It seems nearly every major retailer has given some thought to letting their suppliers check quality themselves. I wrote about it in Why Supplier Self-Inspections Are Getting More Popular in China. The obvious benefit is cutting costs. … [Read more...]
A Key China Sourcing Criterion: Can Your Factory Improve?
If you are only going to place 2 or 3 orders with a supplier, the key sourcing criteria will probably be quality, price, past production of similar products, and understanding of compliance requirements. However, if you are looking for a … [Read more...]
Carbon vs. Alloy vs. Stainless: Steel Grades You Might Buy in China
There are basically 3 steel grades (types of steel) that are used when it comes to product manufacturing: Carbon Steel Alloy Steel Stainless Steel Each of these steel grades is comprised of different amounts of iron and carbon … [Read more...]
The Real Purpose of Factory Audits? Evaluate and Prevent Risks.
I had a good discussion with a client whose background was in auditing for a Big Four accounting firm. He pointed that audits, in that context, is mostly about looking at what happened in the past. In contrast, when buyers request … [Read more...]
Tired of Your Chinese Factories’ High MOQs & Long Lead Times?
A few months back, I wrote about how some buyers can no longer put up with their suppliers' quality issues. And I often lament on the poor state of quality systems here. In this article I'd like to mention the other enormous source of … [Read more...]
Chinese Suppliers Are Getting Less Flexible. Now What?
About 6 months ago, I wrote how Chinese fabric suppliers and dyeing houses were giving headaches to the whole supply chain. It had a serious impact on Chinese apparel suppliers (many delays, higher costs, higher MOQs for … [Read more...]
The New Product Development Plan you should use to develop & make a product in China
You have a new product idea. You might also have committed customers. What is between you and success? A successfully-produced first batch of your new product. If you haven't developed new products and had them manufactured in China … [Read more...]
How To Get a List of “Good Chinese Factories”?
Hardly a week goes by without someone asking me for contacts of "good Chinese factories". We see so many of them, the thinking goes, surely we know a few good ones. When we did a few trade shows in Hong Kong, 7-8 years ago, it came up … [Read more...]
The 7 Most Common Product Launch Pitfalls in China
More and more companies work with Chinese manufacturers on new product developments. And, in most cases, things don't turn out the way customers want. I thought I'd highlight the most common product launch pitfalls I have observed for … [Read more...]
The Sad State of Quality Systems in Most Chinese Factories
The sad truth in China is, 5% of the manufacturers are doing a good job consistently, and the rest have ups & downs that irritate and frighten Western customers. And, of those 5% that do a good job consistently, 0.5% do so because of … [Read more...]
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