Last week, a supplier was apparently very fed up with our inspectors' visits. They pretended that our inspections, even though they might be helpful in uncovering issues before shipment, cost them some money. And these costs should be borne … [Read more...]
The value of promises in China
Chinese exporters have grown wary of the foreigners' rigidity, and they often do all they can to avoid precise promises. It can be a shipment date, a certain level of quality, a proportion of wastage of materials, etc. What Americans of … [Read more...]
Giving money to inspectors? It’s normal!
In the QC business, the worst a supplier can do is denounce an inspector to the buyer for corruption. Sometimes it is true, and I'm happy they open up about it. But I investigated some cases where all appearances were against the supplier, … [Read more...]
China business: avoiding intermediaries
In my previous job (in a small trading company based in Hong Kong), I quickly concluded that it was better to deal directly with a retailer, rather than a wholesaler who sells to retailers. With few exceptions, retailers are less sensitive … [Read more...]
Dubai, Singapore and Hong Kong: same purpose?
Small countries (or autonomous regions) have an unfair advantage over large nations. What do Hong Kong, Singapore and Dubai have in common? A lot of freedom in re-issuing bills of lading and in arranging trans-shipments; A strong … [Read more...]
A global ad campaign to promote “Made In China”
It is no secret that Chinese people are very sensitive about their country's image in the rest of the world. The 2008 Olympic Games were supposed to make everybody forget about the 2007 product recalls. They had plans for an ad campaign to … [Read more...]
Should you know something about your Chinese suppliers?
Very few importers make an effort to know the exact financial standing of their Chinese suppliers. China is viewed as a fundamentally opaque country, where "nobody knows who the real boss is anyway". For example, meeting a representative of … [Read more...]
Confirming materials specifications
Yesterday, one of my clients called me to get my opinion on an issue they are facing. He imports garments into the EU, and the composition written on the labeling has to be true within 3 percentage points. For example, he is not in … [Read more...]
Why inspection services are standardized
A supplier complained to my client that our inspections don't help them improve their quality level. A bit of context: for this client we perform inspections during production (as soon as there are a few finished products) on the biggest … [Read more...]
Preventing parallel supply chains
In my last post I wrote about what I call "parallel supply chains" from China to Western countries: stock lots left in factories, and copies of brand name products. My clients usually don't buy stock lots, and they never buy any … [Read more...]
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