It's Not About the Money

Production problems, sourcing issues or timing delays are not always directly related to dollars and cents.

Reasons Against Doing Small Quantities Offshore

Factories feed off large volumes.
Is your order paying the bills?

In the promotional product and branded merchandise industry:  when is the right time to take your inquiry offshore?   Usually the answer to that question is directly related to the quantity of the order. 

As China, on the surface, is becoming more and more accessible, I can sense confusion among offshore buyers as to what quantity is worth pursuing, what quantity is worth taking offshore and what quantity is worth to bring to the beast that is the factory.  

Communication Decreases Quality Issues

Your supplier may be helping you "in letter"
but dangerous when not "in spirit"

Working in China with a team that is daily handling factories, it is hard for me to fathom how companies, in different time zones, in a different language, do it from abroad.

JLmade is made up of mostly Chinese teammates. 

Who’s Controlling Your Supplier’s Supplier?

Imagine:  there are a total of 3 suppliers providing input into your offshore project. 

Color Mixing is Sensitive: Good to be on-hand
to assure proper matching

Your supplier is only…let’s say…assembling the item.  He’s buying the material from a material vendor (dyed and specified to pantone color) and print isn’t done in-house.

The delivery time is urgent and quality, of course, is important.  You’ve hashed that out with your supplier, you’ve seen samples, and confirmed them and now ready to go with production.  You feel like your supplier has a clear understanding on the important issues and will tightly control the production time and adhere to delivery requirements.  

Then you hear one of the following phrases or receive an email with one of these phrases…

Bridge Building: Establishing Long-term Relationships with your Supplier

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There's Folks Working Hard on Your Behalf:
Allow Them to Become a Valuable Partner to your Business

Everybody is a supplier to somebody and everybody is a buyer to another.  Seldom does a supplier never purchase something (whether components, machinery, material) and most buyers buy because they then resell. 

Use your communication with your supplier to establish strong bonds. 

Emailing the Factory / Supplier in China

If you’re emailing specifications and confirmations to your Chinese supplier remember not to write to them the same way you would write to your cousin or your colleague.   

Spring Festival: Enjoying Traditional Lanterns

Keep in mind with your supplier, whether factory or trading company, English is their 2^nd language.  I know this is obvious, but the way most overseas buyers email their suppliers, you would think they are not aware of this.