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Many Chinese factories have no dedicated area for third-party QC inspections. We often sit down in the packing department (because that's where the cartons generally are), or in a meeting room (because that's where we can get a large table … [Read more...]

In 80% of cases, importers do not spend enough time preparing the specifications of the products they want to make in China. They usually work on the basis of sample, but they forget about all the "details" (the bill of materials, the … [Read more...]

A friend of mine asked me an interesting question: If a buyer wants to ensure he sources quality products from China and avoids any losses, which combination of tools would you recommend to him (max 3)? And how would you rank them from the … [Read more...]

A reader told me about a case "whereby upon arrival in Europe it was found that the majority of consumer products were defective, however the [final random] inspection report by a foreign inspection agency in China did not show any … [Read more...]

This summer, we helped an importer understand why their in-house inspectors were regularly failing to signal quality problems. The purchasing manager was suspecting complacency, not to mention bribes. I sent one of my best inspectors to … [Read more...]

Until recently, I was thinking quality inspectors could only intervene during or after production. After all, it takes an engineer (or someone with deep product knowledge) to define what the factory should make, right? There are two … [Read more...]

I got an interesting question from a reader. One aspect of the products he received from his Chinese supplier is not up to his quality standard, but his sales team insisted to place the goods on the market anyway. How to push the factory to … [Read more...]