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Which Chinese Manufacturing Business Model Is Best For You? [Podcast]

January 28, 2022 by Adrian Leighton

Which Manufacturing Model In China Is Best For You? [Podcast]

In this episode… Sofeast's CEO Renaud recently wrote this guest post on Harris Bricken's China Law Blog about which Chinese manufacturing business model importers will come across when sourcing a Chinese manufacturing partner. Today he goes deeper, joined by Adrian from the Sofeast team, and explains what the two models are in detail, why expectations about how most Chinese manufacturers will behave need to change, and their pros & cons to you if you're searching for a manufacturer right … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Sourcing New Suppliers Tagged With: assumptions about Chinese manufacturers, chinese business practices, chinese manufacturers, new product development, podcast, Sourcing

China Factories: 7 Key Factors That Cause Shipment Delays

March 16, 2020 by Renaud Anjoran

China Factories: 7 Key Factors that Cause Shipment Delays

Last week, on Linkedin, I ranted about the many (not all) Chinese manufacturers that "fail to plan appropriately, are over-optimistic, and disappoint their customers with last-minute shipment delays". Someone commented that I should offer "good advice" to these suppliers instead of complaining. And that's right, so here goes... … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Process Improvement Tagged With: chinese manufacturers, shipment delay factors, shipment delays, supplier management

List of Contract Manufacturers in China – Top 14 Factories

March 12, 2020 by Adrian Leighton

List of Contract Manufacturers in China

These days it’s easy to find article after article stating that manufacturing in China is on the way out. And that's true, at least partly. Vietnam, Thailand, Mexico, and Portugal have many good potential suppliers, including some contract manufacturers. However, China is still the best place to produce relatively complex products, especially when time-to-market is critical and when assembly requires a lot of labor. Consumer electronics is a case in point. As Dr. Zhang, research director of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Sourcing New Suppliers Tagged With: chinese manufacturers, chinese suppliers, contract manufacturers, contract manufacturing, Sourcing, sourcing from china

The Real Purpose of Factory Audits? Evaluate and Prevent Risks.

December 4, 2018 by Renaud Anjoran

The Real Purpose of Factory Audits? Evaluate and Prevent Risks.

I had a good discussion with a client whose background was in auditing for a Big Four accounting firm. He pointed that audits, in that context, is mostly about looking at what happened in the past. In contrast, when buyers request factory audits, the purpose is: To identify risks by pointing to gaps that might have a serious impact on business performance (and to avoid giving much business to a high-risk supplier) By making the most serious gaps obvious, to put pressure on the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Sourcing New Suppliers Tagged With: chinese factories, chinese manufacturers, improvement, suppliers' processes

Chinese Suppliers Are Getting Less Flexible. Now What?

November 28, 2018 by Renaud Anjoran

Chinese Suppliers Are Getting Less Flexible. Now What?

About 6 months ago, I wrote how Chinese fabric suppliers and dyeing houses were giving headaches to the whole supply chain. It had a serious impact on Chinese apparel suppliers (many delays, higher costs, higher MOQs for fabric...). And, in turn, those suppliers got more rigid when dealing with their overseas customers. The attitude was "that's the way it is and we can't make miracles, so just get in line". That's actually an overall trend, in many industries, from what I have heard. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: China Insights Tagged With: chinese manufacturers, chinese suppliers, communication

How To See if a Chinese Manufacturer Is Capable of Improving in the Future?

April 4, 2018 by Renaud Anjoran

Last week I wrote about the best way to have a Chinese supplier take responsibility. However, the most important question, I feel, is how to work with manufacturers that will keep improving over time. And it all starts from supplier selection. If at the sourcing stage, you don't try to work with people and companies that will tend to improve, you are sabotaging all your other efforts. Here are 5 areas I'd look at. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Sourcing New Suppliers Tagged With: chinese factories, chinese manufacturers, chinese suppliers, factory audits

How To Cooperate With Your Chinese Supplier, Part 15: The 7 Major Risks You Run With Your China Manufacturers

February 1, 2017 by Renaud Anjoran

I listed the 6 ways Chinese suppliers cheat importers a few years ago. But, with proper due diligence, the risk of being cheated outright goes down a lot. The major risks that experienced importers run, when working with a new manufacturer in China, are mostly related to issues of motivation and trust. To be sure, there are many good manufacturers in China, but you should be aware of the pitfalls and watch out for them. My partner Fabien and I made a list of 7 common issues we have … [Read more...]

Filed Under: How to cooperate with your Chinese supplier series, Supplier Management Tagged With: chinese factories, chinese manufacturers, chinese suppliers

Why Do Most Chinese Dislike Processes?

March 16, 2016 by Renaud Anjoran

“Why Do Most Chinese Dislike Processes?” is locked Why Do Most Chinese Dislike Processes?

I have written many times that most Chinese people are not process thinkers. By this I mean they tend not to spend time thinking of HOW to do something: what steps should we follow, what resources do we need, what results should we expect, how to optimize our approach, what issues can come up, etc. I was discussing this recently with a friend (from mainland China) and he had an interesting perspective. There are three reasons behind this, in his mind. 1. They want to show they are … [Read more...]

Filed Under: China Insights Tagged With: Chinese culture, chinese factories, chinese manufacturers, chinese suppliers, Chinese thinking process, suppliers' processes

Reset your Mental Models when Buying in China

July 17, 2014 by Renaud Anjoran

Every year, tens of thousands of new businesses start purchasing directly in China. And many of them have a bad first experience. The key to successful China sourcing is not a set of tools -- it is primarily a change in mental models. For example, here is a dangerous way of thinking: "It is the supplier's responsibility to ensure my products are made up to specs, in responsible working conditions, and shipped on time." Well, not really. When you buy in your own country, it is true. But … [Read more...]

Filed Under: China Insights Tagged With: Buying in China, chinese manufacturers, chinese suppliers, Reset mental models, Tips


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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