Using the 80/20 rule, senior engineer Paul Adams uses his own decades of experience to explore the 7 product tests (for hard goods, mainly) that have stood the test of time for him throughout his career because these few tests tend to provide the most benefits to the most importers who are checking and validating specific items in materials, components, and products, such as their hardness, durability, and chemical makeup, i.e. you're likely to require at least some of them whenever you're … [Read more...]
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: đ§Â BONUS: UL Compliance. Does YOUR product need a UL certification? What is UL? UL focuses on evaluating product safety. We work a lot with consumer electronics, and so … [Read more...]
A Logical Development Roadmap for New Hardware Products
I enjoyed reading the book Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making and I started suggesting it to some of our clients. The most interesting takeaway is the development roadmap that the author suggests is typical for successful hardware products. The author, Tony Fadell, has a wealth of experience developing and launching new products, including nearly 10 years at Apple as a VP in charge of the iPod and then of the iPhone. He founded Nest and launched a smart thermostat that … [Read more...]
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 and more and some of the learnings that it's possible to take from how Apple operates in China, Vietnam, and India. Listen to this episode. Hit play below: đ§Â How … [Read more...]
CES 2023: Explore the Technology WE found Interesting.
Last week I attended CES in Las Vegas. Here's a rundown of products and technology that I thought was interesting and my thoughts on what is on of the most important trade shows in the world for electronics manufacturers and brands. Listen to this episode. Hit play below: đ§Â Live from Las Vegas! CES 2023 thoughts. Why is CES important and how is it structured? CES is one of the largest trade shows in the world and has been running since 1967. In 2019, 182,000 people … [Read more...]
Preventing the “Change of Bank Account” Scam with Your Suppliers
Over the past ten years, I have heard of many companies getting scammed as follows: They pay a supplier (usually in China) by bank wire (T/T) At one point, the buyer receives an email that seems to come from the supplier (but is actually sent by a scammer who somehow got access to either the buyer or, more often, the supplier's email account) requesting a payment to a different bank account The buyer sends the money to that different bank account, but the supplier never knows anything … [Read more...]
A Sunnier Outlook for Logistics from China in 2023!
Finally, after some troubled years, it's mainly good news when it comes to logistics from China! Importers will remember the infamous high costs of 2021 when sending a container from China to the USA cost upwards of US$20,000...well, things have changed for the better in 2023, and in this post, we're going to explore why and what challenges may still lie ahead during the year. … [Read more...]
2022 Review: The Key Stories for Importers from China/Asia
QualityInspection author and Sofeast Group CEO, Renaud Anjoran, and Adrian from the Sofeast team look back at 2022's key news stories and topics that have affected importers with supply chains in China and other Asian countries. What's changed and will we see the same in 2023? Covid has continued to be problematic in China for numerous reasons, even now that the Zero Covid policy has been dropped, the Russian invasion has the world nervously looking at China's actions towards Taiwan, the USA … [Read more...]
What Does a Re-Opened China (Without Quarantine) Mean for Foreign Business?
After years of fighting to keep covid outside of China, the surge in infections in October and November forced Beijing to choose between enormous lockdowns and the abandonment of the 'zero covid' strategy. They opted for the latter, under pressure from the population. Nearly all restrictions have been removed by the government. As a result, over the past couple of weeks, a gigantic wave has hit a good chunk of the population. Let's look at what a newly opened China without quarantine and … [Read more...]
Removing Probability Analysis from Risk Management?
Over the weekend, I read a book called Risk: a User's Guide. The authors, which include former general McChrystal, make an interesting point about the use of probability. First, let's look at the traditional approach to quantifying risk The general approach to assessing risk in quality circles is based on this equation: Risk = likelihood of an occurrence x severity of that occurence And practitioners often add a third factor: the ability to detect the risk. Most process FMEA forms … [Read more...]
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