QualityInspection.org

Quality Assurance, Product Development, and Purchasing Strategies in China

How the right to repair movement & laws may affect manufacturers in future [Podcast]

In this episode... Sofeast's CEO Renaud Anjoran talks about the 'Right To Repair' movement that is gathering pace today. Consumers are calling for it and governments are starting to bring in legislation in order to steer the electronics industry in a more sustainable direction and reduce the huge amount of e-waste being created each year. But if you're manufacturing electronic products, how might it affect you? Having to design for repairability certainly adds new challenges, but … [Read more...]

SE Asia and India are more competitive than China on wages as of 2021, but should we abandon China?

We started comparing the average wages across Asia in 2015 to help importers decide which country might be the best option for them to source from. As I mentioned before, you need to consider the following data (among others): The trend of the average wages in the countries in question The stability of exchange rates, for example against the US dollar Back in 2015, China's increasing wages were followed by other neighboring countries. Its 'real' cost of skilled factory labor, which … [Read more...]

Sourcing from China (Part 2): Negotiating terms, leverage over suppliers, and describing your needs. [Podcast]

In this episode... In episode 65 we discussed the different supplier options open to buyers who’re sourcing from China. One of the options is to do the sourcing yourself. Many importers want to pursue this, so we're creating a mini-series of episodes that explores how to handle the sourcing process from China yourself with tips and best practices from Sofeast's CEO Renaud Anjoran. In part 1 of the series (episode 69), we looked at the early stage of sourcing where you find your potential … [Read more...]

Remote Audit Of A Factory’s Quality System: It Can Work!

Performing a remote audit (conducted without actually going to the factory) is nothing new. And a lot of companies have started using them because of the covid-19 pandemic. In 2013, The ASQ Quality Press published eAuditing - Virtual Communication and Remote Auditing, and much of that book’s advice is still relevant today. After all, there were already iPads and iPhones, as well as wifi connections.  What’s new? There are a lot more options when it comes to hardware (typically on … [Read more...]

Exploring The Cost Of Quality When Manufacturing In China [Podcast]

In this episode… Renaud Anjoran, Clive Greenwood, and Max Phythian who boast decades of experience in manufacturing around the world dive into the costs of quality, especially poor quality such as defective parts coming from suppliers. They will explore what the cost of quality means, drivers of the cost, how to avoid or reduce the costs of poor quality, and how to work with Chinese suppliers who may not be very focused on quality.   Just hit the play button to start … [Read more...]

Manufacture in China, Get Your Product Copied? Not That Simple.

There are many examples out there of companies that got in big trouble because of their suppliers in China. In many cases, a supplier got very tempted to start selling the same product on their customer’s market.  As a result, people who are designing and developing a new product are often reluctant to plan for manufacturing in China, even when the difference in cost will obviously be massive. … [Read more...]

China Power Cuts In Late 2021. Will Your Supply Chain Be Affected? [Podcast]

In this episode... Sofeast's CEO Renaud Anjoran dives into what's causing the power cuts around China that are affecting many manufacturers around the country in late 2021. Some manufacturers are having to close for days at a time or work night shifts, but normal people have also been affected, too. Many importers will be wondering: "Is my supplier affected?" and "Will my order be delayed?"  Given that this is affecting most o the major manufacturing provinces the likelihood is that it … [Read more...]

Is It Beneficial To Be First To Market With Your New Product Idea? [Podcast]

In this episode... A recent China Law Blog article questions the wisdom of rushing out your innovative new made-in-China product in order to 'beat the copycats' to market. While there are some situations where this may have some merit, sacrificing IP protection for speed seldom makes sense as you'll find out in this episode. What are the benefits and are they outweighed by the risks? What should you do to protect IP? When is the 'right time' to go public with your exciting new product and … [Read more...]

New Product Launch: Taking Shortcuts vs. Preventing Risks

You are developing a new product. There is currently nothing like your product on the market. You have high confidence that it will be successful (otherwise, why are you working on this project?). You need to make a choice. Do you want to do things fast? That's tempting, because who knows what the market will look like in 12 months. Or do you want to do things right? That means investing money and time in re-risking your project. Let's look at what these 2 approaches mean, in … [Read more...]