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Manufacturing Organizational Chart: Top 7 Common Mistakes To Avoid

August 17, 2022 by Renaud Anjoran

Manufacturing Organizational Chart: Top 7 Common Mistakes To Avoid

One of the first things we look at, during factory audits, is the supplier’s manufacturing organizational chart. And it often points to serious operational dysfunctions. Here are the top 7 common mistakes that you don’t want to see your supplier making… … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Process Improvement Tagged With: charts, Chinese factory management, org chart, organization, quality planning

Want To Prevent Assembly Problems? Use This Checklist.

May 19, 2021 by Renaud Anjoran

Want To Prevent Assembly Problems? Use This Simple Checklist.

Pilots follow a checklist before they fly. Same thing for doctors & nurses. But, for some reason, I see very few Chinese factories follow a checklist that can help them avoid assembly problems before they make a new product (for the first time). I jotted down some important points any assembly factory should confirm before production begins in order to avoid assembly problems. (It is not very different from the points we typically check in a 'production readiness audit' for an … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Factory Audits Tagged With: assembly, assembly problems, Chinese factory management, common problems with Chinese suppliers, fixing problems, managing Chinese suppliers

Is Investing In Process Automation In The Factory Worth It? + Implementation Best Practices [Podcast]

March 26, 2021 by Adrian Leighton

Is Investing In Process Automation In The Factory Worth It? + Implementation Best Practices [Podcast]

Automation is a major focus of the Chinese government and many manufacturers here, but can it really reduce costs..? Renaud will answer the questions: "Is Investing In Process Automation In The Factory Worth It?" and "What are the best practices to follow to smoothly transition into more automation?" Without a doubt, increasingly automating processes features highly in the future of manufacturing, but there are right and wrong ways to implement automation. Also, while replacing multiple … [Read more...]

Filed Under: In The Factory Tagged With: automation, Chinese factory management, factory automation, factory performance, podcast

How We Set Up A New Factory In China From Idea To Operation [Podcast]

February 26, 2021 by Adrian Leighton

How We Set Up A New Factory In China From Idea To Operation [Podcast]

Planning on opening a factory in China in 2021? To get some insight into just what it takes to set up a new factory in China let's explore how WE came to open our own factory, Agilian Technology, there in 2018! Renaud will explain the reasoning behind doing so, the goals, and the 6 phases we followed in order to make the idea of having a contract manufacturing subsidiary a reality. This will give you food for thought and help you start planning the project as it's possible you won't have … [Read more...]

Filed Under: In The Factory Tagged With: Chinese factory management, factory, factory setup, manufacturing in China, opening a new factory, podcast, setting up a factory

Factory Management: the 4 Main Roles in the Quality Department

January 4, 2021 by Renaud Anjoran

Factory Management the 4 Main Roles in the Quality Department

China, as a whole, has 35+ years of experience manufacturing products for export customers. They have accumulated a lot of experience. However, foreign buyers are rather consistently shocked at the level of mismanagement that plagues their factories' quality operations. And fixing it is not that hard. In this article, I will lay out what I see as the 4 basic roles that manufacturers need to fill in their quality department. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: In The Factory Tagged With: Chinese factory management, factory management, hiring a quality inspector, hiring in China, hiring quality managers, QC, quality department, quality inspections, quality management, quality staff

Traceability in Manufacturing: Do your Chinese Suppliers Do it Right?

May 17, 2019 by Renaud Anjoran

Do Your Chinese Factories Maintain Traceability Through Production?

I see buyers who spend a lot of time pushing their suppliers to do QC inspections on incoming components, to keep the production area clean, to give clear instructions to operators, and other basics. But I seldom hear them push for traceability in manufacturing, despite how important it is. I thought I should write about it again.   … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Quality Control Tips, Supplier Management Tagged With: chinese factories, Chinese factory management, ISO 9001, qc inspections, supply chain management, traceability, traceability in manufacturing

Chinese- vs. Japanese-Owned Factories in the US: Main Differences

October 11, 2015 by Renaud Anjoran

Chinese- vs. Japanese-Owned Factories in the US: Main Differences

A journalist contacted me and inquired about the differences between Chinese-owned factories (a new phenomenon) and Japanese-owned factories in the context of new plants set up in the US. Interesting topic. Not unsurprisingly, Chinese investors chase low wages and high state incentives. As a result, several Chinese-owned factories are established in Alabama. Let's take the example of a copper tubing factory that employees about 200 people. Here are a few interesting quotes: “Individualism is … [Read more...]

Filed Under: China Insights Tagged With: Chinese factory management, Chinese VS Japanese, Chinese-owned factories, Honda, Japanese factory management, Japanese-owned factories, Long term, Short term, Toyota


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

This is the official blog of Sofeast.com.

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

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