China Manufacturing Decoded
 

China Manufacturing Decoded

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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

Should You Buy Parts for Mass Production from Taobao?

Friday Jul 29, 2022

Friday Jul 29, 2022

In this episode...

Sofeast's CEO Renaud Anjoran is joined by Adrian from the team to discuss the dangers you face if buying parts for your product's mass production from Taobao.

Taobao is a convenient Chinese online marketplace where you can purchase almost anything, usually at a decent price. If you can jump onto the site and find a vendor and quickly place an order, where's the harm in that?

This bypasses a secure sourcing process and impacts your product's quality, safety, and compliance negatively...here's why.

 

Show Sections

00:00 - Greetings + why not to take checked baggage on flights within Europe + the UK's 2-day heatwave 😂 

01:59 - Today's topic: Why not to buy parts from Taobao to use in mass production?

02:40 - What is Taobao?

10:36 - Scams and other issues on Taobao.

11:32 - Why buying parts from Taobao for use in early proof-of-concept prototypes is fine.

13:00 - More advanced prototypes and mass production are not the same as proof-of-concept.

15:55 - 5 reasons why using Taobao parts for mass production is not a good idea.

  1. Batches may vary each time. 
  2. The item on your BOM might suddenly be delisted. 
  3. You buy subject to Taobao's terms and conditions. 
  4. The vendor probably has little liability for performance or quality issues. 
  5. They might not be a real company. 

27:06 - Could your IP be at risk when dealing with Taobao vendors, and will you get the best price?

28:29 - You can't really pay and get an invoice (fapiao) that is needed for business purchases. 

30:58 - The lack of transparency and control.

32:06 - Wrap-up.

 

Related content...

 

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July ’22 Update on the Logistics situation in the USA (Feat. Marshall Taplits)

Friday Jul 22, 2022

Friday Jul 22, 2022

In this episode...

Sofeast's CEO Renaud Anjoran is joined again by US East-Coast supply chain and logistics expert, Marshall Taplits founder of Ship It Done.

As we get to grips with the new reality of higher shipping and energy costs, delays, and war in Europe, Renaud asks: What is the logistics situation like now in the USA, what will it be like for the rest of 2022, and what might it be like a few years from now.

They give their thoughts on cost drivers, near-shoring, the state of China and more, too.

If you're interested in global logistics and/or are importing into the USA, this one's a must-listen! 

 

Show Sections

00:00 - Greetings and introduction.

01:49 - Introducing our guest Marshall Taplits.

Marshall gives his history and also introduces his business, US East Coast 3PL warehouse: Shipitdone.com and his new warehouse management system, 3PLMax.com.

04:53 - What is the logistics situation in the USA right now (July '22)?

11:25 - Has getting containers into and out of US ports improved recently?

15:15 - Has the change in legislation for truckers in California made a difference?

16:39 - Why energy, gasoline, and diesel costs are a key driver in trucking costs.

18:24 - What might the logistics situation in the USA be like for the rest of 2022 (July to December)?

21:57 - Focusing on China.

27:29 - How might the logistics situation in the USA be in 3 years' time?

33:13 - Have other countries taken a bite from China's business?

36:55 - Wrap-up.

 

Related content...

 

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How to keep your supplier’s costs under control? - Sourcing from China (Part 9)

Friday Jul 15, 2022

Friday Jul 15, 2022

In this episode...

We wrap up our mini-series of episodes on how to do your own sourcing from China today.

Sofeast's CEO Renaud Anjoran has talked you through every stage of the sourcing process, from finding suitable suppliers, negotiating, getting your products manufactured, and building lasting relationships with them. The final topic focuses on improving existing supplier performance, in particular: How to keep their costs under control.

If their costs are lower, your costs are lower...

 

By the way, this is part 9 of 9 of this mini-series, and if you want to go back and listen to every earlier part of this series check out the links below.

 

Show Sections

00:00 - Greetings

00:58 - Brief recap of last week's episode about the EU Ecodesign regulation

You can listen to both parts on this topic here (Part 1) and here (Part 2).

04:31 - Why should we be concerned about our suppliers' costs?

07:45 - Who may be able to influence their supplier to undertake work to take control of costs.

10:28 - Using sourcing as a tool to control costs.

How factory owners or key customers can get their/their supplier's costs under control?

12:48 - 1. You find out what is driving their costs by visiting.

15:47 - 2. Stop buying in large quantities and making large batches.

21:39 - How to make suggestions to the supplier that they will listen to.

26:34 - 3. Tackle manufacturing aspects that are hidden costs.

29:21 - 4. Find hidden office costs.

35:11 - How does India differ from China?

36:44 - Summarising keeping costs under control.

38:11 - Mini-series wrap-up.

 

Related content...

These resources will also help you understand how to build relationships with suppliers or improve (or end) those that you already have:

And, if all else fails and you need to ditch your current supplier and switch to a new one...

