How to control your China production more: Part 2
Some buyers don’t worry so much about the production schedule in China and instead only pressure for the products to be finished in time for the shipping date. In my opinion, this is risky and is partly the cause of generally low quality and defective products in western markets. If the onus is on production and logistics department to rush its workers to finish on a deadline, quality measures can be easily ignored. Your order will not be considered crucial and may be pushed down the production list to be completed at the last minute.
Many Chinese factories employ migrant workers because they are cheap. They are generally low skilled, low paid and the factory rarely offers proper training. We don’t expect the workers to care too much about the finer details of your product at 9pm on a night shift and you shouldn’t expect them too either. It is the responsibility of the facility and department heads to push this agenda and in turn your responsibility to push them. Bringing in a 3rd party to view the quality of production and push the agenda of quality on the factory floor can let you know how well the production department functions.
Once the product is completed it is very difficult to pinpoint where exactly a quality issue arose from and so outlining quality control measures from the start and maintaining this is crucial to having the best product. Constant 3rd party monitoring of the manufacturer and product is one of the only ways to ensure this. As a buyer/client it is important always to press the quality requirements with the factory from the start and maintain a good communication with them. If this is done through a 3rd party then you can always have an objective view and while continuing to operate your day-to-day business.
Checking the quality of your product after it has arrived in the destination country is too late and not worth the risk. Current payment methods with Chinese manufacturers do not favour the buyer. More often than not it involves a 30% down payment before any work has begun and then the final 70% to be paid once the shipment/container is loaded and on the sea. This means that your product could be fully paid for without you being able to appraise the final production quality. For many buyers this is a difficult situation, but one they must accept and pressure the production facility from afar using emails and phone calls and perhaps a site visit which entails international travel and company expense of both time and money. A quality control company can represent you at a fraction of the cost of travelling to the facility whilst having invaluable knowledge of local manufacturing and the local market.
The pressure is of course on the production facility to produce your goods in a decent quality to ensure repeat business from you. What if your order/shipment arrives with part of the product having a heavy defect? Who will pay for the return cost? Who will pay for reworking? What are the business implications of having unsellable/unusable stock? You can negotiate with the supplier for a discount on the next order but is it worth it in the short term to your business to let that happen?
Why take chances with your products and your business? Eliminate these issues before they occur.
For a free consultation and quote for quality control and delivery services, visit the ETP official website .
