Let's say you are looking for a supplier in China to make your innovative product. You know that traditional sourcing agents are not the solution -- they simply don't have the ability to assist you with design reviews, engineering work, … [Read more...]
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 … [Read more...]
How To Get a List of “Good Chinese Factories”?
Hardly a week goes by without someone asking me for contacts of "good Chinese factories". We see so many of them, the thinking goes, surely we know a few good ones. When we did a few trade shows in Hong Kong, 7-8 years ago, it came up … [Read more...]
Helping a Chinese Factory Improve While Still Holding Them Accountable
You might discover that helping a Chinese factory improve makes sense if you have quality requirements that are challenging to one of the factories you work with, or if you are working with them to develop a complex new … [Read more...]
How To See if a Chinese Manufacturer Is Capable of Improving in the Future?
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 … [Read more...]
5 Ways To Have a Chinese Manufacturer Take Responsibility for Quality Issues
Many importers lament that Chinese suppliers don't take any responsibility when quality issues are found after shipment. Ten years ago, I would have confirmed that it happens less than 0.1% of the time. These days, it seems to become more … [Read more...]
Sourcing From China 101: The 15-Part Guide for New Buyers
I have recently published the 15-part 'Sourcing From China 101' series for new buyers who are starting to work with Chinese suppliers (and for more experienced people who want to double-check whether they are working in a smart way). The … [Read more...]
Sourcing from China 101, Part 4: Second Choices vs. “Never Again”
This is the 4th post in our "sourcing from China 101" series. By now I’ll assume that you have verified a few manufacturers. One of them will be your first choice, and, hopefully, you will have a couple of “backups”. But, what is the … [Read more...]
Sourcing from China 101, Part 3: How to Verify a Manufacturer
If you have followed the advice about identifying potential suppliers in part 2, you may have found a few interesting suppliers. The next step is to confirm that they told you the truth and that they are reliable. Even if you place … [Read more...]
Sourcing from China 101, Part 2: How to Identify Potential Chinese Suppliers?
Now I am assuming that you have decided to source in China by yourself, but how to identify potential Chinese suppliers who will do a great job? One key point I want to communicate is this: you need to follow a process. You CANNOT browse … [Read more...]