You work with a supplier based in China. You believe they can do a good job if you manage them appropriately. But you can see you are taking a risk in working with them (the maturity of their management systems, their recent performance, … [Read more...]
When Is a New Product ‘Put on the Market’ (and It Must Be Compliant)?
When a new product is designed and developed, ensuring that it suits the market's needs is a very high on the list of priorities. In this article, I will focus on electronic products, but the same holds true for non-highly regulated product … [Read more...]
What Does a Deflationary China Mean for Importers?
China has had to face a difficult situation recently: They have passed their demographic peak and their population is aging. A fall in exports and imports is now obvious. The Wall Street Journal just wrote "China’s 40-Year Boom Is … [Read more...]
New Product Launch: Planning & Discovery Phases Are So Important
I read an interesting book recently: How big things get done, by Bent Flyvbjerg and Dan Gardner. The authors have amassed a large database of “big projects” — from roads and high-speed train lines to airports and nuclear power plants — … [Read more...]
“Checklist Manifesto” | Improving New Product Introduction & Routine Manufacturing
I recently read The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right by Atul Gawande, a surgeon with a strong interest in process improvement. It's a great book about the value of multi-disciplinary reviews at certain stages of a project and … [Read more...]
Decoupling from China vs. De-Risking: Back To Reality?
In February, after visiting some of our clients in North America, I wrote How USA & Canada SME Importers Feel about China in early 2023, in which I described three categories of importers affected by the trend of decoupling from … [Read more...]
The ISO Certification Industry’s Dark Side
The ISO certification industry, unfortunately, has a dark side. A large proportion of purchasers ask about certifications in the sourcing process. If a potential supplier sends an ISO 9001 certificate, it's one box ticked. Also an ISO … [Read more...]
Product Recall Program: How to do it in case of a Safety Issue?
In a previous post, I explained how to reduce product safety risks by doing a risk assessment based on ISO 10377. It is the preventive approach to avoid distributing an unsafe product (for general consumer goods, anyway). It goes hand in … [Read more...]
Risks A China-Based Manufacturer Faces When Making Products That Don’t Comply With The Export Country’s Laws? (Seminar)
On May 6th 2023, I participated in an interesting seminar in Shenzhen on the topic of compliance for manufacturers, with a special focus on upcoming EU regulations. It was organized by Clive Greenwood from SMC. The keynote speaker was Sean … [Read more...]
Learning From Examples of Non-Compliant Products
What is the best way to familiarize yourself with the safety risks in your product category? I'd say you should look at recent recalls and lawsuits on non-compliant products similar to yours. There is a lot to learn. Here are two … [Read more...]
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