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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 Jun 23, 2023
Friday Jun 23, 2023
Renaud and Adrian discuss responsible and sustainable purchasing, the latter taking things even further than the former, and why buyers play an important role in their suppliers' ESG performance. This episode will give you food for thought on how your actions affect the supply chain.
Show Sections
00:00 - Introduction.
02:44 - What is responsible purchasing? (+ 3 examples)
14:34 - Responsible product design practices is a linked topic.
16:29 - What is sustainable purchasing?
18:55 - How sustainable procurement affects the supply chain.
25:50 - 'Big buyers' are in a position to make positive changes. Small buyers, less so, but you still have options.
30:30 - Forthcoming EU regulations will demand buyers to purchase more responsibly and sustainably.
35:06 - The good news: You will save money!
36:51 - Wrapping up.
Related content...
- RPP quote source
- The ISO 20400:2017 standard
- Ultimate Guide To Sourcing From China And Developing Your Suppliers [eBook]
- Click here to listen 👉 DIY Sourcing from China Series
- What is the EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation?
- Lifecycle Assessment (LCA) and Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) Requirements: What Manufacturers need to know
- Cost of quality video playlist
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 and don't forget to give us a 5-star rating, please:
Friday Jun 16, 2023
Friday Jun 16, 2023
Renaud and Adrian are both coming live from China for the first time on the podcast. Now they've both been able to visit following covid, what has most obviously changed? What tips do they have for business visitors? How's the economic landscape? Here are their observations, focusing on Guangdong, as that's where Sofeast is based.
Show Sections
00:00 - Introduction: China's sluggish recovery from Covid.
03:55 - Are Covid restrictions still around?
05:26 - Fewer foreigners in China now.
09:33 - Chinese EVs rule the road.
15:05 - E-bikes are now permitted in the city center.
19:24 - The transport system across the 'Greater Bay Area' is expanding faster than anyone can imagine.
25:26 - High-speed rail is easier for foreigners to use, just beware of new crowd control measures.
27:25 - Facial recognition technology is in use in a lot of places, especially to pay for goods and enter buildings.
29:08 - Restaurants in Shenzhen are pricier and ordering may be harder for foreigners now.
32:43 - LinkedIn is now blocked in China.
36:13 - Paying by cash and even card is more difficult. You need to go digital.
39:52 - Online deliveries have exploded.
46:00 - People seem to socialize a bit differently, congregating in malls.
47:32 - Is China as hostile to foreign business as the media suggests?
51:27 - Wrapping up.
Related content...
- Health Declaration Form via the China Customs website
- Guidance for setting up Alipay from HSBC bank
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 and don't forget to give us a 5-star rating, please:
Friday Jun 09, 2023
Friday Jun 09, 2023
In this episode...
Sofeast's CEO Renaud and head of New Product Development, Andrew discuss how to build a product while keeping the whole customer journey in mind. There is more to launching a product than just making a good product, strange as it may sound at first, and you'll see that manufacturers need to consider the whole customer journey when designing and developing their products. The customer journey can be split into 8 steps, and we go through them here...
Show Sections
00:00 - Greetings and introducing today's topic.
04:49 - 1. Awareness.
13:06 - 2. Education
17:51 - 3. Acquisition.
24:31 - 4. Product.
27:39 - 5. Onboarding.
32:15 - 6. Usage.
38:08 - 7. Support.
41:51 - 8. Loyalty.
48:22 - In conclusion.
Related content...
- An Importer’s Guide to New Product Manufacturing in China [PDF eBook]
- The NPI Process: Trouble Awaits If You Skip Its Steps! [Podcast]
- What’s the real Cost of Poor Quality and Reliability? [Podcast]
- How Reliability Testing Is Critical To Obtaining Great Mass-Produced Products
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 and don't forget to give us a 5-star rating, please:
Friday Jun 02, 2023
Friday Jun 02, 2023
Renaud and Adrian from Sofeast are talking about forthcoming sustainability requirements which are going to require importers to have a LOT more visibility over their supply chains, especially those who sell in the EU. They dig into how this will affect you in this episode...
