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Join Renaud Anjoran, Founder & CEO of Sofeast, in this podcast aimed at importers who develop their own products as he discusses the hottest topics and shares actionable tips for manufacturing in China & Asia today! WHO IS RENAUD? Renaud is a French ISO 9001 & 14001 certified lead auditor, ASQ certified Quality Engineer and Quality Manager who has been working in the Chinese manufacturing industry since 2005. He is the founder of the Sofeast group that has over 200 staff globally and offers services (QA, product development & engineering, project management, Supply Chain Management, product compliance, reliability testing), contract manufacturing, and 3PL fulfillment for importers and businesses who develop their own products and buyers from China & SE Asia. WHY LISTEN? We‘ll discuss interesting topics for anyone who develops and sources their products from Asian suppliers and will share Renaud‘s decades of manufacturing experience, as well as inviting guests from the industry to get a different viewpoint. Our goal is to help you get better results and end up with suppliers and products that exceed your expectations!
Episodes
Friday Apr 30, 2021
9 Things Small Importers Can't Negotiate With Chinese & SE Asian Suppliers
Friday Apr 30, 2021
Friday Apr 30, 2021
In This Episode...
Sofeast's CEO Renaud Anjoran is joined by Adrian from the team for a conversation about some of the things that smaller companies who are getting products manufactured abroad either cannot or will have great difficulty negotiating with suppliers in China, Vietnam, or other popular manufacturing destinations in Asia?
This list of 9 items will give you some idea about what is realistic if you're manufacturing lower volumes.
Show Notes
00:00 - Introducing the episode
02:24 - How do you define what a small importer is?
9 Things Small importers can't negotiate with suppliers in China & SE Asia
04:41 - 1. Negotiating with large contract manufacturers
10:34 - 2. Reserving production capacity for the mid- or even the long-term
13:56 - 3. Negotiating directly with large sub-suppliers
17:59 - 4. Gaining open-book visibility about the supplier and their costs, facility, etc
24:37 - 5. Forcing the factory to use your own ERP system
26:32 - 6. Negotiating ‘open account’ payment terms
28:08- 7. Negotiating product warranty & liability from the supplier
30:52 -8. The ability to physically shape the supply chain
32:25 - 9. Having their own teams on site all the time
34:17 - Wrapping up
Related content...
- 9 Things Only a Large Company Can Obtain in China/Vietnam
- Low Volume Manufacturing in China for Your New Product
Get in touch with Sofeast
- Connect with us on LinkedIn
- Send us a tweet @sofeast
- Prefer Facebook? Check us out on FB
- Contact us via Sofeast's contact page
- Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Subscribe to the podcast
There are more episodes to come, so remember to subscribe! You can do so in your favorite podcast apps here:
Friday Apr 23, 2021
Phil Brown | ISO 9001 QMS Features, Benefits, & Implementation Tips
Friday Apr 23, 2021
Friday Apr 23, 2021
In This Episode...
Adrian from the Sofeast team is joined by special guest Phil Brown, owner of Phil Brown Consultancy, who is an ISO 9001 and 14001 consultant in the UK.
Phil talks us through the ISO 9001 QMS, the requirements that make up this standard, benefits, the difference between good and bad implementations, and some tips from him to follow if you're implementing the QMS sometime soon.
Show Notes
00:51 - Introducing the episode and introducing Phil and his business
01:16 - Explaining the ISO 9001 QMS and its requirements - ISO 9001 is a standard designed to assure that companies deliver their customers' expectations and requirements. Phil goes through the different requirements for the standard:
- 01:45 - Leadership
- 02:09 - The way inquiries, quotations, and orders are handled
- 02:29 - Using approved suppliers
- 03:19 - Noncomformances
- 05:05 - Records of employee competencies
- 06:30 - Setting targets for improvement
- 08:04 - Regular review of the business systems
- 08:22 - Management review
- 08:57 - Production planning and scheduling
- 09:40 - Control of design and development
- 10:18 - Documented information (and analysis of it)
- 11:28 - Identification and traceability
- 12:43 - Control and measuring equipment
- 13:53 - Continual improvement
14:25 - Drawbacks of implementing a QMS - ISO 9001 accreditation can sometimes be used as a 'badge' by management rather than a means for real improvement of the business.
