QualityInspection.org

Quality Assurance, Product Development, and Purchasing Strategies in China

Picking a Contract Assembler in China: 6 Important Terms to Negotiate

Let's say you have found a CM that is a good fit for your needs, and you are about to give them some assembly work. I already made a list of the general terms you can negotiate. But what other terms can be considered specifically when working with a contract assembler like this? … [Read more...]

Free Samples from Potential Chinese Suppliers: A Positive Sign?

If you find 30 potential suppliers that all seem capable of making the product you want, how to pick the best one? With B2B platforms like Alibaba and Global Sources, many buyers ask themselves that question. And an easy answer is "I will ask for free samples and see who says yes and makes good-looking samples". … [Read more...]

Vetting Suppliers In China [Podcast Series]

Vetting suppliers is important. After all, these suppliers are responsible for your company's reputation. Hopefully, everyone by now will understand the dangers of checking Alibaba or Global Sources and 'choosing' a supplier who 'looks' good, or perhaps trusting that Alibaba Gold suppliers are somehow more legitimate and trustworthy (spoiler alert: they might not be). So what does a good vetting process look like? … [Read more...]

Low Volume Manufacturing in China for Your New Product

A lot of our clients develop their own products, often in the electro-mechanical space. Some start with a bang and have large pre-orders. They are the lucky ones (on the commercial side, at least). Many others have more modest objectives, requiring only low volume manufacturing at first, and can struggle to find an interested manufacturer in China. I thought I'd share some tips for companies in this situation. … [Read more...]

Sourcing Manufacturers: What Type To Choose For Your Production In China/Vietnam?

  I realized that most buyers are unfamiliar with their options when it comes to sourcing manufacturers. I want to clarify what their options are. (This is especially applicable if you import electrical and/or mechanical products from China, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, and Taiwan). … [Read more...]

Advice for Buying Face Masks in China without Losing your Shirt

With the COVID 19 pandemic hitting more countries, and more people realizing how serious the situation is, it seems tens of thousands of people started looking for face masks and other personal protection products. And what I see is a lot of people sending money, receiving substandard products, or not receiving anything at all. I wrote this article as a warning about your risks. And also to improve your odds of getting what you want, if you are determined to pursue your project. … [Read more...]

List of Contract Manufacturers in China – Top 13 Factories

These days it’s easy to find article after article stating that manufacturing in China is on the way out. And that's true, at least partly. Vietnam, Thailand, Mexico, and Portugal have many good potential suppliers. However, China is still the best place to produce relatively complex products, especially when time-to-market is critical and when assembly requires a lot of labor. Consumer electronics is a case in point. As Dr. Zhang, research director of IDC Worldwide Robotics, … [Read more...]

How To Diversify Manufacturing Sources Out of China and Cut Risk

By now, companies that rely on China to supply some products or parts have generally grasped the current situation with the COVID-19 epidemic that is leading them to wonder if it's important to diversify manufacturing sources away from China alone: A large portion of the Chinese population is forced to stay home (up to 760 million, according to the NYT) In many areas, local authorities have taken the matter in their hands and nobody knows when they will change policy It means … [Read more...]

China Still Best For New & Complex Manufacturing Projects

Steve Dickinson wrote an article (Moving Manufacturing from China: Where you Gonna Run?) that got me thinking about complex manufacturing projects and China. He outlines the main reasons why China became "the factory of the world" so quickly (especially from 1992 to 2005), for small and large buyers alike. Other low-cost Asian countries are now trying to emulate these results and attract manufacturing, and they seem to focus on lower tax rates. Here are two recent articles I found on this … [Read more...]