QualityInspection.org

Quality Assurance, Product Development, and Purchasing Strategies in China

Exploring Product Development Agreements For Importers [Podcast]

In This Episode... We explore product development agreements that clarify your expectations, protect your IP, keep leverage over your supplier, provide you with transparency and control over your supply chain, and make it 100% clear who is responsible for what when working with a supplier on developing a new product that is going to be manufactured in China or other Asian countries.   Just hit the play button to start listening..! Listen to the episode right here 👇👇👇 🎧 Deep … [Read more...]

Exploring The Benefits Of Rapid Prototyping And Rapid Tooling [Podcast]

In This Episode... Renaud and Adrian talk about rapid prototyping and rapid tooling methods to make prototypes a lot faster than production tooling, with a focus on electromechanical products and plastic injection molding. You'll get answers to the following questions: What are rapid prototyping and rapid tooling? What do we discover from different rounds of prototyping? What are the features of hard tooling? What are the pros and cons of the different technologies used for rapid … [Read more...]

Why Is A PP Sample So Important? [Podcast]

In This Episode… Renaud and Adrian are discussing why a PP sample (pre-production) is so important for obtaining your desired results once your products go into mass production. What are PP samples? How do they evolve over time until they're a final 'golden' pre-production sample? What problems do they help avoid? How to specify your exact requirements? Who pays for them? These questions and more are answered in this episode!   Just hit the play button to start listening..! Listen … [Read more...]

Vietnam VS China Manufacturers & Digitizing Processes In The Factory [Podcast]

In This Episode... Renaud interviews Greg Fleming, an experienced merchandising and manufacturing operations manager who went from New Zealand to Australia to China and finally is now based in Ho Chi Minh City in South Vietnam. Greg's background is mainly in the apparel trade, from fabric production to retail. Due to his experience in both Vietnam and China, he is well-placed to give us some really interesting insight into manufacturing in both countries. Since Vietnam is a very popular … [Read more...]

How To Qualify A Contract Manufacturer Or Component Supplier? (Best Practices)

In This Episode… We're often asked how to qualify a contract manufacturer or component supplier. In this episode, Renaud explores the best practices importers could follow when sourcing new manufacturers or suppliers in China, or beyond. This includes sourcing options (who to use), the typical sourcing process, if the lowest prices are always best, IP protection, manufacturer types, and CM sourcing tools and steps. The purpose of this episode is to give you the awareness of risks that … [Read more...]

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

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...]

Getting To Grips With Non-Recurring Engineering Costs (NRE) [Podcast]

In this episode of the podcast, we discuss Non-Recurring Engineering costs for manufacturers. As the name suggests, these costs are usually one-off and are what it takes to get your product into production. These costs are perhaps better known as R&D costs, and it's important to get to grips with them as they have a great impact on your product's sale price, as well as the feasibility of manufacturing it in the first place. It's fair to say that the NRE costs often turn out to be more … [Read more...]

7 Common Plastic Injection Mold Tooling Development, Approval, & Maintenance Pitfalls [Podcast]

Tooling is a large investment for any manufacturer, so what do we need to be wary of..? Andy Bartlett, an experienced British product designer who has 25 years of experience in product design, development, and working with manufacturers in China, returns to join us again on the podcast for a lively discussion about the kinds of issues and common pitfalls that can come up when developing, approving, and maintaining tooling for your plastic injection molded products. You'll learn why supplier … [Read more...]

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...]

Exploring Manufacturing and New Product Development in Vietnam [Podcast]

Vietnam continues to be a popular alternative to China for today's importers. Let's explore it... Renaud interviews Simon Caballero, a Hanoi-based purchasing manager and expert on manufacturing in Vietnam, to discuss the manufacturing industry in Vietnam, common risks and issues you will face when manufacturing garments there, and the relationship between developing new products and manufacturing in Vietnam and China. Simon, originally from Barcelona, Spain, has a background in logistics and … [Read more...]