QualityInspection.org

Quality Assurance, Product Development, and Purchasing Strategies in China

NPD Process for SMEs Buying from China [free e-book]

Over the past few months, our engineering team helped me write a 19-article series on the NPD (New Product Development) process. We dived deep into the details. However, the general feedback has been along the lines of "this is for big companies" and "we don't have time to go through all these steps". So we thought of what is really necessary for an SME, based on our experiences working with small and midsize buyers. The result is an e-book that outlines and describes a roadmap which is … [Read more...]

Managing your Product’s Life Cycle

Every product has a life cycle. Think of a car: it comes out on the market and attracts attention, then gets more common on the roads, then needs a redesign, and after some time most models' production gets stopped. When it comes to most consumer goods bought from China, new designs are often copied very fast -- sometimes with the active help from the manufacturer! Here's how to manage your product's life cycle: … [Read more...]

How to Send Good Design Files to Chinese Manufacturers

In the past, I explained how to structure a product specification sheet to ensure the supplier knows what is expected regarding the finished product. However, proper communication with Chinese manufacturers should start much earlier. If you have designed your own product and you want it to be made in China, make sure you follow some best practices when sending the technical design files to the supplier. … [Read more...]

Review your Business Performance in the Market – (Developing a New Product Series Part 19)

This is the final post in our series on the New Product Development process. Let's assume you have your new product selling and business is established. It is time to review how well you have done. How is your progress compared to the original business forecast? What are the areas for improvement? Let's look at the final part of phase 8 here. Why it's vital to review the progress of your business To start with, you will be focused on the task in hand from a day to day operational point … [Read more...]

Commercialization of your New Product – (Developing a New Product Series Part 18)

The commercialization stage of any New Product Development process is where the ‘rubber meets the road’ and the product you are manufacturing in China gets introduced into the market. This stage is actually the final stage of the development process. (Don't forget that you can see the whole series on developing a new product here). Commercialization requires proper planning Commercialization is broken into phases, from the initial introduction of the product through its mass production … [Read more...]

Test Marketing before Producing a Large Batch in China – (Developing a New Product Series Part 17)

Let's say you have iterated successfully until you got a good prototype, and you have ensured production can run smoothly. Before making a large batch and "pushing it onto the market", it is highly advised to spend a little time on test marketing, phase 6 of our series on developing a new product. What is Test Marketing? Test marketing is a process for testing a product within a specific geographic area. It allows you introduce your product to the marketplace through different sales … [Read more...]

Product Packaging Considerations for your Product – (Developing a New Product Series Part 16)

Many importers take the time to define their product expectations and to get good pre-production samples from their Chinese suppliers, but completely forget to specify the type of product packaging required. We classified this under "other considerations" in this series of articles on new product development. What is the Purpose of Packaging? Package design plays an important role in the sales and marketing aspects of the business, promoting the brand as well as the company and to some … [Read more...]

Technical Data Files for China Production – (Developing a New Product Series Part 15)

I wrote before about the importance of writing a product specification sheet. It is the bare minimum every importer should document. However, if you develop your own product and have it made in China, you should document additional technical data. And in some instances it is a requirement -- for example, all CE marking directives require the manufacturer of the product to create a technical file. As the importer, you are considered the manufacturer. You have to be able to demonstrate with … [Read more...]

Safety and Regulation Requirements china – (Developing a New Product Series Part 14)

Many companies develop a new product but totally overlook the safety and regulatory requirements that will apply to that new product. We have pulled some information from different sources to give you an idea of what to look out for here in phase 5.9. (Take a look at the whole series on developing a new product here.) Different countries have different regulations that must be met in order to sell a product within that country. Some other countries stipulate that getting your products … [Read more...]