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For more great content, please take a look at our most recent blog articles below.
How to Manage Product Risk in 2026 (8 Key Insights)
In modern supply chains, yesterday’s compliant product can quietly become today’s liability. Most quality failures don’t come from one obvious mistake, but from small changes that stack up over time—material substitutions, skipped tests, or assumptions that nothing...
Quality and Compliance Trends in 2026: Traceability, Sustainability, Supplier Oversight
For years, quality and compliance managers focused on one thing: the factory making their product. In 2026, if you want to minimize your company's risk, this focus is too myopic. You need to consider whether traceability extends to your upstream suppliers, how...
China Inspection Services: How Smart Importers Avoid Costly Surprises
You’re thousands of miles away from your manufacturer in China, and your goods are in production. You can’t see what’s happening on the factory floor, but your supplier assures you everything is completely fine and the products you ordered will absolutely meet your...
Diversifying from China: Why Due Diligence Matters More Than Ever
All roads still lead to China. For importers trying to diversify, that’s the frustrating truth. The past few years have felt like a never-ending storm. Tariffs, COVID shutdowns, shipping chaos, and now another round of trade-war tensions in 2025 have threatened supply...
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...