready to pay a supplier, what kinds of payment terms might you negotiate with them? Follow this link to download these […]
UL Certification: Does Our Product Need It?
Sofeast’s head of New Product Development and resident product reliability expert, Andrew Amirnovin, provides this introduction to UL certification. You’ll learn what this testing is for, the kinds of products involved, who requires it, and more. Listen to this episode. Hit play below: BONUS: UL Compliance. Does YOUR product need a UL certification? […]
How did Apple build a winning supply chain in China?
Two recent FT articles look at how Apple set up a successful supply chain in China that helped them dominate rivals, how they handle their NPI process in a very hands-on way that provides great results, and how their close relationship with China might be damaging long term. Here are our thoughts on these topics […]
What Drives Product Inspection Costs?
It’s important to inspect product quality, but if the inspections you get done aren’t optimized you could end up spending too much on high product inspection costs which is a problem when that money could be used for other activities. This post gives you an insight into the factors that drive QC inspection costs and […]
The Concept of Quality: Little q VS Big Q.
Take a deep dive into the concept of quality. A lot of importers focus narrowly on if the products they’re getting from their manufacturers/suppliers are within tolerance (little q). But without a wider view that looks at the entire manufacturing process from design to production (Big Q), can the mistakes that lead to each batch […]
How To Successfully Implement a dFMEA?
The Sofeast Group’s head of New Product Development, Andrew Amirnovin, explains what a dFMEA (Design Failure Mode and Effects Analysis) is, when it’s used and why, and the 8 secrets you need to bear in mind to successfully implement yours. This is a tool we use for de-risking product designs at an early stage, reducing […]
What To Do If Your Products Fail An Inspection? [Step-By-Step Process]
Sofeast’s CEO Renaud Anjoran and Adrian from the team are back and talking about something else you don’t want to experience but may if you’re unfortunate. A failed product inspection! Renaud will explain to you why the type of inspection matters, a step-by-step process to follow to fix problems highlighted by a product inspection report […]
What Are the Most Highly Regulated Industries?
There is a clear trend that people working in supply chain management have to get used to: pretty much all products are getting more regulated over time. Even apparel is going to be hit hard by the upcoming EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation! With that out of the way, some industries are clearly more regulated […]
Manufacturing Organizational Chart: Top 7 Common Mistakes To Avoid
One of the first things we look at, during factory audits, is the supplier’s manufacturing organizational chart. And it often points to serious operational dysfunctions. Here are the top 7 common mistakes that you don’t want to see your supplier making…
Sourcing from Taobao for mass production? Stop it! [Podcast]
In this episode… Renaud and Adrian from the team talk Taobao! Taobao is a huge Chinese online marketplace where it’s possible to get almost anything at a decent price. The problem is, some importers have been purchasing components from there for use in their mass-produced products! You might be thinking: If prices are good and […]
