![3 Quality Control Plans & Why They’re Needed BEFORE Production [Podcast]](https://qualityinspection.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/3QualityControlPlansWhyTheyreNeededBEFOREProductionPodcast.jpg)
What is a quality control plan and why do you need to approve it before production begins? A QC plan is an essential tool for buyers to drive their suppliers to produce goods that reach their quality standard. It will typically list your … [Read more...]
Exploring Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) [Podcast]
Time to pay attention to good manufacturing practices! Importers with suppliers over in Asia may benefit from adopting GMPs (Good Manufacturing Practices). What are they? How are they useful for managing and improving the performance of … [Read more...]
3 Vertical Integration Benefits: Transparency, Control, Speed
Last year I wrote about a very common problem in China Supply Chain Transparency and Monitoring: Not Getting Easier… and this year we are still lamenting that same problem: Further down the supply chain, unauthorized subcontracting is … [Read more...]
6 Effects of Signing a Strong Manufacturing Contract with your Supplier
As a buyer, you may be in a position of strength in front of a supplier. For example, your orders are quite attractive to them, and you can easily switch to another supplier. You may be tempted to work with a business lawyer to draft a … [Read more...]
Don’t Let a Chinese Supplier Circumvent You: 5 Tips
Some risks and frustrations never go away... One of them is Chinese suppliers circumventing their customers, or selling to their customer's competitors, all the while using the product knowledge they gained... from their customers. Over … [Read more...]
What is the Bill of Materials and why is it important?
When a new product is developed, two sets of documents are very important: On the technical side the design deliverables (component drawings, PCB schematic…) and on the supply chain side the Bill of Materials (BOM). Let's look at the BOM … [Read more...]
China Factories: 7 Key Factors That Cause Shipment Delays
Last week, on Linkedin, I ranted about the many (not all) Chinese manufacturers that "fail to plan appropriately, are over-optimistic, and disappoint their customers with last-minute shipment delays". Someone commented that I should … [Read more...]
Unable To Go To Your China Factory Because Of Coronavirus?
The COVID-19 virus is spreading rapidly throughout the world. Wikipedia keeps count of it, country by country. This website show interesting maps that are kept up to date. Some countries are under-reporting their toll (Iran), while … [Read more...]
How To Manage Chinese Suppliers based on Facts & Data
If you buy products from a few Chinese suppliers, do you have a system for managing them? And do you use data for that? In this post, I'll show you how to manage Chinese suppliers using facts and data. … [Read more...]
How To Fight Back Against Fake Goods In China Trade Shows
For all the talk about improvements in China's intellectual property protection, many importers are still facing very unethical behavior from their supplier base. And nowhere is it more apparent than in trade shows. The temptation for … [Read more...]