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Zero Covid in China is over: What next?

December 13, 2022 by Adrian Leighton

Zero Covid in China is over: What next?

Following unprecedented protests across China, the government has been rapidly dropping its flagship 'Zero Covid' policy as of the start of December 2022. While a return to normalcy in China may come as welcome news to locals and visitors alike, the road to get there will no doubt be bumpy. A largely unvaccinated public with little exposure to the virus now sees rising cases around China, similar to the difficult situation the rest of the world had to navigate in 2020 and 2021. So what does … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Coronavirus Tagged With: covid-19, sourcing from china, supply chain disruptions, supply chain risks

Stop Unauthorized Subcontracting In Its Tracks [Podcast]

July 1, 2022 by Adrian Leighton

Stop Unauthorized Subcontracting In Its Tracks [Podcast]

In this episode… Renaud is back with Adrian to discuss the risks of unauthorized subcontracting. Does it make sense for a manufacturer you don't know to make your products? Well, it could be happening if you're unlucky. Let's look at why it might, the risks you face, and some tips to reduce the risks here. Just hit the play button to start listening..! Listen to the episode right here 👇👇👇 🎧 How to Reduce The Risk Of Unauthorized Subcontracting? 🎧   Show Sections 00:00 - … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Supplier Management Tagged With: process controls, subcontracting, supplier management, supply chain risks

3 Supply Chain Risk Reduction Strategies: Integration VS Diversification VS Inventory

June 29, 2022 by Renaud Anjoran

3 Supply Chain Risk Reduction Strategies: Integration VS Diversification VS Inventory

As I am writing this, in mid-2022, we're living in pretty unprecedented times. The Covid pandemic is ongoing, tensions between major world powers are at a high, previously solid supply chains and business practices are crumbling, inflation is rising affecting all kinds of costs, politics are causing countries to become more insular and closed-minded, and shipping is still a mess. Today's manufacturing businesses need to find suitable supply chain risk reduction strategies to help counter these … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Supply Chain Risk Management Series Tagged With: diversifying sources, inventory, supply chain risks, vertical integration

Renaud Answers YOUR Manufacturing Questions [Podcast]

April 1, 2022 by Adrian Leighton

Celebrating 100 Episodes By Answering YOUR Questions [Podcast]

In this episode… To celebrate our 100th episode over on Sofeast's podcast Renaud called on listeners for their manufacturing-related questions and answered as many as possible!  They're questions that are relevant to so many importers, so, hopefully, the answers will help you get better results from your suppliers, too.   Just hit the play button to start listening..! Listen to the episode right here 👇👇👇 🎧 100th episode special: YOUR manufacturing questions … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Good Articles Tagged With: AQL, manufacturing agreement, product inspections, QC, raw material cost rises, supply chain risks

How War In Ukraine Could Negatively Affect Global & Chinese Supply Chains [Podcast]

March 4, 2022 by Adrian Leighton

How War In Ukraine Could Negatively Affect Global & Chinese Supply Chains [Podcast]

In this episode… We discuss how wars like the one waged on Ukraine by Russia right now could affect global supply chains. In particular, could China be affected, and if so, how? Is the West likely to decouple from China in the future in a similar way as they have done with Russia? Finally, Renaud leaves you with some guidance on ways to diversify your suppliers and therefore reduce the chances of supply chain disruptions and risks.   Just hit the play button to start … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Risk Management Tagged With: russia, sourcing from china, supply chain disruptions, supply chain risks, ukraine

How To Keep Your China Factories’ Identities Secret

February 16, 2022 by Renaud Anjoran

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

QualityInspection.org’s Top Blog Posts & Videos Of 2021

December 31, 2021 by Renaud Anjoran

QualityInspection.org’s Top Blog Posts & Videos Of 2021

The rollercoaster has continued in 2021! After a difficult 2020 when the coronavirus pandemic first hit, it's perhaps understandable that many of us might have hoped that things would settle down in 2021, however, since last year's roundup in the top posts and videos of 2020 it's been more of the same. Supply chains have buckled, commodity and sea freight prices have gone through the roof, covid continues to rage (what variant are we even on now!?), and importers have numerous reasons to feel … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Good Articles Tagged With: laboratory testing, plastic injection molding, product design, raw material cost rises, supply chain risks, switching to a new manufacturer

China Power Cuts In Late 2021. Will Your Supply Chain Be Affected? [Podcast]

October 1, 2021 by Adrian Leighton

China Power Cuts In Late 2021. Will Your Supply Chain Be Affected? [Podcast]

In this episode... Sofeast's CEO Renaud Anjoran dives into what's causing the power cuts around China that are affecting many manufacturers around the country in late 2021. Some manufacturers are having to close for days at a time or work night shifts, but normal people have also been affected, too. Many importers will be wondering: "Is my supplier affected?" and "Will my order be delayed?"  Given that this is affecting most o the major manufacturing provinces the likelihood is that it … [Read more...]

Filed Under: China Insights Tagged With: China, china energy usage, manufacturing in China, power cuts in china, rising costs in china, supply chain disruptions, supply chain risks

How To Choose The Right Packaging To Protect Your Products? [Podcast]

June 11, 2021 by Adrian Leighton

how to choose the right packaging podcast

In This Episode… We take a close look at why packaging plays a key role in protecting your products during transit. Packaging materials, supply chain risks, and packaging reliability testing are all scrutinized to give you a good introduction to this topic and help you choose the right packaging for your needs. You'll see why considering packaging and developing the right inner and outer packaging for your needs should be done during the product development process and should neither be … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Packaging Tagged With: logistics, minimizing risks, packaging, reducing damaged products, shipping by sea, shipping from china, supply chain risks, types of packaging

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

February 12, 2021 by Adrian Leighton

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

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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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