China Manufacturing Decoded Sofeast

Renaud hosts and is joined by Fredrik Gronkvist, founder of Productmkr.com, to discuss near-sourcing from Europe + Turkey (and Mexico for North American buyers) VS buying from China. Fredrik has done a lot of research on how to source from China alternatives and he now offers a supplier database for subscribers to help make finding the right option easier. Here he shares his advice on near-sourcing and how it differs from the traditional approach of buying from China.
 
Show Sections
00:00 - Greetings and introduction.
04:14 - What are the key challenges importers face when near sourcing?
08:14 - How to improve your chances of receiving a response from non-Chinese suppliers?
11:04 - What is the impact of near sourcing on MOQs and lead times?
17:03 - Does near sourcing reduce quality and compliance risks?
22:40 - Does it make sense for all types of products?
27:23 - Is the process of identifying and screening potential suppliers in Europe/Turkey the same as in China or Vietnam?
32:19 - How should buyers approach sourcing from nearby countries? (Summary)
33:24 - Wrapping up.
 
Related content...
Read Productmkr.com's analysis: Manufacturing in Europe vs China: A Comparison
Nearshoring To Mexico. An Alternative To China?
India Gaining Popularity over China as a Near-Shoring and Sourcing Destination
Globalism 2.0: North American Importers To Move Supply Chains Out Of China Soon?
 
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Adrian and Renaud are back to examine the recent May 14th news of new China tariffs being implemented by the Biden administration with the overall aim of reducing trade with China whom many in America see as flooding the market with cheap exports that damage American businesses who can't compete. EVs, solar panels, medical devices, steel and aluminum, and more are in the firing line. So, how does this affect US importers and the relationship between the two giants? Let's find out...
 
Show Sections
00:00 - Greetings and introduction
03:26 - When did China tariffs start being used?
09:46 - Why add more tariffs now?
16:20 - What does China have to say in response to this?
20:45 - Which products and materials have been given these tariffs?
29:51 - The USA's target areas for improvement.
33:06 - Will Chinese companies find other customers instead?
36:36 - If you're an American buyer likely to be affected by these tariffs, what can you do?
39:51 - Wrapping up.
 
Related content...
U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai to Take Further Action on China Tariffs After Releasing Statutory Four-Year Review
He Helped Trump Remake Global Trade. His Work Isn’t Done.
Has the US declared economic war on China?
”Enterprise China” – China’s Strategy for Economic Success (Author Interview with Drs. Allen J. Morrison & J. Stewart Black)
 
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Renaud welcomes Dan Harris, Partner of the Seattle-headquartered and globally officed Harris Sliwoski LLP and long-time writer of the China Law Blog, to the podcast! Over the years he has shared so much valuable information for importers who buy from and manufacture in China; a key topic being keeping IP safe when purchasing from Chinese suppliers.
So in this episode, we delve into Dan's decades of assisting Western companies navigate doing business with Chinese suppliers and get his tips on common IP risks and steps you can take to protect your business.
 
Show Sections
00:00 - Greetings and introduction
03:27 - What are the major risks to IP concerning working with Chinese companies that Western businesses should look out for?
07:58 - Western companies consistently underestimate the risks of their technology and IP being used against them.
13:39 - Has the Chinese legal system evolved for the better (or worse) regarding IP protection?
20:11 - Protection 1: The right partner.
28:11 - Protection 2: The right contract.
30:21 - Protection 3. The right protections.
38:26 - Wrapping up.
 
Related content...
Great reads from China Law Blog:
China NNN Agreements: The Ten Most Asked Questions Answered
China Trademark Protection: Is Your Chinese Manufacturer a Friend or a Foe?
How to Avoid China Manufacturing Problems: A Primer
China Due Diligence: NOT Optional
You should also check out these resources from Sofeast:
Sofeast's FREE guide: IP Protection in China when Developing Your New Product [Importer’s Guide]
Video presentation: Legal Agreements & Tools Used By Manufacturers For Protecting Product IP
Sofeast Combined Supplier Due Diligence Checks (Best Results & Value)
 
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Renaud hosts and is joined by Sofeast Group senior engineer, Paul Adams, to discuss how to go from a design to mass-producing your plastic injection molded parts, first following the proven pre-production pilot run approach to ensure risks are kept to a minimum. You'll learn what should be optimized and what should not be skipped, even if sometimes getting to market sooner seems tempting.
 
Show Sections
00:00 - Greetings and introduction
01:49 - Why is an injection molding pilot run important?
05:05 - What are the steps involved?
09:53 - Why 'metal safe' is your goal after the trials.
12:39 - The supplier still needs to optimize the tooling 
25:01 - Optimizing the injection mold press (machine).
34:55 - Keeping records of parameter settings helps to control the process.
39:04 - Wrapping up.
 
Related content...
The Plastic Injection Molding Process: Top Questions and Answers
Plastic injection molding explainer videos
Injection Mold Textures: How to Choose the Right One?
Mold Tech Texture Book
Get help from our subsidiary to make your plastic parts in South China
 
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Today Adrian and Andrew Amirnovin, our reliability and testing head, look at some of China's recent technology successes, what fuels China's tech dominance, and how technology is caught up in the middle of the US-China trade war. 
 
Show Sections
00:00 - Greetings and introduction.
06:18 - What is fuelling China's tech dominance?
12:40 - The success story of Huawei.
20:32 - Other Chinese tech success stories.
23:30 - Is Chinese technology a privacy risk for users?
26:22 - How does the US-China relationship affect technology?
33:43 - New technologies coming out of China to be aware of.
36:10 - More semiconductor manufacturing to happen in the USA?
37:16 - Wrapping up and closing questions.
 
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The US is headed for a much more aggressive trade war with China regardless of who is president next year, economist says
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This chart shows which countries produce the most lithium
China's AI Analog Chip Claimed To Be 3.7X Faster Than Nvidia's A100 GPU in Computer Vision Tasks (Updated)
 
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Adrian and Renaud get together to talk about 10 common problems that companies with Chinese manufacturing suppliers often face, AND how you can deal with them. Hopefully, you are not one of the unlucky ones, but being prepared with the knowledge to avoid issues is always helpful!
 
Show Sections
00:00 - Greetings and introduction
03:22 - 1. If your supplier refuses to ship the goods you paid for.
09:40 - 2. Your manufacturer tries to force you to accept poor quality that you’re uncomfortable with.
16:00 - 3. If the supplier has failed to prepare export packaging of your products for your scheduled quality inspection.
21:41 - 4. When your supplier has disappeared with your tooling and/or inventory.
25:33 - 5. Your supplier won’t provide important supply chain information.
29:30 - 6. You catch your supplier selling your products as their own!
34:59 - 7. Your ‘factory’ turns out to be a trading company.
39:00 - 8. Coping with an unexpected price increase from suppliers.
41:50 - 9. Your current supplier blocks the transfer of your mold tooling to a new supplier.
46:09 - 10. Worries about keeping sensitive product information secure.
48:26 - Wrapping up.
 
Related content...
We cover these cases: 10 Common Disputes With Chinese Suppliers And How To Overcome Them!
Sourcing Chinese Suppliers? 7 Expert Tips To Get You Better Results!
IP Protection in China when Developing Your New Product [Importer’s Guide]
Will A China NNN Agreement Protect Us If We Start Assembling Products There?
 
Get in touch with us
Connect with us on LinkedIn
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There are more episodes to come, so remember to subscribe! You can do so in your favorite podcast apps here and don't forget to give us a 5-star rating, please:

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