To buy products directly from factories in China it is essential to take precautionary steps to ensure that things work out the way you had intended. Too often, due to communication and cultural differences, buyers and manufacturers end up with different expectations and standards about a product ordered which results in goods being delivered that are of a inadequate standard for their destination market. The following steps greatly increase the chances of successfully importing products from China:
• Factory Visit
A physical visit to the factory can tell you a lot - the scale and resources of the factory, standard of facilities, appropriateness of manufacturing techniques, clients they are currently manufacturing for, current export markets, products they have experience in, and the quality of their finished products. It is also important to meet the staff so you know what the best way of communicating with them will be - standards are different in China and commonly used business tools such as the internet and email are actually still not being commonly used by some manufacturers!
• Contact During Production
To make sure that production is going according to plan it is beneficial to revisit the factory to ensure that they are manufacturing according to your requirements, and to make sure that production is on schedule. Potential problems can be picked up at this stage and amendments to the production process implemented if necessary.
• Pre-shipment Quality Inspection
The key to the whole process - this is your final chance to avoid paying for an order which might not be up to your required standards. Random sampling techniques should be employed to make sure that the product and it’s packaging has been made according to your specifications.
In short, this process requires that you spend a lot of money and time on repeated and possibly inefficient visits to China. However, only by taking these steps can you have the confidence that you will end up receiving the product you had originally intended.
Unfortunately, many companies don’t have the resources, experience, or time to take each one of these measures. This is where the trouble (and the guessing) starts and container loads of unsatisfactory products start arriving in the destination country. Of course by this stage it is too late and the entire investment in the order is lost.
• Permanent staff and offices on the ground in China - have our people working on your project in China immediately.
• UK and NZ based staff - speak directly to our local staff about your requirements and the progress of your order.
• Experience with different levels of manufacturing - we can find the right manufacturer for the level of quality and cost that you require.
• China based western staff - familiarized with the culture and fluent Chinese speakers who will ensure that western sensibility is used during all parts of the sourcing process.
