In this episode… Renaud Anjoran, Clive Greenwood, and Max Phythian who boast decades of experience in manufacturing around the world dive into the costs of quality, especially poor quality such as defective parts coming from suppliers. They will explore what the cost of quality means, drivers of the cost, how to avoid or reduce the costs of poor quality, and how to work with Chinese suppliers who may not be very focused on quality. Just hit the play button to start … [Read more...]
Documenting Your Company’s Quality Standard into the Details
We have worked with many companies that buy products from China & Vietnam, and their most common shortcoming is probably the lack of a clear quality standard. They don't document what they are willing to accept. They start working with a new manufacturer and both parties often get confused about what is acceptable. Now, people often ask us what a quality standard that goes into the details looks like. We can't share any examples from our clients, for confidentiality reasons. … [Read more...]
The 5 Levels of Quality Standards: From Worst to Best Practices
Setting clear quality standards for each type of product you purchase in Asia is a basic need. Like in "to keep living, breathing is a basic need". Despite this, very few companies that have production in China or Vietnam take the time to do it right. And, as a result, they have to suffer quality issues, misunderstandings, and the breakdown of trust with their suppliers. Let's go through the 5 levels of quality standards, from most basic to most advanced. … [Read more...]
How to Find a High-Quality Chinese Supplier? Not a Short Recipe…
A client asked us recently how to find a high-quality Chinese supplier to make their products. My partner Fabien responded, I liked his email, and I expanded on it in this article. … [Read more...]
What Is The Minimum Viable Quality Management System For A New Manufacturer? [8 Steps]
I have often looked for best practices by looking at the automotive industry's practices when considering what the minimum viable quality management system for a new manufacturer can be. For example: ISO/TS 16949: Great Improvements Over ISO 9001 (Note: that standard is now called IATF 1m6949 and is even more work to apply) Best Practices for Qualifying a Chinese Factory (Note: that is called the PPAP) So, if IATF 16949 is "ISO 9001 ++", let's look at the opposite. What would "ISO … [Read more...]
4 Proven Ways To Enforce A Quality Standard In China
How can importers establish a quality standard, and then enforce it? Here are 4 proven ways to enforce a quality standard in China and other Asian countries, and also improve how you handle your suppliers, too. … [Read more...]