Everyone knows how ubiquitous and essential a smartphone, especially an iPhone, has become in our daily lives. The enormous success of the iPhone has created a big market for accessories. As you know, the iPhone itself is made in China (from imported components) – and so are most of...
With the 4th quarter coming to a close, most company leaders think about two elements of their management: the year-end review and the planning of the next year. That said, for those companies whose business model depends at least partly on importing from China, this is the time for a...
This white paper was developed after a 2013 conference confronting the question: “Is China losing its competitive edge?” Much of the material is still relevant today. This white paper is first in a series of three, it discusses and depicts the background (historical, cultural, geo-political etc.) of China as a...
Just a few weeks ago, the South China Morning Post published an article about how some of China’s factories are downsizing to the extreme, all in an effort to survive the dynamics of our present global economy. How will that affect everyone who’s importing and sourcing from China? And the...
Build your own factory or work with an existing factory? Now, this is a very pressing question. Simply put, if everything is done efficiently; the more of the supply chain you own/control, the cheaper the overall product should be to produce. Using this logic if you plan to have a...
To further understand the manufacturing process and its developments and gain insights into the market we visited the Industrial Automation. The International Automaton Beijing offers a platform for companies to enter the industrial market in Northern China, using automation technologies. The fair is organized by Hannover Milano Fairs Shanghai Ltd....
The world of sourcing can be a little confusing at times, here are some commonly used acronyms in the sourcing industry to help clear things up! VAR - A value added re-seller is commonplace in the electronics industry but not exclusive to it. We can use Apple as an example; Foxconn manufacture...
The Battle of the bonbons Ever since the People’s Republic of China opened up to the world in the 1980s countless foreign companies have taken their business east. Companies quickly acknowledged the opportunities to take benefit of the world’s largest potential supply market. Successes were achieved by many, who saw...