Small buyers have a hard time ensuring that what they import from China is safe for consumers. In many cases, there is no way they can buy direct from China and pay for all the inspections and lab tests that are necessary, and still make a … [Read more...]
Is direct sourcing really the overall trend?
Over the past 15 years, foreign buyers of Chinese goods have developed direct relationships with manufacturers. Many of them have tried to bypass Hong Kong trading firms and Chinese "import & export companies", in search of lower prices … [Read more...]
How to check many small orders produced at the same time
One of my clients places lots of small orders in China. For example, they would place 15 orders in a factory, for shipment at the same time. Each order is a particular style, and all combined they don't even fill a 20' container. How to … [Read more...]
Empty factory buildings in Dongguan
Yesterday I had a discussion with a friend based in Dongguan city (a major export manufacturing base between Shenzhen and Guangzhou). He estimates that 25% to 35% of factory buildings are empty and unoccupied. In his area, the rental fee … [Read more...]
Negotiate about prices, not about quality standards
I had a funny conversation with one of my clients’ suppliers. My inspector had found too many defects and had to reject one of their shipments. I was also in the factory, monitoring the whole thing. I started questioning the supplier about … [Read more...]
Social compliance audits in factories: perverse effects
Several articles and books have described the perverse effects of audits for social compliance. An auditor goes to a factory, looks for evidence of non-compliance to local law and some international standards, and produces a report used by … [Read more...]
The brain drain away from inspection firms
After reading a bunch of resumes and talking with a few people in the industry, I have the feeling that most inspectors don't work in third-party companies for long. I might well be wrong, of course. It is only the fruit of a few … [Read more...]
Chinese buildings full of… air!
I have noticed something funny about a few commercial buildings that were built recently in Shenzhen. The top floors are empty. Or, should I write, the place that should be occupied by the theoretical top floors is empty. You can see it on … [Read more...]
You want a good report? Here is how to do
In the majority of inspections, the situation looks like this: The buyer pays for the inspection, and wants the inspector to be objective. If anything, the inspector should be too tough with the supplier, not too easy. The supplier … [Read more...]
QC inspections: basic concepts
Buyers often take decisions based on QC reports, but most of them have no idea about the industry-specific terms. I noticed that I spent time explaining the same things over and over again. So last April I wrote a four-part tutorial to … [Read more...]
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