Is there a proven electronic component selection process that will help you get into manufacturing with a minimum of stress? Actually, yes, and it can be broken down into these 18 steps. Prefer listening to reading? Listen … [Read more...]
Manufacturing Organizational Charts: 7 Key Learnings
What are manufacturing organizational charts and what are the key things that importers can learn from would-be suppliers' org charts during the sourcing process? The tips given here will help you avoid bad suppliers and be aware of common … [Read more...]
Getting A ‘Not-So-Great’ China Manufacturer To Improve Quality
You work with a supplier based in China. You believe they can do a good job if you manage them appropriately. But you can see you are taking a risk in working with them (the maturity of their management systems, their recent performance, … [Read more...]
EU Product Chemical Compliance and Tips for Buyers
Renaud welcomes our friend Fredrik Grönkvist of Compliancegate.com to discuss EU product compliance, in particular, harmful substances of note, common regulations or directives you need to comply with, and what we can learn from recent data … [Read more...]
5 Ways To Boost The Value Of Low-Cost Products
If businesses are able to find an interesting low-cost product (we're focusing on those that can already be bought off the shelf from Chinese suppliers) and make changes to it, it might be possible to turn it into a high-profit product. But … [Read more...]
10 Sourcing Mistakes New Buyers With Asian Suppliers Should Avoid!
We see time and again buyers who are new to outsourcing their manufacturing to Asian suppliers in China, India, Vietnam, and elsewhere making these damaging sourcing mistakes. Here are the 10 most common ones waiting to trip you up...but … [Read more...]
Why a Supply Chain Map is Valuable for Importers (+ a few Simple Examples)
Over the past 3 years, I have read a number of articles pushing importers to draw a supply chain map. They argue it is extremely important, to avoid getting caught by surprise again. (And most of those articles are written by software … [Read more...]
Is there a Relationship between Factory Audits and Better Quality Products? [Real Data Analysis]
![Is there a Relationship between Factory Audits and Better Quality Products? [Real Data Analysis]](https://qualityinspection.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/IsthereaRelationshipbetweenFactoryAuditsandBetterQualityProductsRealDataAnalysis.jpeg)
Prof. Neale O’Connor, a China business and accounting expert and international keynote speaker, recently analyzed some of our own factory audit data and other third-party data about customer complaints and came up with some really … [Read more...]
What Are the Most Highly Regulated Industries?
There is a clear trend that people working in supply chain management have to get used to: pretty much all products are getting more regulated over time. Even apparel is going to be hit hard by the upcoming EU Ecodesign for Sustainable … [Read more...]
What To Do Before Contacting a Contract Manufacturer in China or India
If you have been designing a new product and you plan to have it manufactured in China or another Asian country, when and how should you contact a manufacturer, and what should you do first? … [Read more...]