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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 May 30, 2025
Friday May 30, 2025
Join Renaud on a journey into the fascinating world of electronics manufacturing and how Apple's strategic moves in China transformed it. Our episode is inspired by the book "Apple in China: The Capture of the World's Greatest Company," a book by journalist Patrick McGee, who offers a well-researched exploration of how Apple inadvertently established an advanced electronics industry in China.
You will discover how Apple's relentless pursuit of excellence and zero defects not only influenced its contract manufacturers but also propelled the entire electronics supply chain into rapid development. Through countless interactions and challenges over the decades, Apple played a pivotal role in elevating Chinese manufacturers' capabilities, setting the stage for China's dominance in the electronics industry today.
Show Sections
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01:01 – About the Author & Context
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02:05 – Premise of the Book
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03:06 – From In-House to Outsourcing in China
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04:32 – Apple’s Manufacturing Weakness in the 1980s
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06:09 – Canon Printers & Apple’s Foothold in Publishing
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08:12 – Outsourcing Risks: Sharp’s PDA & OEM-ODM Transition
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11:05 – Shift from Japan to Taiwan
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13:13 – iMac Development & DFM Challenges
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16:11 – Upskilling Manufacturers Through Pressure & Innovation
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18:18 – Problems with LG & Lessons in Control
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21:01 – Foxconn’s Rise & Apple’s Trust Transfer
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24:01 – China Joins the WTO & the Manufacturing Boom
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26:01 – China's Superpower: Speed, Scale, Compliance
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28:01 – Apple’s Embedded Control Over Manufacturing
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31:01 – “Chinification” & Why It’s So Hard to Leave Now
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Get in touch with us
- Connect with us on LinkedIn
- Contact us via Sofeast's contact page
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Get in touch with us
-
- Connect with us on LinkedIn
- Contact us via Sofeast's contact page
- Subscribe to our YouTube channel
- Prefer Facebook? Check us out on FB
20 days ago
Thanks, Brad, nice to hear from you! I find extraordinary how fast the learnings in the Chinese electronics industry have spread.There are often just 2 or 3 actors who are good at certain components or processes (at that scale, anyway), and Apple/Huawei/Xiaomi/Oppo/Vivo etc. all tend to work with the same set of suppliers.
20 days ago
As always great to hear from my friend Renaud.. One comment on a related topic that in my view tells it all. Years ago a Detroit manufacturer’s CEO was interviewed regarding his company’s strong reputation for training. The reporter asked, ”Aren;t you worried that you’ll invest this money in your people and then they might leave?” He answered, ”yes. But I am ever more scared if I don’t invest in training and they stay!”