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

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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, with strong cost control, and without getting caught subcontracting.
  • However, this type of manufacturer will NOT be a good fit if you need 3,000 pieces of high-quality garments, with nice workmanship and great finishing.
    So, “we work with Walmart” should be a signal that you should run away!

Now, where to start, if you need to confirm that a potential supplier is a good fit for your business?

Over at Sofeast, we made a list of 10 verification steps for checking a Chinese company and presented them in a nice e-book. Click on the image below if you’d like to get that free e-book.

Supplier Qualification Ebook

It includes:

  • How to run a background check on a Chinese company
  • Questions you should ask, and what the answers might mean
  • What to check if you’ll need them to develop a new product with you
  • What you can observe during an on-site visit
  • What makes a good quality system audit
  • If their social & environmental practices are very important to you, what to check
  • What a systems & process audit is (and how it differs from a typical quality system audit)
  • A factory’s QC/testing lab
  • What more in-depth due diligence can include
  • General advice on RFQs, negotiations, and contracts… and what information the supplier will give through their reactions

Do you feel this could help you?

Go and get that e-book (free, behind a short registration form).

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Weekly updates for professional importers on better understanding, controlling, and improving manufacturing & supply chain in China.

This is a blog written by Renaud Anjoran, an ASQ Certified Quality Engineer who has been involved in chinese manufacturing since 2005.

He is the CEO of The Sofeast Group.

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