16:17 - The importance of everyone being involved in ISO 9001 QMS implementation - this is from top management down to the individual operator. Renaud recently wrote about the mistake some management make by relying solely on a quality manager to implement the QMS and otherwise not getting involved.
17:19 - Communication's role in staff retention - a dialogue between workforce and management is far better for the company than if workers are kept in a vacuum and unaware of how the business is doing.
18:37 - What's the difference between 'good' and 'bad' ISO 9001 implementations? - a good implementation is where (in the case of a 3rd party consultant) the person/s implementing the QMS becomes like a part of the company, gets involved in the ISO systems, but also helps encourage operators to do what the system requires. Whereas, bad implementations are often where there's no real personal involvement in it, such as when software is used.
20:13 - Some real examples of QMS implementations that Phil has been involved in
24:30 - Some tips from Phil for manufacturing companies who are planning to implement ISO 9001
25:33 - Wrapping up
Related content...
- Basics about ISO 9001: The Standard and the Certification Process
- The Basics of Quality Management for Buyers (Podcast episode)
- Benefits of ISO 9001 for a Chinese manufacturing organization
- Quality Manager Interview Questions To Test Knowledge Of ISO 9001
- Factory Audit Tips: 10 Signs of a Bad ISO 9001 Implementation
- What Causes A Bad Factory QMS Implementation? [Reason 1]
Get in touch with Sofeast
- Connect with us on LinkedIn
- Send us a tweet @sofeast
- Prefer Facebook? Check us out on FB
- Contact us via Sofeast's contact page
- Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Subscribe to the podcast
There are more episodes to come, so remember to subscribe! You can do so in your favorite podcast apps here:
Friday Apr 16, 2021
Getting To Grips With Non-Recurring Engineering (NRE) Costs
Friday Apr 16, 2021
Friday Apr 16, 2021
In This Episode...
Sofeast's CEO is joined by Adrian from the team and they discuss Non-Recurring Engineering (NRE) costs for manufacturers. As the name suggests, these costs are usually one-off and accrue towards the start of a new product development project and are what it takes to get your product into production. These costs are perhaps better known as R&D costs, and it's important to get to grips with them as they have a great impact on your product's sale price, as well as the feasibility of manufacturing it in the first place.
So, let's get to grips with NRE costs in this episode.
Show Notes
00:00 - Introducing the episode
01:15 - What are NRE costs? (A brief summary) - essentially NRE costs are all of the one-time expenses (investment) that you need to pay in order to get your product into production.
08:01 - Some examples of common NRE costs for the different production processes:
- Plastic injection molding
- Metal parts
- Electronics
14:37 - Going through some of the other processes and materials, and their costs - extrusion (plastic or aluminum), compression molding, silicone, etc.
17:11 - Why your NRE costs are probably higher than you're initially anticipating - Renaud shares an example of real Sofeast customers who believed that their NRE costs were fairly modest until they did the research.
19:24 - Do some suppliers pay the NRE costs for you? - it may be that when purchasing very standard products, or white labeling products which have already been developed, that you won't need to pay NRE costs as they have already been paid by the manufacturer who supplies them.
26:02 - Using a development or development & manufacturing agreement to protect yourself
27:55 - Most manufacturers are more interested in mass production rather than product development, so how does this impact you during the R&D stage?
28:55- How to gauge what the manufacturer is comfortable with doing for you - in general, the closer you are to production the more appealing a prospect you are to manufacturers...
30:57 - If you have a prototype that is fully functional, you're ready to give it to a factory and go into mass production, right? - No. This would indicate that you aren't even halfway yet!
