We first heard of the pandemic when it hit China back in January 2020. It was immediately clear that it would have a big impact on supply chain management. Ensuring responsible working conditions that met safety regulations and prevented contagion was not going to be easy. Many importers turned...
In the last blog installment we published of this series, Made In China Quality and Perception: Improving Standards and Improving Quality – Part 4, discussed the recovery China made after dealing with major quality scandals and recalls between 2007 and 2008. This week, we continue the series and will examine...
China has been known as the world’s factory for a long time, but it may finally have some competition. Vietnam is becoming a close second supplier for many major importers. In this blog, we’ll explore why China continues to be the world’s factory, despite the fact that some importers...
ECE Certification History of ECE Certification The regulations of United Nations Economic Commission of Europe (commonly referred to as ECE) have been a standardization method in Europe since the 1950s. With globalization, more countries have adopted these regulations because of the increased awareness of the benefits of unified regulations. Initially, Europe,...
Quality fade is a supplier’s behavior of progressively degrading the quality of the products to earn more profits. When a factory voluntarily participates in quality fade, disputes may arise between the buyer and the supplier, which can ultimately lead to early termination of agreements. Quality fade is not an unknown...
Typically, as soon as a purchase order is signed with a factory, an important next step is to engage in order follow ups. This is to ensure that your suppliers are in line to produce the correct product, level of quality, special requests, shipment dates, etc. However, there can be...
In China, it can be difficult to find suppliers who pay as close attention to quality as you do. Often as a new client of a supplier, the quality of your first order (or first few) is satisfactory. But as orders and money come through regularly, suppliers become lax with...
China continues to make changes year after year by continually adapting to the international market. Sourcing from China can be a fantastic way to improve your business, but it certainly is not easy. There are countless scenarios where a supplier can end up disappointing a buyer, many of which I...