QualityInspection.org

Quality Assurance, Product Development, and Purchasing Strategies in China

Effects Of The US-China Trade War On Manufacturing Relocations

A few days ago, I shared an article entitled Are Manufacturers Really Leaving China? The China Perspective  on Linkedin. David Collins, the author, wrote: Right now, a full-scale exodus is more talk than anything else; it is too early to tell with any degree of certainty what exactly will happen. But, numerous companies have signalled that they are exploring the option of leaving but have not pulled up stakes yet. This post generated a number of excellent comments, some of which I reproduced … [Read more...]

Manufacturing Electronics in Taiwan: A China Alternative?

As the US-China trade war intensifies, many American importers are looking for alternatives. They often look at Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, India, Mexico, etc. But what about Taiwan? There is sometimes an opportunity to start sourcing products from there, especially in electronics. … [Read more...]

Why Your Ground Agent in China is NOT Helping Cut Costs

From time to time, I hear from a company that works with a ground agent in China, and they basically tell me two things: The agent did a relatively good job lining up suppliers, communicating requirements, and generally ironing out most issues. (That makes sense -- otherwise, the importer switches to another agent or to another approach.) After the initial burst, the agent feels entitled to a commission of X% and is resting on her laurels, not challenging factories, not looking for new … [Read more...]

Actionable Tips To Improve Sourcing From China & Develop Suppliers

Over the years, many importers have contacted me after making various mistakes, and, often, the best they can do is start things over with a new supplier, but that means a lot of wasted time, money, and energy! What if you could get years of advice about sourcing from China and developing suppliers once you've started working with them in order to avoid this scenario, but distilled into one eBook? Now you can! A few years ago, I wrote 15 articles that address sourcing from China and … [Read more...]

Why First-Time Buyers Fall for Trading Companies in China

Let's say you are looking for a supplier in China to make your innovative product. You know that traditional sourcing agents are not the solution -- they simply don't have the ability to assist you with design reviews, engineering work, certifications, and so on. And you can't justify setting up a company in China and hiring local staff -- that's a lot of extra expense. So, the choice often ends up being between a trading company (which will be your supplier, even though they don't do … [Read more...]

How To Check a Chinese Supplier & Confirm They Fit Your Needs

Last month I wrote an article (How To Get a List of “Good Chinese Factories”?) and one my points was: What is a good supplier to one company is a bad supplier to another company. In that article, I gave an example of a famous contract manufacturer in Apple's supply chain. Doing great work for Apple, but a terrible job for some other customers. Let's take another example: A typical factory that makes apparel for Walmart tends to be good at making large volumes in a short time period, … [Read more...]

Understanding the Basics about Food GMP

Several clients asked precise questions recently about food GMPs. I asked Annie, our food production safety specialist, to clarify some key topics. Q: What are food GMPs? Food GMPs are the industry-specific 'good manufacturing practices' for food products. These practices are the fundamental operational requirements necessary to enable a food business to produce safe food. They are about the methods, equipment, facilities, and controls for producing safe and wholesome food. They are an … [Read more...]

A Key China Sourcing Criterion: Can Your Factory Improve?

If you are only going to place 2 or 3 orders with a supplier, the key sourcing criteria will probably be quality, price, past production of similar products, and understanding of compliance requirements. However, if you are looking for a manufacturer you'll work with for 5+ years, you need to look at how they can ensure that the operations in their factory improve. If they are stuck in old ways, they might not be able to support your evolving needs... and, more worrisome, they will probably … [Read more...]

The Real Purpose of Factory Audits? Evaluate and Prevent Risks.

I had a good discussion with a client whose background was in auditing for a Big Four accounting firm. He pointed that audits, in that context, is mostly about looking at what happened in the past. In contrast, when buyers request factory audits, the purpose is: To identify risks by pointing to gaps that might have a serious impact on business performance (and to avoid giving much business to a high-risk supplier) By making the most serious gaps obvious, to put pressure on the … [Read more...]