QualityInspection.org

Quality Assurance, Product Development, and Purchasing Strategies in China

Renaud Answers YOUR Manufacturing Questions [Podcast]

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In this episode… To celebrate our 100th episode over on Sofeast's podcast Renaud called on listeners for their manufacturing-related questions and answered as many as possible!  They're questions that are relevant to so many importers, so, hopefully, the answers will help you get better results from your suppliers, too.   Just hit the play button to start listening..! Listen to the episode right here 👇👇👇 🎧 100th episode special: YOUR manufacturing questions … [Read more...]

QualityInspection.org’s Top Blog Posts & Videos Of 2021

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The rollercoaster has continued in 2021! After a difficult 2020 when the coronavirus pandemic first hit, it's perhaps understandable that many of us might have hoped that things would settle down in 2021, however, since last year's roundup in the top posts and videos of 2020 it's been more of the same. Supply chains have buckled, commodity and sea freight prices have gone through the roof, covid continues to rage (what variant are we even on now!?), and importers have numerous reasons to feel … [Read more...]

QualityInspection.org’s Top Blog Posts & Videos Of 2020

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What a year 2020 has been. Little did we know when we published the top posts and videos of 2019 that we'd soon be headed into almost completely unprecedented times in living memory with the global coronavirus pandemic raging and the US/China trade war not letting up! I've been here throughout sharing posts live from China, and here are 10 top posts and a selection of videos that you may have missed. … [Read more...]

Don’t Let a Chinese Supplier Circumvent You: 5 Tips

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Some risks and frustrations never go away... One of them is Chinese suppliers circumventing their customers, or selling to their customer's competitors, all the while using the product knowledge they gained... from their customers. Over the weekend, I stumbled upon a good old HBR article entitled When Your Contract Manufacturer Becomes Your Competitor. It came out in 2006, but the same trends are still at work! … [Read more...]

Chinese Robot Manufacturing Industry: Don’t Expect Too Much

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Here are some good articles that I found over the past few months. 'Made in China': the smart revolution blueprint set to bring Beijing into the digital age After Germany's "Industry 4.0" strategy, China unveiled an equivalent document entitled "Made in China 2025". "The ambition is to turn China into a "strong" manufacturing nation within a decade, with the priority on digitalisation and modernisation of 10 sectors, including aerospace, railways, new-energy vehicles and new materials." … [Read more...]

Preventing Unnecessary Delays in your China Supply Chain

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As usual, I kept a list of interesting articles to share with my readers. Here is the list for April and May. Urgent Delivery Time Checklist Jacob Yount wrote a list of questions that will guide an importer desiring to avoid unnecessary delays. For example, what are the steps to follow until production can start, what components/processes will be handled by third parties, how to keep some pressure on timing, etc. 7 Ways to Prevent Quality Issues & Scams When Buying from … [Read more...]

How to Understand Quotations from Chinese Suppliers

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Here are some interesting or useful articles that I found recently. NOTE: A FEW DAYS AGO I HIT THE "PUBLISH" BUTTON INSTEAD OF THE "SAVE" BUTTON SO THIS MESSAGE WAS POSTED TWICE. SORRY ABOUT THAT. Question your Quotes from China Jacob Yount gives excellent advice about the way to understand and respond to quotations from Chinese suppliers. Good read, especially for purchasers with limited experience in China. Restricted Substances: 5 Challenges when Buying from China Fredrik … [Read more...]

Are ISO 9001 Certified Suppliers the Best in China?

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Here are some interesting or useful articles that I found recently. Quality Management Systems in China Explained Fredrik Grönkvist asked me the following questions about certifications to the ISO 9001 standard (and to other QMS standards): What is a Quality Management System and why is it relevant to importers? Is certification mandatory, or is it common that Chinese manufacturers implement a Quality Management System without obtaining the paper? How can you determine if the … [Read more...]

What the Most Sophisticated Chinese Factories Do

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Here are some interesting or useful articles that I found recently. The New Chinese Factory This is NOT an article about the average Chinese manufacturer. It describes what one of the most sophisticated manufacturers does, and it should give us a taste of what is to come in the Chinese high-tech industry. (I found this article via Etienne Charlier from Procur'Asia.) Your Supplier Didn’t Sign Up For This…. Jacob Yount gives examples of the typical miscommunication that happens … [Read more...]