Article Archives - china maufacturing

From time to time we will add noteworthy articles that you may find helpful in managing your business.

This first article is a two-part series on issues to consider when sourcing products from China (and other countries). It appeared in the SEMA News December 2007 issue. It outlined the risks specific to sourcing from a Chinese supplier and offered techniques for minimizing and managing them. It is reprinted here with permission.

2008
Sourcing Your Products From China……Without Losing Your Shirt, Your Intellectual Property or Your Customers—Part I
By Merritt R. Blakeslee

A useful way to approach this issue is to categorize the risks of sourcing from China that differ from the risks of doing business with a U.S. supplier.

There is a saying about sourcing from China: Anything is possible, but everything is difficult. This article, the first in a two-part series, discusses some of the difficulties of sourcing from China and offers a set of strategies for dealing with them. This series will consider problems confronted by a U.S.-based company supplying the automotive aftermarket in the United States that wishes to source products from China on an ongoing basis, including how to find a suitable Chinese supplier; how to build a productive and durable relationship; how to prevent problems in your relationship with your supplier; and how to protect your intellectual property rights and your customers. (As you will see, the issues raised are applicable to many other countries beyond China.)

Read the whole story >>> What can go Wrong: Nightmare Scenarios