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

Selecting the Right Factory Audit for Your Needs

Friday Jul 05, 2024

Friday Jul 05, 2024

Join hosts Renaud and Adrian as they discuss the ins and outs of factory audits and how to select the right one based on your specific requirements.

In this episode, Renaud shares insights from his recent experiences and highlights the latest developments at Sofeast Group, including the expansion of their plastic injection molding facility.

The main focus of the discussion is on different types of factory audits such as quality system audits, social compliance audits, and environmental system audits. They explain what each audit entails, why they are important, and how to choose the most appropriate audit for your situation.

Whether you are sourcing a new supplier or ensuring compliance with existing partners, this episode offers valuable guidance to help you make informed decisions and manage risks effectively. Tune in for expert advice and practical tips to enhance your manufacturing processes in Asia.

 

Show Sections

00:00 - Greetings and discussing the expansion of our plastic injection molding facility.

02:32 - Selecting the Right Factory Audit.

09:38 - Diverse Approaches to Environmental Audits.

14:14 - Focus on Quality System Audits.

16:56 - Social Compliance Audits and Risks.

22:21 - Initial Factory Evaluation vs. Quality System Audit

25:58 - Factors Beyond Quality Systems in Supplier Selection.

27:37 - Dealing with Factories that Restrict Access

34:59 - Factory audits as part of the new product development toolkit

36:36 - Wrapping up.

 

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From "Poorly made in China" to "Made with Quality in China"

Friday Jun 28, 2024

Friday Jun 28, 2024

Renaud hosts and is joined again by regular guest, Andrew Amirnovin. They talk about where China has come from quality-wise and the forces that aligned to transform Chinese products from poor to great quality in the past two decades or so.

 

Show Sections

00:00 - Greetings and introduction.

03:46 - What happened to transform China-made products from low to high quality over the past couple of decades or so?

17:05 - Why the foreign buyer's role cannot be underestimated.

22:09 - 4 key drivers of improved quality.

32:59 - Chinese ODMs and OEMs have an incentive NOT to provide poor-quality products.

39:06 - Which products have benefited from the most reliability and quality improvements?

44:47 - What quality challenges remain for Chinese products?

59:09 - Wrapping up.

 

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Logistics Special! Rising Shipping Costs + FOB vs FCA Incoterms

Friday Jun 21, 2024

Friday Jun 21, 2024

Adrian is on hosting duty and is joined by Sofeast's Head of Supply Chain Management, Kate. Rising shipping costs (sea, air, and otherwise) are an issue facing importers from Asia now in 2024, but what's causing it and are there any tips to help you cope? Also, in a second topic, Kate dispels the confusion about FOB vs FCA, explaining why the more common incoterm (at least when buying from Chinese manufacturers) isn't necessarily the best for you!

 

Show Sections

00:00 - Greetings and introduction.

01:23 - Shipping costs from China are spiking. How much are they now?

06:49 - What is causing the surging prices?

16:16 - What's the effect on shipping to Europe?

18:56 - FOB vs FCA Incoterms.

29:35 - Wrapping up.

 

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Elon Musk's New Product Introduction Philosophy: What Can We Learn?

Friday Jun 14, 2024

Friday Jun 14, 2024

Adrian and Renaud get together to talk about Elon Musk's insights and philosophy into developing and bringing new products to market (from an interview by 'Everyday Astronaut' on YouTube at his launch facility a few years back). He shares his philosophies on new product introductions which cover some common sense topics that manufacturers of almost any product should bear in mind.

 

Show Sections

00:00 - Greetings and introduction to Musk.

07:20 - What can we learn from Musk?

11:08 - The Musk NPI philosophy.

16:08 - 1. Make Your Requirements Less Dumb.

20:44 - 2. Delete Parts or Processes, and Simplify/Optimize.

29:05 - 3. Accelerate cycle times.

32:46 - 4. Automate.

36:30 - Wrapping up.

 

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Exploring Apple's iPhone Reliability & Durability Testing

Friday Jun 07, 2024

Friday Jun 07, 2024

Renaud hosts and is joined by Andrew Amirnovin, Sofeast's product reliability head, and they're looking at how Apple tests iPhone reliability and durability. Recently Marques Brownlee shared some videos from within Apple's testing lab and interviews with their head of hardware engineering and the insights were interesting. It turns out that Andrew has also visited Apple's lab and he shares his own insights about that, and the pair discuss what you can learn from the way Apple do things.

 

Show Sections

00:00 - Greetings and introduction.

01:08 - The advent of the iPhone in 2006 and the testing it required.

08:48 - Worries about reliability: What did Andrew learn at Apple's testing lab back then?

13:40 - What can we learn from the tests in Brownlee's recent videos (June 24) from Apple's labs?

22:00 - What kind of drop test were they doing?

26:07 - What are the different drop surfaces used for?

29:10 - Apple's hardware engineering head wants to make a product that 'never fails.' Realistic?

31:49 - Is repairability better than durability?