 

Get in touch with us

 

Subscribe to the podcast 

There are more episodes to come, so remember to subscribe! You can do so in your favorite podcast apps here and don't forget to give us a 5-star rating, please:


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How To Comply With The EU Ecodesign Regulation? (Part 2. Feat. Clive Greenwood)

Friday Jul 08, 2022

Friday Jul 08, 2022

In this episode...

Sofeast's CEO Renaud is joined again by Clive Greenwood of SMC GLOBAL Manufacturing Consultants, to continue discussing the EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation that's going to have quite a significant effect on importers of products into the EU.

In part 1 on this topic, they explained what the EU ESPR is and why it's something importers need to start preparing for now.

Now, in part 2, they're going to talk you through how to comply with the regulation, providing some actionable advice to get you started.

 

Show Sections

00:00 - Greetings & Introduction to today's topic: EU Ecodesign Regulation.

02:26 - Why is product design important?

08:07 - The role of 'Repairability' and 'Maintainability.'

10:12 - The need to document your approach.

12:03 - How product designs will need to change according to the EU ESPR proposal [quotes].

18:38 - Addressing 'Greenwashing.'

20:47 - Postmarket surveillance.

25:01 - Calculating energy consumption throughout the product lifecycle.

30:11 - Supply chain information will be transparent - suppliers who are more sustainable will be preferred.

34:37 - The example of garments and their supply chain.

37:58 - Detailed traceability & visibility over the supply chain - requirements.

43:18 - ESPR will evolve over time and cause headaches for importers...

46:23 - The key data you need to start collecting NOW.

48:13 - Will ESPR negatively impact SMEs more than large businesses?

52:36 - You have been warned!

 

Related content...

 

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How to Reduce The Risk Of Unauthorized Subcontracting?

Friday Jul 01, 2022

Friday Jul 01, 2022

In this episode...

Our CEO Renaud is back with Adrian and talks about a serious problem for buyers: unauthorized subcontracting.

This is where the supplier you think is manufacturing your products, outsources the work to someone else that you have no knowledge of and haven't given permission to work on your products. This, obviously, is not a good situation...let's explore it in more detail.

 

Show Sections

00:00 - Greetings, catching up with Renaud, and some discussion about his India trip and the various content we created about it (check the links below).

04:13 - Introducing the topic: Unauthorized subcontracting.

05:04 - What is subcontracting/unauthorized subcontracting?

07:45 - Why this happens in China quite a lot and how it affects social audits.

What problems does unauthorized subcontracting cause?

12:41 - Non-compliance. 

13:41 - Poor quality.

17:51 - IP at risk.

19:26 - Products made in banned areas or staff where slave labor is a concern.

How to reduce the risks of unauthorized subcontracting happening?

23:16 - 1. Factory data collection.

26:45 - 2. Plan to improve capacity and reduce delays.

32:40 - 3. Sign a manufacturing agreement with the supplier.

34:09 - 4. Give the supplier a pre-order confirmation.

35:57 - 5. Follow up on production.

36:38 - 6. Utilize unannounced audits.

41:14 - Extra: Travel to China in Summer 2022.

44:13 - Wrapping up. 

 

Related content...

 

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The One ’MUST DO’ Before Mass Producing Your New Product (Feat. Andrew Amirnovin)

Friday Jun 24, 2022

Friday Jun 24, 2022

In this episode...

The Sofeast Group's reliability expert, Andrew Amirnovin, joins Adrian to talk about the process of getting a new product to market and, in particular, the one key thing you must do before you start mass production.

You'll get a good insight into the different kinds of testing you need to do in order to get your product to market with low risks.

 

Show Sections

00:00 - Greetings, introducing Andrew and the topic.

02:25 - What's the difference between validation and verification?

05:59 - What MUST you do before you go into mass production?

13:00 - Is a qualified design and prototype a golden sample?

16:28 - Product qualification.

18:05 - Manufacturing line qualification.

21:02 - Compliance and regulatory qualification.

24: 33 - How to get started with product qualification?

27:40 - In summary. 

 

Related content...

 

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An Effective QA Program For New Electronic Products

Friday Jun 17, 2022

Friday Jun 17, 2022

In this episode...

Our CEO Renaud and Adrian from the Sofeast team delve into what a great Quality Assurance program for new electronic products looks like, as new products come with a large number of unknown risks (there are many things that can go wrong in terms of components, firmware, testing, production processes, and more, which we'll get into).

Controlling these risks has become harder for importers since Covid as it's not always possible to travel to China (and other Asian countries to a lesser extent) easily or at all, meaning that they were not able to oversee the development and manufacturing of their products increasing the risks of them going into production with problems.

So, how to use local resources to do Quality Assurance activities to control those risks in your new electronic product, and what does a QA program for new electronics include?

