Image Source: Collision ConfAs an importer, you may rely on trade shows and trade fairs to help you identify new product sources, keep up with industry trends, network with peers, or inspire fresh new ideas. If so, the global pandemic has probably hurt your ability to...
Sourcing
Going From Product Design to Store Shelves (A Timeline)
Do you have a new product design that you want to manufacture and get onto store shelves ASAP? It is important to be realistic about timelines. At Insight, we do a lot of sourcing in Asia and sometimes would-be importers will come to us with a design and expect that...
Chinese Trading Companies: Are They Really That Bad?
If you’ve been going through the process of searching for new suppliers, you may have noticed at some point that not all of the companies you find online are factories. While browsing the Alibaba platform, for example, you may eventually find that there are also a lot...
Reshoring is a Move You Need to Think Through Very Carefully
An abandoned warehouse located in Loveland, Colorado. (Photo: Tara Evans)“This pandemic has underscored the vital importance of reshoring our supply chains and bringing them back into the United States, where they belong, where they should have never left.” –...
Manufacturing in Indonesia: 3 Things You Need to Consider
Have you been looking at potential manufacturers in Indonesia to either replace or supplement your China manufacturing? Is it something that you’ve thought about? Since the U.S.-China trade war began in 2018 many importers have been transitioning production from China...
This is Why PPE Importers Are Frustrated Right Now
Masks, gloves, face shields, and other types of personal protective equipment (PPE) are in high demand right now. Because of this, the prices for some PPE items have gone up by more than 1000%. This is according to a report by the Society for Healthcare Organization...
Do Not Forget These 3 Key Fundamentals When Sourcing PPE
With the global pandemic raging, countries in Europe and the Americas are fighting to get every last piece of personal protective equipment (PPE) they can. Tensions are high and the U.S. has reportedly been “paying far above the market price for medical-grade masks,”...
Finding Good Mask Suppliers in a Desperate World
In the wake of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, entire healthcare systems have become stressed and the demand for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) has gone through the roof. Hospitals are desperate to get their hands on respirator masks and other equipment to...
How to Write a Purchase Order That Protects Your Interests
Failure to set expectations with suppliers is something that often comes back to bite importers, especially newer ones, hard. Missed shipping dates, inaccurate quantities, misunderstood payment terms–these are all things that can be avoided by setting the right...
Manufacturing in Cambodia: a Good Alternative to China?
Since 2018, an increasing number of importers have been looking for alternatives to China, with a desire to either replace or supplement their Chinese manufacturers. The U.S.-China trade war has put billions of dollars worth of tariffs on imports from the country and...