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What is the China Plus One Strategy, and What Should You Know About It?
In recent years, many companies have adopted a 'China Plus One' strategy for managing their global supply chains. In other words, rather than relying solely on a Chinese manufacturer to make their products, they establish additional supplier relationships in another...
What are Third-Party Inspections, and What Benefits do They Offer?
When you import goods from overseas or outsource manufacturing to a domestic partner, you must ensure that your products meet all specifications, legal requirements, and customer expectations. Unfortunately, it becomes more challenging to accomplish this if you do not...
How to Choose the Right Quality Inspection Frequency in Manufacturing
When you import from overseas, controlling product quality will be one of the most crucial keys to your success. You want to ensure that you receive products that meet your requirements and satisfy customer expectations. Many importers conduct inspections before,...
Our 10 Most Popular Quality Control Articles (2021 Edition)
As an importer, product quality affects your profit margins and the trajectory of your business. When you consistently produce high-quality products, your customers will remain satisfied. People will talk about your products on social media, recommend them to family...
This is Why Product Quality is Important for Consumer Brands (5 Reasons)
One of the main objectives for any business is to maximize profits. While maintaining a healthy balance sheet depends on a combination of factors, one of the most important for consumer brands is product quality. If you sell high-quality products consistently, your...
RoHS 1 vs. RoHS 2 vs. RoHS 3: What’s the Difference Between Them?
In July 2020, Nikon Corporation had to recall about 150 units of its Nikon F6 film camera after finding that it contained levels of dibutyl phthalate (DBP), which exceeded the amount allowed by the European Union’s RoHS directive. Importers who ship electrical and...
How to Identify QC Issues Early and Avoid Shipping Low-Quality Products
In 2016, smartphone maker Samsung was forced to recall over 2.5 million Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones after some gadgets started overheating and bursting into flames. This recall reportedly caused the company over $5 billion in losses. A quick online search for...
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...
How to Verify a Chinese Manufacturer: Take These 3 Important Steps
China is the world's manufacturing superpower, accounting for 28.7% of all global manufacturing in 2019. It is, therefore, no surprise that it is a destination of choice for many importers. While the country has many capable manufacturers, you must approach sourcing...
What is a Trading Company, and is it a Good Idea to Work With One?
When you’re getting started in a consumer product business, you need to choose the supplier that best meets your needs. If you’ve searched Alibaba for Chinese suppliers or are looking at vendors elsewhere, you may have already realized that many of them are trading...
What is the Difference Between FCL and LCL Shipping, and Which is Best?
At any given moment, there are thousands of cargo ships traveling the world’s oceans, going from one country to another with a multitude of 20-foot and 40-foot cargo containers stacked upon their decks. The Port of Los Angeles alone imported and exported over 9.2...
How do Sourcing Agents Work, and Should You Hire One?
Many international traders import goods from China, Vietnam, Malaysia, and other countries due to their low manufacturing costs. And whether you’re an entrepreneurial Amazon seller or you work for an established consumer brand, you’ll find that importing from these...
Shipping From China to the US: What do Importers Need to Know?
When you’re getting started with international trade, there are certain factors that you must consider. First, you need to decide what to sell and where to source it — and for many importers, that means sourcing from China. It has a well-developed manufacturing...
What is the Difference Between Quality Control and Quality Assurance?
To manage product quality as effectively as possible, you need to have a quality management system in place. An effective quality system helps ensure that each time your products ship, you can be confident that they will be free from excessive defects. When putting...
Incoming Materials: How Good are Your Supplier’s Inspection Practices?
When your manufacturer is getting ready to start a production run, they need raw materials to make your product. But if they do not have the appropriate procedures in place to ensure the quality of those materials, you could be courting disaster. Raw materials are the...
How do You Maintain Quality When Moving Production Out of China?
In recent years, an increasing number of companies have chosen to either adopt a China Plus One strategy or move production out of China altogether. While many importers initially flocked to China for low labor costs, the cost of manufacturing has increased over time....
Furniture Regulations in the USA: 5 Important Sets of Regulations
If you are looking to import and sell furniture in the USA, you need to know the various regulations governing this industry. Like many other consumer products, substandard furniture can cause injury and even death. To prevent such occurrences, the U.S. Consumer...
What is Supplier Quality Management? Plus 3 Important Tips
Today’s supply chains are complex, and manufacturers rely on them to get the raw materials and parts they need to make their products. A car might have over 30,000 individual parts, and while an automaker will manufacture some of those parts in-house, they’ll likely...