33:26 - NRE costs you need to consider when projecting your costs - these activities typically full under the umbrella of NRE costs.
34:40 - Typical recurring costs - for comparison, here are some of the typical recurring costs you will also need to consider when developing and manufacturing a new product.
37:50 - Wrapping up
Related content...
- Summary of NRE
- What Are Your Non-Recurring Engineering Costs for Production in China?
- Why You Need Mature Product Designs BEFORE Working With A Chinese Manufacturer!
- OEM, ODM, Contract Manufacturers: Which Chinese Supplier To Choose?
Get in touch with Sofeast
- Connect with us on LinkedIn
- Send us a tweet @sofeast
- Prefer Facebook? Check us out on FB
- Contact us via Sofeast's contact page
- Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Subscribe to the podcast
There are more episodes to come, so remember to subscribe! You can do so in your favorite podcast apps here:
Friday Apr 09, 2021
Friday Apr 09, 2021
In This Episode...
Andy Bartlett, an experienced British product designer who has 25 years of experience in product design, development, and working with manufacturers in China, returns to the podcast to join Sofeast's CEO Renaud for a lively discussion about the kinds of issues and common pitfalls that can come up when developing, approving, and maintaining tooling for your plastic injection molded products.
You'll learn why supplier selection is key, how to protect your IP, tooling budgets, managing the process, and much more besides, as Renaud and Andy both have many years of experience in dealing with mold fabricators and the manufacture and design of plastic injection molded goods.
Show Notes
00:00 - Introducing the episode & our guest, Andy - tooling with a focus on plastic injection molding. How to go into tooling once prototype plastic parts have been made and are ready to go into production? What kind of defects may we see? Covered from the angle of the 7 most common mistakes to avoid.
02:31 - Mistake 1. Going straight into the fabrication of the tooling from a 3D CAD drawing without doing DFM, DFQ, & DFC reviews - Andy suggests using the interference check with CAD software and looking for issues in the tooling design like knife edges and radius adding, understanding where the cooling channels are, etc.
07:32 - When is the real golden sample ready? - actually, it's after tooling has been fabricated and used, as this is when you see flow lines, gates, etc.
09:12 - Mistake 2. Not giving enough time to iterate tooling and verify tooling - the first parts that come off will probably prompt you to need to make changes to tooling, so factor that time and budget in.
13:08 - Mistake 3. Getting tooling made in China without making sure to use an enforceable contract - less experienced importers may feel that signing an NDA or an agreement from their own country is enough, but then find that they don't 'own' the tooling and can't be pulled out.
17:58 - Mistake 4. Purchasing tooling from a supplier on Alibaba, etc, without confirming who designs and produces the tooling - risks include your small project being outsourced to a tooling shop you have no knowledge of which means a lack of control over your project, your IP, etc.
21:41 - Horror stories where toys have been copied and sold on the market before your original product has even come out - if your tooling design and fabrication is outsourced, perhaps the outsourcer might also decide to produce your tooling again and sell it to someone else to produce your product themselves if they like it!
23:34- Assessing toolmaker quality - A tip is to look at the floor of the tool shop of your tooling fabricator. If it's clean and well-managed, you have a good chance that they're able to produce quality tooling.
25:13 - Mistake 5. Not maintaining the tooling carefully - if tooling needs to last for a number of years, it's important to store and maintain it carefully in order to avoid rust and damage.
25:52 - Mistake 6. Not getting a guarantee for tooling - Andy reminds us to make sure that tooling is provided with a manufacturer's guarantee that it will be usable for the right period of time appropriate to the quality of steel used in its construction and projected volumes.
28:27 - Why from a designer's perspective it's better to have a cohesive alignment between the manufacturer and toolmaker - this reduces overall risks of things going wrong and also the effort needed to solve problems.
