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...]
Why Conduct On-Site Social Compliance Audits? [Podcast]
![Why Conduct On-Site Social Compliance Audits? [Podcast]](https://qualityinspection.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/WhyConductOn-SiteSocialComplianceAuditsPodcast-1140x445.jpg)
In part 6 of our mini-series of podcast episodes about vetting Chinese suppliers, I'm discussing social compliance audits. After regular factory audits are done on a prospective supplier, it may make sense to assess their social compliance, too. But are these audits into things like legal practices and health & safety truly everything that they promise? … [Read more...]
Vetting Suppliers In China [Podcast Series]
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Vetting suppliers is important. After all, these suppliers are responsible for your company's reputation. Hopefully, everyone by now will understand the dangers of checking Alibaba or Global Sources and 'choosing' a supplier who 'looks' good, or perhaps trusting that Alibaba Gold suppliers are somehow more legitimate and trustworthy (spoiler alert: they might not be). So what does a good vetting process look like? … [Read more...]
Requirements To Import PPE: You Need To Go Beyond Certificates
There is a serious emergency right now to procure and import PPE. I know. Manufacturers are overloaded with requests from buyers, and they can't (won't) spend much time responding to requests. I know! Nearly all the importers I talked to were concerned about the manufacturers' formal authorization to sell PPE and medical gear on their market. But very few wanted to go deeper than that. However, as you buy products that are actually intended to save lives, should you throw all proper due … [Read more...]
9 Reasons Why You Can’t Buy Face Masks with Low Risk in China
The Western world is scrambling to buy face masks and other PPE materials. And all the conditions are met for highly expensive mistakes. If I could ring the proverbial alarm bell, this article is my way to do that. … [Read more...]
List of Contract Manufacturers in China – Top 14 Factories
These days it’s easy to find article after article stating that manufacturing in China is on the way out. And that's true, at least partly. Vietnam, Thailand, Mexico, and Portugal have many good potential suppliers, including some contract manufacturers. However, China is still the best place to produce relatively complex products, especially when time-to-market is critical and when assembly requires a lot of labor. Consumer electronics is a case in point. As Dr. Zhang, research director of … [Read more...]
New Importer from China? Beware the Credulous Foreigner Syndrome!
After about 40 years of openness, and about 15 years of 'direct trade' without Hong Kong trading companies, one might expect that foreign buyers take more precautions when dealing with Chinese suppliers. And, to be sure, some buyers do pay attention to risks. They have heard a few horror stories. They have read about common misconceptions, typical pitfalls, assumptions to avoid, and best practices for supply chain management. Unfortunately, it seems that a majority of people who haven't … [Read more...]
Quality Planning for Importers: Classify Orders by Risk Level
Every purchaser knows that some orders are riskier than others and the risk impacts many of the decisions they make. This is why quality planning and classifying orders by risk level is important for importers. … [Read more...]
How a China-Based Buying Office Can Add Value
If you source and buy consumer goods from several suppliers in China, your experience probably looks like this: Some suppliers are good, some are not so good and not improving When there is a quality issue, it is much better to detect it while the goods are still at the factory... and yet, sometimes, that factory plays the "do nothing and wait" game -- it means they do a very light sorting job and tell you "all is good now", simply because they don't want to do rework and discard some … [Read more...]
China Sourcing: Does Your Sales Contact Really Work At The Factory?
When I meet someone who has recently started working with Chinese companies, I often urge them not to make any assumptions. One of the most common 'discoveries' buyers make is... that they haven't been working with a factory directly when they thought they were. … [Read more...]