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For more great content, please take a look at our most recent blog articles below.
Chinese New Year 2026: How to Prepare for the Factory Shutdown
The coming Chinese New Year will cost unprepared importers dearly. And it won’t be from expensive celebrations, but from completely avoidable supply chain disasters. Every year, a wave of importers learns this lesson the hard way: factories don't just close for a few...
When to Stop Inspecting Every Shipment: A Strategic Guide to Skip-Lot Inspections
After years of consistent quality from a trusted supplier, many companies face the same dilemma: Is inspecting every single shipment still worth the cost? While quality inspections are essential for catching defects before they reach customers, they can also represent...
Traceability Audits: Your Shield Against UFLPA Compliance Risks
Can you prove where your raw materials are coming from? This question is no longer optional if you're importing silicon or cotton-based products from China. It's at the heart of compliance with the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), and getting it wrong could...
Should You Conduct a 100% Inspection or an AQL Sampling Inspection?
When you import goods from overseas, you need them to meet your specifications as accurately as possible. You also need them to meet all health and safety requirements and be acceptable to your customers. One way to help ensure product quality is to carry out...
Are You Ready for the End of the Tariff Pause? (Supply Chain Signals)
Welcome to the latest Supply Chain Signals video, where we discuss the latest news affecting consumer-product importers and the issues that impact product quality and compliance. Today, we cover three topics: The end of the 90-day tariff pause between the U.S. and...
Product Inspection vs. Testing: What is the Difference?
If you’ve developed a product and want to get it into the hands of consumers, you need to learn how to manage product quality and compliance. You may have heard the terms ‘product inspection’ and ‘product testing’ thrown around and been unsure whether they were the...
Tariff Whiplash: How is it Affecting Your Quality Control?
Caught in Tariff Whiplash? In this conversation, we unpack the rollercoaster that is the U.S.-China trade relationship—and how it’s turning supply chains upside down. As tariffs spike, pause, and shift again, companies are scrambling to protect product quality while...
5 Types of Supplier Audits That Will Help You Assess Your Manufacturer
Are you thinking about conducting a supplier audit to uncover hidden manufacturing issues, support supplier development, or assess a new manufacturing partner? In general, audits allow you to assess suppliers, but they sometimes have different goals. For example, some...
What is a Golden Sample in Manufacturing, and Why are They Essential?
If you’re manufacturing a product and thinking about how to manage product quality effectively, you may have come across the term 'golden sample.' A Golden Sample, also called an approval sample, is a sample your manufacturer sends to you before mass production. It...
Why Is It So Difficult to Reshore Manufacturing to the US?
Over the past several years, reshoring has become a hot topic among U.S. manufacturers and brands. With rising tariffs, increased geopolitical uncertainty, and a desire to bring production closer to home, many companies are evaluating whether it’s possible to...
The Carton Drop Test: 7 Things You Need to Know About It
When manufacturing products overseas, it is vital to take all possible steps to ensure product quality. More than that, you must ensure that your products survive the journey from the factory to the port and then across the ocean to you. Have you ever seen videos of...
AQL Defect Classification: 3 Types of Defects You Need to Understand
Are you planning to conduct inspections using the AQL sampling method? You may be aware that three types of defects — minor, major, and critical — play a role. To conduct an effective inspection, you must understand these three defect types and develop a thorough...