36:21 - Wrapping up and closing questions.

 

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When to do Design Reviews on Innovative Hardware Products?

Friday May 31, 2024

Friday May 31, 2024

Adrian hosts and Renaud goes deep into design reviews which can really save your skin by identifying and fixing problems that can lead to defects and failures. What kinds of product design reviews can be done to reduce problems, and when during the product design and development process should they be done?

 

Show Sections

00:00 - Greetings and introduction.

02:25 - Why design reviews are important.

12:02 - The different types of reviews and when they're done: Phase 1. Early stages

17:18 - Phase 2. Proof-of-concept and feasibility study.

22:22 - Phase 3. Design FMEA when the design starts to take shape.

28:47 - When to do Design for Reliability / Manufacturing reviews?

34:08 - Process FMEA just before the design is locked and tooling is made.

37:22 - Wrapping up.

 

Related content...

 

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Near-Sourcing in Europe (+ Turkey) VS Buying from China (Feat. Fredrik Gronkvist, Productmkr.com)

Friday May 24, 2024

Friday May 24, 2024

Renaud hosts and is joined by Fredrik Gronkvist, founder of Productmkr.com, to discuss near-sourcing from Europe + Turkey (and Mexico for North American buyers) VS buying from China. Fredrik has done a lot of research on how to source from China alternatives and he now offers a supplier database for subscribers to help make finding the right option easier. Here he shares his advice on near-sourcing and how it differs from the traditional approach of buying from China.

 

Show Sections

00:00 - Greetings and introduction.

04:14 - What are the key challenges importers face when near sourcing?

08:14 - How to improve your chances of receiving a response from non-Chinese suppliers?

11:04 - What is the impact of near sourcing on MOQs and lead times?

17:03 - Does near sourcing reduce quality and compliance risks?

22:40 - Does it make sense for all types of products?

27:23 - Is the process of identifying and screening potential suppliers in Europe/Turkey the same as in China or Vietnam?

32:19 - How should buyers approach sourcing from nearby countries? (Summary)

33:24 - Wrapping up.

 

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What do the USA's May '24 China tariffs mean for importers?

Friday May 17, 2024

Friday May 17, 2024

Adrian and Renaud are back to examine the recent May 14th news of new China tariffs being implemented by the Biden administration with the overall aim of reducing trade with China whom many in America see as flooding the market with cheap exports that damage American businesses who can't compete. EVs, solar panels, medical devices, steel and aluminum, and more are in the firing line. So, how does this affect US importers and the relationship between the two giants? Let's find out...

 

Show Sections

00:00 - Greetings and introduction

03:26 - When did China tariffs start being used?

09:46 - Why add more tariffs now?

16:20 - What does China have to say in response to this?

20:45 - Which products and materials have been given these tariffs?

29:51 - The USA's target areas for improvement.

33:06 - Will Chinese companies find other customers instead?

36:36 - If you're an American buyer likely to be affected by these tariffs, what can you do?

39:51 - Wrapping up.

 

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IP Protection when buying from China (Feat. Dan Harris, China Law Blog)

Friday May 10, 2024

Friday May 10, 2024

Renaud welcomes Dan Harris, Partner of the Seattle-headquartered and globally officed Harris Sliwoski LLP and long-time writer of the China Law Blog, to the podcast! Over the years he has shared so much valuable information for importers who buy from and manufacture in China; a key topic being keeping IP safe when purchasing from Chinese suppliers.

So in this episode, we delve into Dan's decades of assisting Western companies navigate doing business with Chinese suppliers and get his tips on common IP risks and steps you can take to protect your business.

 

Show Sections

00:00 - Greetings and introduction

03:27 - What are the major risks to IP concerning working with Chinese companies that Western businesses should look out for?

07:58 - Western companies consistently underestimate the risks of their technology and IP being used against them.

13:39 - Has the Chinese legal system evolved for the better (or worse) regarding IP protection?

20:11 - Protection 1: The right partner.

28:11 - Protection 2: The right contract.

30:21 - Protection 3. The right protections.

38:26 - Wrapping up.

 

Related content...

Great reads from China Law Blog:

You should also check out these resources from Sofeast:

 

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Exploring Plastic Injection Molding Pilot Runs

Friday May 03, 2024

Friday May 03, 2024

Renaud hosts and is joined by Sofeast Group senior engineer, Paul Adams, to discuss how to go from a design to mass-producing your plastic injection molded parts, first following the proven pre-production pilot run approach to ensure risks are kept to a minimum. You'll learn what should be optimized and what should not be skipped, even if sometimes getting to market sooner seems tempting.

 

Show Sections

00:00 - Greetings and introduction

01:49 - Why is an injection molding pilot run important?

05:05 - What are the steps involved?

09:53 - Why 'metal safe' is your goal after the trials.

12:39 - The supplier still needs to optimize the tooling 

25:01 - Optimizing the injection mold press (machine).

34:55 - Keeping records of parameter settings helps to control the process.

39:04 - 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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