QualityInspection.org

Quality Assurance, Product Development, and Purchasing Strategies in China

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

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]

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]

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

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?

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...]

China Epidemic: Real Effects on Logistics and Manufacturing

The situation is pretty dark, with a new virus spreading like wildfire and governments resorting to extreme measures. Nobody believes Beijing's official numbers. I wrote about the alarming estimates of some Hong Kong experts a few days ago, and finally, the Western press started to report them, too, a couple of days later. The Economist is asking 'how bad will it get?'. This is in everyone's mind. We have gotten many emails from our clients asking the same question this past week. They … [Read more...]

Diverging Views on the China Virus Outbreak: Whom To Listen To?

Some medical experts in Hong Kong have devoted their careers to the study of micro microbiology and viruses, after the traumatic episode of SARS. These are the people I will tend to listen to, on this topic. For example, Yeung Kwok Yung and Gabriel Leung. And these Hong Kong specialists project the evolution of the infection in a way no Western newspaper (who mostly take the official government numbers at face value) dares to relate, it seems. … [Read more...]

The Future of the Greater Bay Area: High-Tech Manufacturing

Beijing has been planning for the development of a high-tech area in the Pearl River Delta. They called it the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area in 2017. They clearly look up to the success of the San Francisco Bay area, home to Silicon Valley, and they have been planning to emulate that example. Learn more about it in this post. … [Read more...]

9 Consequences of the Upcoming US-China Trade War

Based on all the articles I have read about the current geopolitical situation, I am not optimistic about the affect of the US-China trade war on American importers. Dan Harris, who wrote "the US-China Cold War start now," announced that a "mega-storm" might be coming, and he may be right. Now, if things turn out as bad as predicted, and if tariffs apply on more goods imported from China to the US -- and at higher rates -- what does it mean for US importers? … [Read more...]