 

Show Sections

00:00 - Greetings, mentioning Renaud's recent trip to India to check out component suppliers.

01:55 - Introducing the topic: Why Quality Assurance is particularly important for new electronics that have a lot of risks.

Electronics QA Program

07:21 - Activities to do at the start of product development.

20:34 - Activities do when the design is frozen and we're transferring to manufacturing.

27:49 - Activities to do during mass production.

31:08 - Wrapping up. 

 

Related content...

 

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BONUS: Renaud Tours India, June ’22. Is it a good China-alternative?

Monday Jun 13, 2022

Monday Jun 13, 2022

In this episode...

Renaud comes to you live from Chennai where he's been travelling around India for two weeks exploring a lot of different types of component suppliers. He reports back on what he's learnt on this visit, how India has been changing, and why there seem to be many reasons now to consider India as an alternative to China for, at least, some of your production.

Renaud covers:

  • Which areas he visited & regional differences
  • Political stability
  • What types of suppliers could be alternatives to Chinese counterparts
  • Manual Work VS Automation
  • Where China still trumps India, for now
  • Who has already been moving to India
  • Benefits he found about dealing with factory owners and managers, and their operations, over those in China
  • Is India still let down by a lack of component suppliers for your supply chain?

Sofeast does a lot of work in India, and some of our clients are asking about moving sourcing and production out of China to more stable countries. If you're thinking the same, this quick bonus episode will be very educational!

 

Related content...

 

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Increasing Visibility Over Your Supply Chain

Friday Jun 03, 2022

Friday Jun 03, 2022

In this episode...

A common problem that buyers from China particularly suffer from is a lack of transparency and control over their supply chains.

Do you know exactly who supplies your main supplier at all times? If the answer is no, this episode is for you, especially if you are worried about compliance, safety, quality, reliability, and the reputation of your business. 

Sofeast CEO Renaud and Adrian from the team go over the risks of lacking visibility over your supply chain, why it's becoming even more important, and some best practices that will help you have more transparency and control.

 

Show Sections

00:00 - Greetings & Introduction to today's topic: how to increase visibility over your supply chain

03:05 - Does everyone know who's in their supply chain?

05:18 - Background: Regulations coming into action requiring more supply-chain visibility.

11:29 - Real examples of people we've worked with at Sofeast who suffered problems caused by a lack of visibility over their supply chains.

14:06 - Do Chinese suppliers often try to hide supply chain info and why?

19:18 - The drawbacks of NOT having visibility over your supply chain.

  1. You will suffer from more unwelcome surprises because if you don't have visibility, you don't have control. 
  2. You are at risk of very bad PR. 
  3. Product quality issues are probably going to more common. 
  4. Production will be more inefficient. 

31:19 - Best practices that will help you have better supply chain visibility.

  • Tips if you're developing your own products
  • Tips if you're buying products off-the-shelf
  • Confirm that you're buying from a manufacturer rather than a trading company
  • Have a manufacturing agreement

38:18 - Wrapping up. 

Related content...

 

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There are more episodes to come, so remember to subscribe! You can do so in your favorite podcast apps here and don't forget to give us a 5-star rating, please:


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6 Tips to Improve your Supplier’s Quality - Sourcing from China (Part 8)

Friday May 27, 2022

Friday May 27, 2022

In this episode...

We’re diving back into our series of episodes on how to do your own sourcing from China, from finding suppliers, getting the products manufactured, and through to post-cooperation soft skills such as building rapport with them, following up on production, and today’s topic: Improving the product quality that you’re getting from your now current supplier with 6 tips and best practices from Sofeast's CEO Renaud Anjoran.

Who doesn't want better product quality from existing manufacturers, right?

By the way, this is part 8 of this series, and if you want to go back and listen to every earlier part of this series check out the links below.

 

Show Sections

00:00 - Greetings & Introduction

02:29 - Are product defects impossible to avoid?

Some advice for getting towards zero defects (with low/no capital investment)

07:53 - The supplier needs to be incentivised to care about quality

10:54 - Tip 1: Beware of batch and queue

15:57 - Tip 2: Local management needs to build up a disciplined culture

21:06 - Tip 3: Getting operators to do some QC work

26:23 - Tip 4: Implement a usability engineering approach & mistake-proofing

31:35 - Tip 5: Clear work instructions & staff training

37:18 - Tip 6: Process controls

41:54 - Wrapping up. 

Related content...

These resources will also help you understand how to build relationships with suppliers or improve (or end) those that you already have:

And, if all else fails and you need to ditch your current supplier and switch to a new one...

 

Get in touch with us

 

Subscribe to the podcast 

There are more episodes to come, so remember to subscribe! You can do so in your favorite podcast apps here and don't forget to give us a 5-star rating, please:


Get in touch with us

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