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When a Good Factory Goes Bad
By now, you may have spent some time on this blog, followed the advice presented, and done everything the right way to launch your manufacturing venture. You may have a longstanding positive relationship with a factory that has had no failures. Maybe you are...
It’s Time for a Checkup: Are You Losing Money in Your Supply Chain? Part 2
In the last blog post, we discussed the importance of a regular examination of your supply chain. To review, a supply chain exam is beneficial for scaling growth, lowering bottom-line costs, increasing efficiency, identifying...
It’s Time for a Checkup: Are You Losing Money in Your Supply Chain? Part 1
It goes without saying that we live in a volatile and ever-changing world. Whether it’s the climate, an election, or a Super Bowl, plot twists are hidden around every corner (some are easier to see coming than others). The...
7 Signs That You Should Start Looking for a New Factory
It’s easy to feel like you’re “on the outside looking in” when it comes to what your factory is doing in China. Sure, you get inspection reports and you get to see the final products (and their reviews on Amazon), but sometimes there is some murkiness around the...
Do You Need to Open an Office in China to Manage Manufacturing?
A large or growing company faces many decisions about how to handle their Asian manufacturing, and among them is a high-stakes dilemma about how to interact with their factories: should a company invest in opening an office overseas (usually China) or attempt to...
Need to Manufacture in China? Here is Your Biggest Challenge
Congratulations! If you are interested in manufacturing in China or Asia then you have successfully created a product that consumers will (hopefully) purchase, so you need a lot of units. If you’re not 100% sure how to proceed then this article is for you. We want to...
The 10-Step Checklist for Choosing Your Quality Assurance Agent
If you’re reading this, chances are you are either in the middle of a factory-related emergency or you’re wisely considering a partner to handle your inspections overseas. We hope it’s the latter! You are now faced with hundreds...
Private Label Products, Build a Brand
One of the incredible things about the internet is that it creates possibilities for building businesses that were never available in the past. One example is Private Label Products. A Private Label Product is essentially a product that is not created by a company...
First Order, First Contract
You have created a new product, painstakingly designed it, carefully selected a factory to manufacture it, and now are ready to place your first order. Unfortunately, in many cases the next step is one of the most overlooked in the entire process: the first contract....
Online Suppliers vs. Third Party Suppliers
Selecting the right supplier for your business needs will allow you to deliver your products and services on time, at the right price, and in compliance with your quality standards. First and foremost, you need to know what type of supplier you want to work with....
In-House vs. Third Party Quality Inspectors
To have an in-house quality inspection team or to hire a third-party quality control company – that is the question we’ll be focusing on in this blog post. In order to decide, it really comes down to: What do you want to do in-house, and what do you want to...
What Does the Sourcing Process Entail?
When starting the sourcing process, it’s essential that you first define what it is that you are seeking. When working with a supplier, you should establish a clear joint commitment that includes: Identifying the best solutions Upholding quality and efficiency A...
Quality Basics: Frequently Asked Questions
When it comes to providing quality, where should you start? Here, we’re answering frequently asked questions in the sourcing and product inspections realm that will help you set a solid foundation of the quality basics. Let’s get started. What is AQL? ‘AQL’ stands...
What Do On-Site Inspections Entail?
What are on-site inspections and what do they entail? Here, we’ll discuss the purpose of in-store retail inspections and the key components that must not be overlooked. Let’s dive in! On-site retail inspections are conducted in order to determine whether products are...
Tips for Working With a Good Supplier
Selecting the right supplier for your business needs is vital to ensure that you are able to deliver your products and services on time, at the right price, and in compliance with your quality standards. Creating specific supplier selection criteria will help you...
Inspect and Correct
What happens when there is an issue with a product that’s already on the store shelf? Panic? Don’t worry; at this point, issues can still be corrected. Here, we’ll cover what this process entails. When an issue is detected with an in-store product, it typically comes...
Low Prices vs. High Quality Products
What is the relationship between the way a product is priced and its quality? When it comes down to it, there is none. Price doesn’t determine quality. If an item has a high price, this doesn’t necessarily mean it is a high quality product, just as a low price point...
Inspecting the Process, Not the Product
When you think of product inspections, you automatically think that products are the sole component being inspected. However, in order to prevent the same mistakes from happening over and over again, there needs to be a deeper look into the history in order to...