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Quality Assurance, Product Development, and Purchasing Strategies in China

Which Communication Mediums For Dealing With Chinese Suppliers?

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What are the different mediums importers might use to communicate with their Chinese suppliers? Select the wrong one and you'll find it more difficult to control your project, manage your suppliers, and get the outcomes that you expect...so even if, WeChat instant messages seem like an easy way to communicate, for example, after reading this you may think again before you fire off your next message there. It may seem harmless to communicate in whatever way seems easiest, but it can lead to … [Read more...]

9 Things Small Importers Can’t Negotiate With Chinese & SE Asian Suppliers [Podcast]

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In This Episode... Renaud is joined by Adrian for a conversation about some of the things that smaller companies who are getting products manufactured abroad either cannot or will have great difficulty negotiating with suppliers in China, Vietnam, or other popular manufacturing destinations in Asia. This list of 9 items will give you some idea about what is realistic if you're manufacturing lower volumes.   Just hit the play button to start listening..! Listen to the episode right … [Read more...]

7 Reasons To Switch To A New Chinese Manufacturer

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Many times, importers ask me "how to control production better?", and they proceed to give me examples of the recent issues they have had with their current Chinese supplier. And I often tell them "switch to a better supplier". Now, making a switch is not always easy. It takes preparation. On the one hand, a new factory has to be identified and vetted. They need to be onboarded and trained to your requirements. They probably need to find sources, they may need to adapt their internal … [Read more...]

Tips For Continually Getting Good Results From A New Supplier | Vetting Chinese Suppliers (Part 11) [Podcast]

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You've successfully vetted and started working with a new Chinese supplier. What's next? In our mini-series on vetting Chinese suppliers, you will already have learnt about due diligence, factory audits and visits, exploring testing facilities, and much more when it comes to vetting suppliers. If you follow through this process logically, perhaps with the help of local factory auditors and quality inspectors in China, you will be well-placed to find reliable suppliers who reach your … [Read more...]

7 Manufacturing Challenges Due To Lack Of Transparency In China & How To Mitigate Them [Podcast]

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The situation in Hong Kong, the US/China trade war, mistrust of China and attempts at decoupling, and other news stories are rightfully a cause of concern for importers with Chinese suppliers. But the manufacturing challenges you should be concerned the most about are those that may prevent you from receiving the products you expect from your suppliers. These challenges can be categorized into 7 different areas and often occur due to a lack of transparency which is either intentional or a … [Read more...]

Some Chinese Factories Are Going Bankrupt: How To Know Which Ones

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Some Chinese factories have suffered serious blows recently. Large American companies are moving manufacturing outside of China, often abruptly. Many manufacturers were hit in 2020 by very soft demand and cancelled orders. Their government is becoming more serious in getting taxes paid and regulations complied with. And so forth. The logical conclusion? Many factory owners who have accumulated debt and don't see the light at the end of the tunnel are tempted to go out of business. If … [Read more...]

Chinese Suppliers Harder To Work With than Last Year, 2020 Survey Respondents Say

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2020 has been a tough year for so many reasons: The COVID-19 pandemic, the continuing US/China trade war, the drive to exit China for some manufacturers, a global recession beginning, and more. But what effect has this had on the relationship between foreign importers and their Chinese suppliers? To find out, we sent a survey to both our Sofeast and QualityInspection.org readers to assess the state of manufacturing in China in 2020. The results were eye-opening... … [Read more...]

Vetting Suppliers In China [Podcast Series]

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Vetting suppliers is important. After all, these suppliers are responsible for your company's reputation. Hopefully, everyone by now will understand the dangers of checking Alibaba or Global Sources and 'choosing' a supplier who 'looks' good, or perhaps trusting that Alibaba Gold suppliers are somehow more legitimate and trustworthy (spoiler alert: they might not be). So what does a good vetting process look like? … [Read more...]

China’s Corporate Social Credit System: Watch Out For Supplier Risk!

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Recently, I watched a webinar entitled "China's corporate social credit system: evaluating the impact on your supply chain". It was organized by the European Chamber of Commerce in China, and the Head of Risk Consulting at KPMG provided some insights. If you buy products from Chinese suppliers and/or that are made in China, this development comes as good news... and bad news. … [Read more...]