DIY Sourcing From China Part 3: Project Management & Checking Quality Early [Podcast]

This mini-series of podcast episodes was spawned following episode 65 where we discussed the different supplier options open to buyers who’re sourcing from China. One of which is to do it yourself!

If you’re interested in doing your own souring from China, these episodes go into detail about the must-do activities and risks you face. Our CEO Renaud Anjoran also provides you with plenty of great tips to make your life easier based on his decades of experience, too!

In earlier episodes (Part 1: Good Fit, Sourcing, Vetting, & Backups and Part 2: Negotiations, Terms, Leverage, & Quality Standards) we covered the earlier sourcing and vetting stages, as well as pre-production.

Now we’re ready to start production, but before you give the factory the green light let’s explore how to manage the project (your order with them) efficiently and why doing early checks of quality and more are so important just before and early on in production.

Listen here!

Listen: Sourcing from China (Part 3): Project management & checking quality early in production.

Watch: Watch it on YouTube

Episode sections

• 00:00 – Introduction. 
• 02:51 – When we’re working with a Chinese supplier, will they provide a dedicated member of staff to manage your order/project? 
• 10:07 – What can very large companies like Apple expect from their suppliers in China? 
• 12:40 – Why it’s YOUR job to drive the project and get your contact to follow up. 
• 14:05 – What penalties can be enforced to keep suppliers in line? 
• 22:10 – What are the production tracking best practices that professional buyers follow?
• 30:44 – Are WeChat/Skype/Email effective for managing projects? 
• 32:04 – What issues can be found and fixed if you perform quality inspections early on in production? 
• 34:54 – When can we send an inspector during production and what difference does the timing make? 
• 40:04 – What happens if a problem/s is found? 
• 43:48 – How is the 1:10:100 ratio related to taking action on problems early? 
• 49:20 – Wrapping up. 

Related content…

• Project Management of Your Orders
• Check Quality Early In Production
• How A DFQ Review Designs Quality INTO Your Product At An Early Stage [Podcast]
• How Many Product Samples Do We Really Need To Test For Reliability And Compliance?
• A Product Designer’s Tips For New Product Launches
• Why New Product Development of Electronics Takes So Long
• Get help from Sofeast: Product quality inspections
• Video playlist for checking steel properties

Don’t forget to listen to Part 1: Good Fit, Sourcing, Vetting, & Backups and Part 2: Negotiations, Terms, Leverage, & Quality Standards of this series.

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