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How To Build Relationships With Suppliers? [Podcast]

February 18, 2022

How To Build Relationships With Suppliers? [Podcast]

In this episode… In this series of episodes, we’re exploring how to do your own sourcing from China, from finding suppliers for your products to getting them made. Today, how to build relationships with suppliers! It includes hard skills, that we’ve already covered in episodes 1 to 4, such as identifying suppliers, negotiating terms and describing your specifications, how to manage projects, and how to check product quality. Click here to listen to those earlier episodes. However, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Sourcing New Suppliers Tagged With: communication, supplier management, supplier relationships

How To Keep Your China Factories’ Identities Secret

February 16, 2022

How To Keep Your China Factories' Identities Secret

Last week I wrote How To Push a Chinese or Vietnamese Supplier for Supply Chain Transparency. And, of course, pushing suppliers for transparency is hard: In the vast majority of cases, Chinese suppliers (and, to a lesser extent, those in Vietnam, too) do NOT want to disclose that supply chain information, mainly for 2 reasons: If the buyer can see the cost of the full bill of material, it becomes much easier to challenge the final price. In many cases, the final assembly … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Supply Chain Tagged With: supplier identity, supplier management, supply chain risks

Sourcing from China (Part 2): Negotiating terms, leverage over suppliers, and describing your needs. [Podcast]

October 15, 2021

Sourcing from China (Part 2): Negotiating terms, leverage over suppliers, and describing your needs. [Podcast]

In this episode... In episode 65 we discussed the different supplier options open to buyers who’re sourcing from China. One of the options is to do the sourcing yourself. Many importers want to pursue this, so we're creating a mini-series of episodes that explores how to handle the sourcing process from China yourself with tips and best practices from Sofeast's CEO Renaud Anjoran. In part 1 of the series (episode 69), we looked at the early stage of sourcing where you find your potential … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Sourcing from China 101 Tagged With: enforceable contracts, how to pay Chinese suppliers, podcast, quality standards, sourcing from china, supplier management

A Few Tips To Avoid Quality Fade in China

August 16, 2021

A Few Tips To Avoid Quality Fade in China

When Paul Midler wrote ‘Quality Fade’: China’s Great Business Challenge in 2007, I remember it struck a nerve and that article was widely quoted. And, nearly 14 years later, the term 'quality fade' is rather well known among importers. As Midler described it: One of the problems facing China is that manufacturers continue to engage in a practice I call “quality fade.” This is the deliberate and secret habit of widening profit margins through a reduction in the quality of materials. Importers … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Quality Control Tips Tagged With: china suppliers, improving quality, product quality, quality fade, quality improvement, sourcing from china, supplier management

Strategies For Reducing Lead Times From Suppliers In China [Podcast]

June 18, 2021

how to reduce lead times podcast

In This Episode… We discuss reducing lead times from suppliers in China or other countries in Asia like Vietnam. Lead times are the time you can expect the process of getting your order from a supplier to take, from placing the purchase order, for the supplier to obtain and check materials, manufacture the goods, and then ship them to you. There are many separate elements involved here on the supply chain and manufacturing sides and so plenty of opportunities to make improvements and reduce … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Supplier Management Tagged With: assessing your supply chain, lead times, supplier management, supply chain management, supply chain risk analysis

Exploring Product Development Agreements For Importers [Podcast]

June 4, 2021

exploring product development agreements

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...]

Filed Under: New Product Development Tagged With: chinese business practices, IP protection, manufacturing agreement, new product development, NNN agreement, podcast, product development agreement, supplier management

Importer’s ‘Supply Chain Spring Clean’ Checklist To Find Risks & Opportunities [Podcast]

February 12, 2021

Importer's 'Supply Chain Spring Clean' Checklist To Find Risks & Opportunities [Podcast]

Got some time on your hands during Chinese New Year while your suppliers are on holiday? In this bumper 43 minute Chinese New Year episode to keep you entertained during the holiday, Renaud & Adrian discuss tasks importers can perform to spring clean their supply chains during the CNY holiday when you might have a little extra time on your hands. The point of this episode is to provoke some thought and help you to face some of the more difficult questions and tasks that often get put … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Supplier Management, Supply Chain Tagged With: assessing your supply chain, podcast, supplier management, supply chain management, supply chain opportunities, supply chain risks

How To Plan for Transferring Production To a New Factory: 45 Point Checklist

February 1, 2021

How To Plan for Transferring Production To a New Factory: 45 Point Checklist

Many productions have been transferred to China over the past 25 years. Some are getting transferred out of China to places like Vietnam or Thailand these days. And, of course, not all Chinese factories are doing a great job, so there is a great deal of switching from one to the next. The problem is, some transfers are quite complex. There is the supplier management aspect (which I will cover in an upcoming article), and there are all the technical details to get right. I have put together … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Supplier Management Tagged With: supplier management, switching suppliers, switching to a new manufacturer, transferring production to a new chinese factory

Tips For Continually Getting Good Results From A New Supplier | Vetting Chinese Suppliers (Part 11) [Podcast]

December 10, 2020

Tips For Continually Getting Good Results From A New Supplier | Vetting Chinese Suppliers (Part 11) [Podcast]

You've successfully vetted and started working with a new Chinese supplier. What's next? In our mini-series on vetting Chinese suppliers, you will already have learnt about due diligence, factory audits and visits, exploring testing facilities, and much more when it comes to vetting suppliers. If you follow through this process logically, perhaps with the help of local factory auditors and quality inspectors in China, you will be well-placed to find reliable suppliers who reach your … [Read more...]

Filed Under: China Supplier Vetting Tagged With: China, chinese suppliers, podcast, sourcing suppliers, supplier improvement, supplier management, supplier performance, supply chain kpis

Why The Bill Of Materials (BOM) Is A Key Document For Importers [Podcast]

December 3, 2020

Why The Bill Of Materials (BOM) Is A Key Document For Importers [Podcast]

The Bill Of Materials - more important than you may think! The Bill Of Materials is an incredibly important document which spans the product development process and evolves as you get closer to mass production. It provides all of the product's key information, from both the supply chain side and also design and technical side, too. Think of it as a kind of list of components, suppliers, costs, quality and compliance test results, designs (showing the relationship between components and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: New Product Development Tagged With: bill of materials, BoM, new product development, podcast, quality management, Sourcing, sourcing components, supplier management

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Weekly updates for professional importers on better understanding, controlling, and improving manufacturing & supply chain in China.

This is the official blog of Sofeast.com.

This blog is written by Renaud Anjoran, an ASQ Certified Quality Engineer who has been involved in chinese manufacturing since 2005.

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