If you’re starting or growing your own business, it’s crucial to buy quality products from your suppliers in China because they can make or break your customer satisfaction and brand image.
Here are a few ways to ensure you’re working with suppliers who can provide you with the best service and high-quality products that will make your company look good to customers and clients alike.
Test your suppliers before you commit
Not every company or supplier is a scam. But working with any new partner is a risk. Be sure to carefully check out your future partners’ background before you sign on, and do your due diligence throughout every step of your relationship.
An ounce of prevention can go a long way when it comes to protecting yourself from fraud and theft.
Always pay attention to how you’re feeling and what red flags come up—because they almost always do if something’s amiss—and then act accordingly.
It may be tempting to invest all your resources in what you know, but by investing some time and money in pre-qualifying potential partners first, you might spare yourself some heartache later on down the line.
Seek excellence in the details
The market for products manufactured in China is a big one, so it’s no surprise that many companies looking to get into business choose to produce there.
However, quality control may be neglected when sourcing from overseas.
If your business is producing products with any kind of flaws or imperfections, you could find yourself facing legal problems as well as disappointing customers with low-quality goods.
Make sure you put quality control service on top of your list of things to do when finding and creating vendors.
Use technology like blockchain to track down sources that are known for providing reliable products before spending time, energy and money developing them for sale.
Every supplier’s goal should be 100% quality
Whether you’re selling in-house or to a customer, nobody wants to deal with returns.
Yet when suppliers cut corners and provide poor quality products, customers are likely to reject those products and return them for a refund.
Even worse, if a supplier is cutting corners and sending damaged goods out of their factories, it means those defects will be passed on to whoever receives them—which could mean your company or your customer.
Let go of perfectionism to save time and energy
While it’s crucial to do your due diligence before buying from any Chinese supplier, it’s also helpful to not let yourself get overwhelmed.
Remember that good enough really is good enough: Mistakes happen and most products will still work perfectly even if there are small issues with them.
Think about your end goal and focus on what really matters: Making sure you have a happy customer, who comes back for more when they need more product or service from you.
Have faith in your employees
Do your employees know what they’re doing? Yes, of course.
But if you’re sourcing products from China and outsourcing production to a factory there, it’s imperative that IATF 16949 audit should be part of your regular operation protocol.
Spotting quality issues during the early stages of production can be challenging, but getting in front of them at least gives you a fighting chance at salvaging shipments or—in worst-case scenarios—getting money back for product damages.
Always be clear with manufacturers about specific details regarding your orders and make sure that high-quality samples are submitted before mass production starts so you can check for any potential flaws or aesthetic concerns early on in production.
Final thought
It’s worth it to go through several stages of testing before you send your products into production. You want to ensure that there are no major flaws in any design or material. Once you have your first sample, send it back for redoing until it meets your standards. This may add a few extra days to your order and that’s why quality control is so important when sourcing from china. Remember, every small detail can make a big difference in your final product!
