Sofeast Knowledgebase Blog

Jewelry and decorative ornaments have been made in India from around 2300 to 1750 BCE, and there is evidence that Indian craftsmen had mastered jewelry-making from metals and pearls by the 4th–5th century CE as India was, for a long … Continue reading →

Before you start working with a manufacturer are you 100% certain that they fully understand your quality expectations? Do they know whether a particular defect is minor or major? If there’s a slight variation, at what point does it become … Continue reading →

Let’s talk about what happens when you need to leave your current Chinese manufacturer and switch to a new one. Why would this scenario occur, how do you manage the transition, and what activities do you need to do to have a successful and smooth* … Continue reading →

India is a well-known source of textile fabrics, apparel, and other softlines. It is competitive with other producers such as Bangladesh, Vietnam, China, etc. So in complement to the manufacturers, there are also plenty of textile testing labs in India … Continue reading →

Sofeast CEO, Renaud, and Adrian from the team continue our mini-series of episodes about doing your own sourcing from China in this, our 7th part. By now, you’ve found and vetted a supplier and are working with them on production. … Continue reading →

If you’ve already read our two earlier posts: Minimizing a Product’s ‘Cradle to Grave’ Environmental Impact and Designing New Products With A Cradle To Cradle Cycle In Mind, no doubt you have seen some of the benefits of making more … Continue reading →

Our CEO Renaud Anjoran, joined by Adrian from the team, explores receiving quality inspections on incoming parts and materials used to manufacture your products. Consider what would happen if the inputs (components and materials) being used by your manufacturer are … Continue reading →

Let’s say you’re buying from China for the first time. Finding trustworthy Chinese suppliers will be near the top of your wishlist, as everyone has heard the horror stories of Chinese suppliers behaving badly. First, the bad news… There is never absolute … Continue reading →

We hit an important milestone this week, the 100th episode of Sofeast’s podcast: China Manufacturing Decoded! In a break from the norm, our CEO Renaud Anjoran took manufacturing questions from our listeners this week and answered six of the best … Continue reading →

In this post, I’ll discuss the major risks each party is afraid of and their impact on payment terms in the context of the customer/supplier relationship, as well as where a manufacturing contract fits into the picture.