Many new buyers think of Asia as a place where they can easily source cheap products, and make money in fistfuls. While there is ample opportunity to find inexpensive products, finding the quality to match is extremely difficult. Various high-profile cases of poor quality control in China lately lead to the question about how to ensure that products manufactured in or sourced from China comply with the requirements of foreign companies concerning health or safety. While generally you can assume that products produced in China are safe, it is still essential that companies sourcing and producing those products practice due diligence to ensure quality from Chinese manufacturers.
Here are some steps to ensure quality control when working with Chinese companies.
- The first important step of quality control is to visit the manufacturing website of the Chinese supplier you want to work with.
- Also, If you make a trip to China to visit, it is good to see the office, but the important part is to see the factory where your products will be made at the end of the day. Visiting the factory shows you if the supplier is a legitimate company and provides your company’s quality standards.
- Besides visiting the factory, your company should also request references from the manufacturer and documents of its work with other foreign companies.
- If your company decided that the manufacturer has good quality standards, it is also essential to let them know about your company’s demanded standards.
- During your cooperation, it may be beneficial to establish and maintain a good relationship with the Chinese supplier.
- Your company should look for a qualified intermediate the can monitor the manufacturing process in person on your behalf. This ensures quality, which is especially necessary when you don’t have any previous experience with that supplier.
- Some service providers try to do a little bit of everything and end up not doing anything particularly well So, focus exclusively on quality control services (audits, inspections and testing) and nothing else.
- “Trust, but verify” is the key point here. Maybe you’ve already made sure that the supplier can provide you with the quality demanded and that he knows your expectations and standards , still you should have someone on site to control that the arrangement is adhered.
- China’s real advantage over other countries is no longer about low cost. It’s about convenience They make it look easy to buy: just select a sample you like and wire the cash!
- In China, business is personal It is a low-trust environment where parties feel they need to know each other before approving a deal.