QualityInspection.org

Quality Assurance, Product Development, and Purchasing Strategies in China

2022 Review: The Key Stories for Importers from China/Asia

by Leave a Comment

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?

by

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...]

How Running China like a Business is the Recipe for Economic Domination

by

Dr. Allen J. Morrison & Dr. J. Stewart Black are two American leadership, strategy, business and manufacturing experts who have recently written a new book "Enterprise China: Adopting a Competitive Strategy for Business Success" which was released on December 1st 2022. The book provides a great overview of how China runs itself like a business and the strategies that it uses for economic success. This is helpful knowledge for foreign businesses because it also provides approaches on how … [Read more...]

Answering Your Questions on Fabric Quality, US Tariffs, & Volatile Material Prices.

by

In this episode... Renaud answers 3 great questions that came in from our listeners, assisted by Adrian from the Sofeast team. He'll cover how to communicate fabric quality to suppliers, tactics for coping with US tariffs on China-made goods, and strategies to cope with volatile material and shipping costs today.   Just hit the play button to start listening..! Listen to the episode right here 👇👇👇 🎧 Clarifying fabric quality requirements + Coping with US Tariffs on … [Read more...]

Reviewing The Top Stories Of 2021 For Importers From China [Podcast]

by

In this episode… Covid-19 has continued to dominate the headlines in 2021 and its impact on the manufacturing sector and importers with long supply chains continues to be felt with the numerous challenges this year including the disease itself, supply chain disruption, crazy shipping costs, raw material cost rises, and so much more. Renaud recaps some of 2021's biggest stories for manufacturers, especially those with Chinese supply chains, with Adrian from the team, and predicts how 2022 may … [Read more...]

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

by

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...]

A New ‘Cold War’ Between The USA & China’s Effect On Manufacturing [Podcast]

by

As tensions rise between China and the USA, is a new 'Cold War' brewing? If so, what effect is this or could this be having on manufacturing? Adrian from Sofeast and myself go political in this episode, discussing how the political rhetoric and actions towards China by the USA and other Western nations are on a downward trend and how the media seem to encourage this, too. Renaud posted this recent Forbes article which suggested that Americans polled would be prepared to pay 20% more for … [Read more...]

Chinese Suppliers Harder To Work With than Last Year, 2020 Survey Respondents Say

by

2020 has been a tough year for so many reasons: The COVID-19 pandemic, the continuing US/China trade war, the drive to exit China for some manufacturers, a global recession beginning, and more. But what effect has this had on the relationship between foreign importers and their Chinese suppliers? To find out, we sent a survey to both our Sofeast and QualityInspection.org readers to assess the state of manufacturing in China in 2020. The results were eye-opening... … [Read more...]

COVID-19: What Are The 7 Major Risks for Importers of China Goods?

by

As an importer, you are probably wondering how the COVID-19 epidemic in China is going to impact your business. Beijing says things are rapidly improving and hints that the situation will nearly be back to normal on the coasts by the end of February. They are still planning to hold the Canton fair. Let's all hope they are right. Let's hope there is no relapse (the epidemic starting again in certain cities) in the coming months. The situation is still far from clear. In the meantime, … [Read more...]

Wuhan Epidemic: Why Major Supply Chain Disruptions Are Coming Up

by

In my last article on the topic of the epidemic that started in Wuhan, I mentioned there would be real effects on logistics and manufacturing. Today I can affirm some of these effects can already be observed. And it is definitely going to impact some importers' sourcing strategy. … [Read more...]