QualityInspection.org

Quality Assurance, Product Development, and Purchasing Strategies in China

  • Home
  • Articles
    • How To Manufacture A Product In China (without losing your shirt)? [Importer’s Guide]
  • Best Of
  • About Us
  • Contact us
X

Don't miss a post

It's easy to subscribe to our newsletter where you'll receive weekly updates for professional importers and manufacturers on better understanding, controlling, and improving manufacturing & supply chain in China, India, Vietnam, and beyond.

The Impacts of Russia Sanctions on International Trade & Logistics

March 12, 2022 by Renaud Anjoran

The Impacts of Russia Sanctions on International Trade & Logistics

The horrific invasion of Ukraine and the resulting sanctions on Russia are starting to have effects that importers & exporters are feeling. Combined with the consequences of covid outbreaks and the already very high shipping prices, they will probably make for a rough environment in the next few months. Let's go through the 4 main issues one by one.   1. China is having a hard time containing covid For the past couple of weeks, many people from our Shenzhen office have been in … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Supply Chain Tagged With: russia, sanctions, supply chain risk

Supply Chain Risk Management: No, Toyota Doesn’t Always Do Just-In-Time

April 12, 2021 by Renaud Anjoran

Supply Chain Risk Management: No, Toyota Doesn't Always Do Just-In-Time

I ran into a very interesting article from Bloomberg entitled How Toyota Steered Clear of the Chip Shortage Mess. Nearly all automakers announced that they would have to cut their production numbers due to a serious shortage of semiconductors. This was made even worse by a recent fire in a Japanese manufacturing plant. One might think Toyota would be seriously impacted by the general market situation and by one of their suppliers being temporarily unable to produce. Apparently, Toyota … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Supply Chain Risk Management Series Tagged With: jit, just in time, minimizing risks, risk management, supply chain disruptions, supply chain risk

Manufacture in China, Vietnam, India, or Elsewhere in 2021? [Podcast]

December 18, 2020 by Adrian Leighton

Manufacture in China, Vietnam, India, or Elsewhere in 2021? [Podcast]

Manufacturers continue to plan the move of some or all of their supply chains out of China? But where next? Perhaps the word 'exodus' is a little over-dramatic, but there has certainly been a marked rise in companies trying to diversify their manufacturing operations away from China alone since around 2018. One reason is the US/China trade war and the punitive tariffs imposed by the US government on some 'Made-In-China' goods, but we can't discount the coronavirus pandemic, as the manufacturing … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Risk Management Tagged With: China, diversifying sources, India, moving manufacturing out of china, offshoring, podcast, reshoring, sourcing suppliers, supply chain risk, vietnam

How To Perform In-Depth Due Diligence On Your Supplier [Podcast]

October 28, 2020 by Adrian Leighton

How To Perform In-Depth Due Diligence On Your Supplier

Do your new or current suppliers pose a risk to your business? Sometimes the only way to find out if a supplier poses a risk is to perform some deep due diligence on them in order to assess their business health and if they're able to be a stable, reliable supplier for the long-term. Especially in these times where we're dealing with a pandemic, getting a realistic picture of how suppliers are doing is hard without the ability to be on the ground in China. But there are actions you can … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Risk Management Tagged With: common problems with Chinese suppliers, due diligence, minimizing risks, podcast, supplier relationships, supply chain risk, vetting suppliers

Supply Chain Risk Management, Part 5: Moving Manufacturing to Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, or India (Pros & Cons)

August 24, 2020 by Renaud Anjoran

Supply Chain Risk Management, Part 5: Moving Manufacturing to Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, or India (Pros & Cons)

One of the main conclusions of many companies is as follows: 'diversifying our supply chain outside of China is a must in order to reduce risk'. There are two main reasons for this. First, the USA has been leading the charge against Beijing, and any change in the White House will not stop the current trend to "decouple" from China. The general public, the Congress, and the Senate all seem to agree that China is a "strategic competitor" and needs to be opposed. Second, some disasters can … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Supply Chain Risk Management Series Tagged With: diversifying sources, India, Malaysia, sourcing suppliers, supply chain risk, vietnam