Show Sections
00:00 - Greetings and introduction.
01:40 - The EU 'Green Deal's' new sustainability requirements and what they mean.
07:35 - What sustainability information must be collected?
17:12 - How easy will it be to get visibility into your supply chain?
29:18 - Approaches used to oversee supply chains.
43:46 - Why the old business model of buying off-the-shelf products from an ODM will probably need to change?
46:14 - Conclusion: What you can do to prepare and how this will affect many areas in future.
Related content...
- Get help from Sofeast to comply with EU sustainability regulations: EU Ecodesign Regulation Risk Assessment & Preparation
- WSJ article: Companies Rush to Trace Sprawling Supply Chains as Sustainability Rules Loom
- The EU Green Deal
- What is the EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation?
- 23 Ideas For Producing More Eco-Friendly Products
- How To Get Transparency And Control Over Your Supply Chain? [podcast]
- Design For Sustainability
- 15 Key Eco Certifications For Green Manufacturers
- Various Green Manufacturing Resources
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 and don't forget to give us a 5-star rating, please:
Friday May 26, 2023
Friday May 26, 2023
In this episode...
Sofeast's resident reliability expert, Andrew Amirnovin, joins Adrian from the team to show you the 5-step process of how to fix problem products that are being returned by customers. Everyone hopes they won't be affected by product reliability issues resulting in returns, but if it does happen this information will help you deal with the problem effectively.
Show Sections
00:00 - Greetings and introducing today's topic about how to find and fix the issues causing your product to be returned by customers.
01:46 - 1. Identify the field issues.
10:17 - Are problems exhibited by returned products that have been in the field usually reliability-related?
15:59 - 2. Determine their root cause/s.
19:46 - 3. Develop a solution/s.
22:02 - 4. Implement the solution/s.
29:35 - 5. Monitor the results.
34:21 - Why this process is important and more cost-effective than doing nothing.
40:17 - Wrapping up.
Related content...
- We can help you do reliability engineering and testing for your product in our testing lab in China.
- Cost Of Poor Quality and Reliability: “Pay Me Now, or Pay Me Later.”
- Product Quality and Reliability Issues: Typical Classification
- 7 Secrets Behind Low Product Return Rates
- Why Product Safety, Quality, and Reliability Are Tightly Linked
- 5 Main Reasons For A High Product Return Rate
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 and don't forget to give us a 5-star rating, please:
Friday May 19, 2023
Friday May 19, 2023
Renaud, assisted by Adrian from the team, provides a number of environmental improvement strategies based on the IEC 62430 standard for environmentally conscious design that you can follow when designing your new product.
Improving sustainability is becoming more important for businesses, especially with new legislation like the EU's ecodesign for sustainable products regulation, coming in. You don't need to implement all of these tips, but embracing even a few could reduce your environmental footprint by quite a good amount!
Show Sections
00:00 - Greetings and introduction: why are we talking about products' environmental footprints and sustainability?
09:54 - Good product design practices for bringing to market products with a lower environmental impact from IEC 62430:2019.
14:09 - 1. Design for material sourcing
24:44 - 2. Design for manufacture
30:45 - 3. Design for transport and distribution
36:58 - 4. Design for use (including installation and maintenance)
51:23 - 5. Design for end of life
55:11 - Why importers need to start thinking about and planning for more sustainable products
60:20 - Wrapping up.
Related content...
- IEC 62430:2019 for 'Environmentally conscious design'
- What is the EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation?
- Designing New Products With A Cradle To Cradle Cycle In Mind
- The Design for X Approach: 12 Common Examples
- How To Do an LCA? (Measuring a Product’s Environmental Impact)
- 23 Ideas For Producing More Eco-Friendly Products
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 and don't forget to give us a 5-star rating, please:
Friday May 12, 2023
Friday May 12, 2023
Adrian and Renaud return to continue the journey through 9 of the key questions businesses that're developing new products commonly need answers to.
Here's part 2 of this podcast covering questions 5-9...
