QualityInspection.org

Quality Assurance, Product Development, and Purchasing Strategies in China

What Are the Factory Assessment Reports Shown on Alibaba Worth?

About 10 years ago, I remember Global Sources was listing "verified suppliers". Good idea. And their competitors followed suit, showing factory assessment reports and anything that can make buyers confident. And I am not sure that has been a positive development, overall.   The basic principle to be aware of when buying factory analysis/verification There is a basic principle that all buyers should be aware of: When you are not paying for an analysis/verification, you can't fully … [Read more...]

Tips For Continually Getting Good Results From A New Supplier | Vetting Chinese Suppliers (Part 11) [Podcast]

You've successfully vetted and started working with a new Chinese supplier. What's next? In our mini-series on vetting Chinese suppliers, you will already have learnt about due diligence, factory audits and visits, exploring testing facilities, and much more when it comes to vetting suppliers. If you follow through this process logically, perhaps with the help of local factory auditors and quality inspectors in China, you will be well-placed to find reliable suppliers who reach your … [Read more...]

Pricing, Negotiation, Contracts | Vetting Chinese Suppliers (Part 10)

Getting quotations is a part of vetting new Chinese suppliers, too.  We have been creating a mini-series guiding you through effective vetting of Chinese suppliers that will help you to find the best possible manufacturer for your products this year, and, as we come to the end of it, it's time to focus on one of the final stages: negotiating price, getting quotations, and signing contracts (listen back to the entire mini-series on vetting Chinese suppliers here 👍). Let's assume you have … [Read more...]

Challenges for Moving Manufacturing out of China in 2020

The US Congress and the White House have been pushing hard for "decoupling" from China. And a part of that objective is moving manufacturing out of China -- and ideally to reshore to the USA. It may be too early to draw a conclusion on the effect of their decisions (the tariffs but, more generally, the perceived risk of stronger and stronger measures). But here is a short summary of what I have seen, heard, and read. … [Read more...]

Factory Testing Facilities | Vetting Chinese Suppliers (Part 8) [Podcast]

Why do we look at the factory testing facilities when vetting a Chinese supplier? A great question here is: "How can my supplier know that the product they're manufacturing is good if they're unable to test that they reach my specifications, quality, and safety requirements?" If they have no way of testing or are skipping important tests this is probably a major red flag (unless you're certain that they're sending samples out to a lab to be tested all of the time) as it shows that the … [Read more...]

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...]