The End Of Just In Time Manufacturing? [Podcast]

August 19, 2020 by Adrian Leighton

The End Of Just In Time Manufacturing? [Podcast]

A number of blog posts, such as this one, have been popping up lately casting doubts on whether just in time manufacturing can survive post-coronavirus. They share some pretty strong words: Recent trade tensions between the US and China, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic, have highlighted that this supply chain model is increasingly untenable. Listen to this episode of the podcast to hear my take... … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Supply Chain Tagged With: jit, just in time, podcast, supply chain disruptions, supply chain management, supply chain risk

Some Chinese Factories Are Going Bankrupt: How To Know Which Ones

August 7, 2020 by Renaud Anjoran

Some Chinese Factories Are Going Bankrupt: How To Know Which Ones

Some Chinese factories have suffered serious blows recently. Large American companies are moving manufacturing outside of China, often abruptly. Many manufacturers were hit in 2020 by very soft demand and cancelled orders. Their government is becoming more serious in getting taxes paid and regulations complied with. And so forth. The logical conclusion? Many factory owners who have accumulated debt and don't see the light at the end of the tunnel are tempted to go out of business. If … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Supplier Management Tagged With: assessing suppliers, bankruptcy, chinese suppliers, supplier reliability, supply chain risk

Supply Chain Risk Management, Part 4: How Much Inventory Do You Need?

July 13, 2020 by Renaud Anjoran

Supply Chain Risk Management, Part 4: How Much Inventory Do You Need?

If you make sure to sit on 6 months of inventory for every one of your major products, you will run much lower risks of being unable to supply your customers with what they need. You might even be able to cut a current manufacturer off and ramp up a new one, without any impact on your customers. There will be downsides, though. Working capital is expensive. Warehousing and transporting all these goods are not cheap. You may have to write off damaged, lost, of rapidly obsolete materials. (It … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Supply Chain Risk Management Series Tagged With: inventory, risk management, supply chain disruptions, supply chain risk

Will China Lock Entire Provinces Down A Second Time in 2020?

June 14, 2020 by Renaud Anjoran

Will China Lock Entire Provinces Down A Second Time in 2020?

In early February, I was wondering what effects the lockdown of China would have on importers. And, a few weeks later, importers suffered another (often more violent) blow: stores closed for months, a lot of unsold inventory, and weak demand across many product categories. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Coronavirus, Supply Chain Tagged With: China, coronavirus, covid-19, supply chain risk

China’s Corporate Social Credit System: Watch Out For Supplier Risk!

June 4, 2020 by Renaud Anjoran

China's Corporate Social Credit System: Watch out for your Supplier Risk!

Recently, I watched a webinar entitled "China's corporate social credit system: evaluating the impact on your supply chain". It was organized by the European Chamber of Commerce in China, and the Head of Risk Consulting at KPMG provided some insights. If you buy products from Chinese suppliers and/or that are made in China, this development comes as good news... and bad news. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Risk Management Tagged With: chinese suppliers, corporate social credit system, CSCS, doing business in china, supply chain risk


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.

Hit the button below to get in touch:

Contact Us!

Subscribe to our email newsletter

Connect with us

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
sofeast
sofeast
sofeast

Latest Articles

  • Why Following A Comprehensive NPI Process Pays Dividends And How Involved Buyers Need To Be
  • 7 Key Product Tests You Need To Use
  • UL Certification: Does Our Product Need It?
  • A Logical Development Roadmap for New Hardware Products
  • How did Apple build a winning supply chain in China?

Categories

  • Quality Control Tips
  • Sourcing New Suppliers
  • Supplier Management
  • New Product Development
  • Process Improvement
  • Ethical Sourcing

Archives

© 2023 QualityInspection.org