Show Sections
00:00 - Greetings and introduction.
01:07 - 5. What is the product's production cost?
19:24 - 6. What's the pricing strategy for the product?
28:59 - 7. What is the distribution strategy?
37:52 - 8. What will the timeline for developing and launching the product be?
48:46 - 9. What are the risks of launching this product?
51:35 - Wrapping up.
Related content...
- How to estimate unit cost [Video]
- How to Calculate the Cash Needed to Prototype & Launch your New Product [Podcast]
- What is an NRE Cost (Non-Recurring Engineering)?
- An Importer’s Guide to New Product Manufacturing in China [PDF eBook]
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 and don't forget to give us a 5-star rating, please:
Friday May 05, 2023
Friday May 05, 2023
In this episode...
Sofeast's head of New Product Development, Andrew Amirnovin, is back with Adrian from the team. They're talking about manufacturing alchemy: taking a cheap product and converting it into a high-profit one! How can importers do this? Andrew shares 5 ways to boost your profits here.
Show Sections
00:00 - Greetings and introducing today's topic.
03:06 - Sell expensive or low-cost products?
08:11 - 1. Add value to the product.
16:23 - 2. Target a Niche Market.
19:50 - 3. Improve the packaging.
25:10 - 4. Upsell and Cross-sell.
30:03 - 5. Invest in marketing.
33:53 - Wrap-up.
Related content...
- Sourcing & Manufacturing In China For E-Commerce Sellers [Interview By Proboxx]
- 10 Mistakes New Buyers Manufacturing In Asia Keep Making
- What are your 4 options when sourcing suppliers in China? [Podcast]
- Why First-Time Buyers Fall for Trading Companies in China
- How To Reduce Risks As Your Order Sizes Grow When Working With Chinese Manufacturers?
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 and don't forget to give us a 5-star rating, please:
Friday Apr 28, 2023
Friday Apr 28, 2023
Sofeast's CEO Renaud is joined by Adrian from the team and they're going to go through 9 of the key questions businesses who're developing new products commonly need answers to.
Here's part 1 of this podcast covering questions 1-4...
Show Sections
00:00 - Greetings and introducing today's episode.
01:22 - 1. What is the target market for the product?
07:51 - How to do market research.
13:26 - 2. What problem does the product solve for the customer?
23:03 - 3. What is the unique selling proposition of the product?
26:57 - 4. What features and functionalities should the product have?
42:44 - Wrapping up.
Related content...
- The NPI Process: Trouble Awaits If You Skip Its Steps! [Podcast]
- Transitioning to Manufacturing from Product Development | 2 Options
- An Importer’s Guide to New Product Manufacturing in China [eBook]
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 and don't forget to give us a 5-star rating, please:
Friday Apr 21, 2023
Friday Apr 21, 2023
In this episode...
Sofeast's reliability expert, Andrew Amirnovin, talks us through why pilot runs are so important, the best practices and benefits, and how to plan for yours in order for it to be a success. If you're mass-producing your products you're not going to want to miss this episode!
Show Sections
00:00 - Greetings and introducing today's topic.
01:10 - What is a pilot run?
02:46 - Important ways to get the best out of pilot runs.
10:12 - Common problems that the pilot run will uncover that you will want to avoid.
13:17 - How it helps to control processes.
17:50 - 5 steps to plan for before you start your pilot run.
- Consider the scope of the pilot run.
- What are the main objectives?
- Who will perform it?
- Do you have a plan to carry it out?
- How will you document and evaluate the pilot run?
25:50 - How does the cost of doing pilot runs compare with not doing them?
27:48 - Do Asian manufacturers have the habit of doing pilot runs?
29:16 - In conclusion.
Related content...
- What is a pilot run?
- New Product Launch: Taking Shortcuts vs. Preventing Risks
- How To Set Up A Process Control Plan [11 Steps]
- What is the Pilot Run for Components and Products?
- Understanding The Role Of Manufacturing Process Control In Your Factory
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 and don't forget to give us a 5-star rating, please: