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 … [Read more...]
28 Common Problems Chinese Suppliers Cause Importers
I was thinking of the most common problems Chinese suppliers cause for importers, especially those developing their own products. And I noticed something interesting. Most of them all linked to the way information is managed. … [Read more...]
China Supply Chain Transparency and Monitoring: Not Getting Easier…
China supply chain transparency and monitoring is still as important an issue as it has ever been, and importers need to stay on their toes. Let's explore why this isn't getting any easier... … [Read more...]
How To Ensure your Chinese Factory Purchases Good Components?
One of the most common ways Chinese manufacturers enlarge their margin is buying substandard components. Any time a lot of money can be saved this way, the temptation is very strong. What can you do to avoid this risky behaviour from … [Read more...]
5 Ways To Have a Chinese Manufacturer Take Responsibility for Quality Issues
Many importers lament that Chinese suppliers don't take any responsibility when quality issues are found after shipment. Ten years ago, I would have confirmed that it happens less than 0.1% of the time. These days, it seems to become more … [Read more...]
Managing Assembly for your Production in China
It often makes sense to let your supplier handle the final assembly, final testing & inspection, packing, and shipping processes (which I will collectively refer to as “assembly” in this article). Here are a few examples of cases … [Read more...]
Hands-on buyers: qualifying factories and nurturing them
Last week, I described what I call "hands-off buyers": those importers who don't follow all the precautions necessary when buying in developing Asia, sometimes by choice. Now I am going to write about "hands-on buyers", the opposite … [Read more...]