Sourcing from China can be a daunting affair.  There are all sorts of hurdles and roadblocks that need to be navigated, made even more difficult by the vast cultural and geographic limitations of language, time, and distance.  But even once a reliable source has been identified and validated, the terms of trade agreed, and logistics […]

Review and Improve guaranteed unsecured personal loanhttp://www.aitaalustadaelu.ee/pdl/ Our final and concluding piece of advice in managing a sourcing initiative overseas is to find time, after everything is done and before you are ready to place a repeat order, to review the process and look for a few key things you can improve.  Continuous improvement is […]

Shipping Your Products Your product is ready to ship, it has passed inspection and is ready to be picked up from the factory.  To manage the shipment to your home country you will need a capable freight forwarder – the last key piece to the puzzle.  There are many to choose from and they all […]

Production Management and Inspections Once your order is placed, stay involved.  Understand the production process and what needs to happen in order to get your product from order to delivery.  In defining your Production and QC Strategy, you highlighted the key milestones that need to be reviewed during production.  Monitor how the factory is adhering […]

[custom_frame_right shadow=”on”][/custom_frame_right] Place Order(s) / Contract You have your price, negotiated terms, and have defined a production management and quality control strategy and are now ready to place your order.  It is critical that all of the key specifications and terms negotiated are clearly documents in your purchase order.  You should have everything issued in […]

Your pricing and terms negotiated, an important question you need to consider is : “How am I going to ensure that my products are produced according to the lead times offered by the factory and how will I ensure that what they deliver is going to be as per my order?” loans monthly payments The […]

At this point your initial shortlist has been narrowed to your finalists, you have hopefully met most of your prospects and you have possibly eliminated a few.  The list is now significantly smaller than it was when you started.  You should have a good feel for the capabilities of each of the factories you have […]

Meet Your Finalists Business in many cultures (China especially) is not transactional as it is in many Western cultures.  It is relationship based.  Once you have selected your finalists you need to meet them face-to-face.  If you are going to use an agent, a face-to-face meeting is also recommended (and this is another reason why […]

[custom_frame_right shadow=”on”][/custom_frame_right] You have shortlisted your suppliers, sent out your RFQs and are now beginning to receive quotes from the various entities that you contacted.  The first thing you should be doing as you begin to receive the bids is to check them against your RFQ to make sure all specifications, priorities, etc. have been […]

You are now ready to distribute your RFQ but don’t know where to send it. You have researched the attractiveness of certain locations of production (or at least have discarded some alternatives), but you are not sure, within the markets you have identified, who to contact. Opportunity Whatever Your Fast Factory Direct or Trading Company […]