I spent the last few days in Fujian province. I had not come to this part of china for more than 2 years. Fujian is the coastal province that faces Taiwan. It has the 9th per capita GDP of China -- much lower than neighboring coastal … [Read more...]
Chinese New Year: how to manage the disruption?
My friend Brad Pritts was kind enough to share the advice he gives to importers who are not familiar with the Chinese New Year production planning. I reproduced it below. I think the "approach" paragraph is very useful and practical … [Read more...]
China export manufacturing: who makes money?
Many readers of this blog purchase from China. But I regularly get questions from would-be company founders who want to be involved in the China sourcing world and who hesitate over what specific project to follow. So I make a list of the … [Read more...]
The 10 biggest misconceptions of importers about China
I get some weird questions or comments from readers who are not professional importers. It keeps reminding me of what most people in the West think (imagine?) about China. I listed a few of the myths, fantasies, and misconceptions about … [Read more...]
How human factors shake traditional sourcing models [video]
Three weeks ago, I attended the "Made in Asia" seminar organized by the French Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong. I am going to share two videos from this event, in two different articles. Here is the video of the panel entitled "How human … [Read more...]
The trend to buying lower quantities from China
Wholesalers and retail chains make up the vast majority of the products imported from China. They buy large volumes, and then sell the good out of their inventory -- either to several domestic customers, or in their own stores. This is … [Read more...]
How small Chinese manufacturers think
There are constant misunderstandings between some importers and their suppliers. The reason is that most purchasers are not familiar with the way Chinese manufacturers think. And they are incapable of placing themselves in their supplier's … [Read more...]
How to manage Chinese staff: 3 steps to empowerment
After 5 years working full time in China (and a lot of trial-and-error), I start to understand how to manage Chinese staff for best results. I think one can distinguish three levels, from micro-management (everybody hates it) all the way … [Read more...]
How Chinese manufacturers reduce their costs: “the sub-supply chain”
Last week I described a few ways Chinese manufacturers differentiate their products, based on an article from Global Sources. Now let's have a look at how they cut their operating costs. It is pretty ugly, as described by … [Read more...]
List of good books to read before coming to China
I just found an interesting Linkedin Q&A: If you had to read one book (okay, two or three) on China before going to work there what would it be? Is this question naive?? Here is the response from my friend Etienne Charlier, manager … [Read more...]
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