30:16 - Mistake 7. Not keeping tabs on the health of your supplier's business - if their business fails your tooling could be in danger!
33:42 - Wrapping up
Related content...
- Tooling Management for Plastic Injection Molds in China
- List of 12 Plastic injection mold fabrication companies in China
- Selecting a Plastic Injection Material for China Manufacturing
- Common Design For Manufacture Improvements On Plastic Injection Molded Parts
- How to move Plastic Injection Molds between China Factories [10 Tips]
- Read our plastic injection molding resources page – this includes lots of videos explaining the production process and various related posts to tooling management and manufacturing
- We also wrote a guide to rapid tooling prototyping – this gives information about the selection and tooling management for mods which will be used to quickly make small quantities of products instead of large production runs
Get in touch with us
- Connect with us on LinkedIn
- Send us a tweet @sofeast
- Prefer Facebook? Check us out on FB
- Contact us via Sofeast's contact page
- Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Subscribe to the podcast
There are more episodes to come, so remember to subscribe! You can do so in your favorite podcast apps here:
Friday Apr 02, 2021
Why Pilot Runs Are A 'Must-Do' When Launching New Products
Friday Apr 02, 2021
Friday Apr 02, 2021
In This Episode...
Sofeast's CEO Renaud and Adrian from the team explore an important part of the new product launch process: pilot runs.
What is a pilot run, why is it so important when bringing new products to market, and what are the benefits we can expect when performing them before going into full production? These and more questions like this answered in this episode!
Show Notes
00:00 - Introducing the episode
00:51 - Why the pilot run is such an important activity when launching new products
03:11 - Why a pilot run helps you to validate whether the workshop is going to be able to mass-produce the products - initial prototypes made by an engineer on a bench, no matter how good, aren't ready for mass production without a lot of risks. These prototypes aren't made with the same processes as will be used in mass production, so going ahead without the pilot run is skipping a step.
06:25 - When to perform a pilot run, and how many runs to perform before going into production - you may perform more runs until all of the 'bugs' have been ironed out. Renaud also explains how in some industries, such as consumer electronics, they perform specific pilot runs for engineering, design, and production validation (EVT, DVT, and PVT), each focused on testing different elements of product design and production process.
Some comments on keeping suppliers accountable and being able to control costs better thanks to more visibility over what comes off the line with issues at an early stage.
10:32 - What we can learn from pilot runs used in the automotive industry? - if an auto part can't be made at the right speed and quantity it's a big problem, so numerous production trials are used to assure that the process is capable of fulfilling the correct rate. This principle applies to other products, too.
12:12 - Is a pilot run still appropriate when manufacturing smaller quantities?
13:33 - How about if you are producing an existing product, but with a new manufacturer?
14:22 - Why DON'T Chinese manufacturers like performing pilot runs? - yes, these reasons cause this:
- They can be overoptimistic and underestimate the pilot run's importance
- Staff are often paid per piece which doesn't fit well with the stop/start pilot runs
16:11 - The key benefits of performing pilot runs:
- It forces the manufacturer to plan the process and production linearly and so avoid delays
- It trains the staff on small quantities at first and drives the supplier to write good work instructions
- It allows you to see what does and doesn't work and make changes before too much money is at stake
- Testing areas and equipment readiness can be assessed
- The run rate can be tested to assure that no bottlenecks are slowing down the process unduly
- Stress testing forces process and quality engineers to find issues and work on them before mass production
Basically, "learn from the mistakes before they become too costly."
18:32 - Wrapping up
Related content...
-
Don’t Skip the Pilot Run for Your New Product Made in China!
-
From New Product Design to Production: What Is on the Customer’s Plate?
Get in touch with us
- Connect with us on LinkedIn
- Send us a tweet @sofeast
- Prefer Facebook? Check us out on FB
- Contact us via Sofeast's contact page
- Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Subscribe to the podcast
There are more episodes to come, so remember to subscribe! You can do so in your favorite podcast apps here: