In this episode… Sofeast CEO Renaud is joined again by Clive Greenwood of SMC GLOBAL Manufacturing Consultants, to talk about new EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation that requires businesses to improve their circularity, energy performance and other environmental sustainability aspects. Supply chains will need to be shown clearly and companies will be penalized or rewarded based on their sustainability.This regulation is understandably going to make life difficult for … [Read more...]
Quality and Compliance of Imported Products
To run a successful business, you want to make and distribute products that are at the right quality standard and that comply with the regulations of the countries of sale. I guess nobody will argue with that. But what do "Quality and Compliance" mean, in practice? They are often separated under different functions inside the same company. Why? Let's look at these 2 concepts in the context of manufacturing products and importing them. … [Read more...]
If The EU MDR Is Product Compliance’s Future – Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid! [Podcast]
In this episode... Renaud Anjoran is joined again by Clive Greenwood, an expert in product compliance for a new episode following on from the first episode they recorded about product compliance (which covered the main compliance challenges faced by importers). This time they're looking at the future of compliance standards by examining the new Medical Device Regulation (EU) 2017/745 (MDR), an extremely comprehensive and stringent regulation. They believe this 'MDR' signposts how future … [Read more...]
Tips For Buyers On A Budget Who Want To Start Manufacturing In China [Podcast]
In this episode... You'll love this episode as it contains loads of helpful tips for buyers from China who're operating on a smaller budget from Sofeast's CEO Renaud and this week's guest, sourcing expert, Rico Ngoma from Source Find Asia. They talk you through what you really need to do and some ways to lower costs where possible, so, hopefully, you can start budgeting for what's essential and handle some things yourself. For instance, it's possible to do some due diligence on potential … [Read more...]
Common Compliance Gaps & Loopholes With ‘Made In China’ Products [Podcast]
In this episode... Renaud Anjoran is joined by Clive Greenwood, an expert in product compliance to discuss the issues with compliance that most importers face and some compliance gaps and 'loopholes' to be aware of. Many people buy products from China (or elsewhere) without checking if they are compliant with their country's rules and regulations. This means that a lot of products are being Just hit the play button to start listening..! Listen to the episode right here … [Read more...]
New EU Medical Device Regulation: No More Traders?
If you have been buying China-made medical devices and reselling them in the European Union, and if you haven't actually done the product development work yourself, can you keep doing that business now that the new EU medical device regulation changes have come into effect? In many cases, no. … [Read more...]
Product Safety When Buying from China: Avoid Negligence
Dan Harris wrote an article about product safety (How to Reduce Your Foreign Manufactured Product Liability Risks) that will, hopefully, open the eyes of many people to the risks they are exposed to. I thought it particularly interesting because he went through typical questions asked of importers that resold unsafe products: To convince recalcitrant clients of the need for product liability protection for the products they are having made overseas, I sometimes send them the following … [Read more...]
You Need To Know About UKCA If You Sell Products In The UK
Many companies have been selling their products with a CE mark in the European Union and in the UK. They are in for a big shock as the UKCA mark comes into force to supersede CE in the UK! … [Read more...]
Why Product Safety, Quality, and Reliability Are Tightly Linked
Recently I read an article that calls for manufacturers to be more proactive in reducing risks for consumers. And they shared this (pretty scary) graph about product safety recalls: Many companies that develop & purchase products wonder how to minimize the risk of a forced recall, which can be extremely expensive. And my advice is simple: Put more effort into assuring the quality and the reliability of your products and it will greatly contribute to their safety. Let's … [Read more...]
What Is Compliance Testing? [Podcast]
Why is compliance testing so important for buyers who import products from China? Compliance testing helps assure your product's compliance with your market's product and safety standards. By conducting such testing, you'll be testing whether the product is safe for consumers under normal use, doesn't contain hazardous substances above acceptable levels, and won't be restricted from being imported. Because importers are usually held responsible for any safety problems caused by … [Read more...]