Screening new suppliers requires significant time and energy. Whether you're switching manufacturers or selecting your first one, it’s a bad idea to rush the process. Otherwise, you might end up with a low quality product and negative reviews. A factory audit is a...
Are your manufacturers treating workers fairly, compensating them enough, and prioritizing their health and safety? Do you have clear visibility into their practices, and are you taking steps to ensure they are in line with all labor laws? Social compliance is a...
Assessing manufacturers is a vital aspect of supply chain management for many consumer product brands. As such, you may be thinking about conducting a supplier audit to help uncover hidden manufacturing issues or aid you in supplier development. In general, audits...
Imagine you’ve been working with a manufacturer in Vietnam to produce a line of laptop bags for the last two years, and the relationship has gone well. You have reasonable quality standards for your product, and you feel like the factory has met them. Then, one day,...
Making good products is fundamental to establishing trust with consumers, and companies that accomplish this reap great rewards. According to data from Salsify, 46% of US consumers say they are willing to pay more for a brand name they trust, and 54% research a...
China makes up a remarkable 28.7% of total global manufacturing output, according to UN statistics. And despite the push to diversify sourcing locations in recent years, the country’s manufacturing dominance leads countless companies to take advantage of its...
Committing to quality isn’t a one-time initiative — it’s an ongoing process that involves careful strategizing and monitoring of your supply chain and business model. But high-quality output doesn’t emerge from nowhere: it’s the people within your organization whose...
We all know it when we see it. A quality product tends to be well designed and constructed, serve the purpose for which it was purchased, and satisfy—or exceed—our expectations. But understanding and fulfilling such subjective parameters is a complex, perennial...
When choosing a manufacturer to trust with your product, the stakes are high. Selecting a low-quality producer can affect your reputation (not to mention your bottom line) for years to come. So you’ll want to work with a manufacturer that has a solid quality...
Encountering unexpected problems in your business is inevitable. No matter how well prepared your organization is, there’s no avoiding the challenges of a tumultuous world and a human workforce. And when faced with these setbacks, it’s crucial to have a plan in place...
