I wanted to talk to someone relatively new to the manufacturing scene in China to see what his first impressions were of Chinese factory conditions and whether or not his expectations were met. I asked Client Manager George Huang to join me for a similar podcast interview to discuss his viewpoints on the working conditions of the factories in China he visited in recent weeks. Here is what George had to say.

I wanted to talk to someone relatively new to the manufacturing scene in China to see what his first impressions were of Chinese factory conditions and whether or not his expectations were met.

Following a successful interview with Humberto Pimentel, I asked Client Manager George Huang to join me for a similar podcast interview to discuss his viewpoints on the working conditions of the factories in China he visited in recent weeks. Here is what George had to say:

Expectations and Initial Impressions of Chinese Factories

George: When I was interning in China last summer of 2014 I was interning for a clothing company that specializes in school uniforms. I was sent to the factory to learn about the supply chain. The conditions were better than I expected. Coming from the United States, everyone has a perspective on what Chinese factories look like. It wasn’t as bad what the media makes sweatshops out to look like. It was a pretty well-regulated factory. They have safety checks and everyone has their own stations.chinese factory conditions

John: OK. I talked with Humberto when we had him on about how there is such a polarity in terms of public perception in America about factories. It seems, people think Chinese factories are something like Foxconn or completely unsafe working conditions and we’re hearing various labor violations there. So did you have that perception before your first factory visit as well?

George: For sure. The thing about my perception of Chinese factories is that I knew there were different sorts of factories and safety standards depending on the types of products being made. After going to the factories myself this month for my training, there were some different expectations and also different results.

What Types of Products Were Made at These Factories?

George: The first couple ones, the main products were made of plastic. But the products I checked were basically promotional drawers that held products. We also checked sporting goods and I also got to see tablet factories and also wood shops.

What Surprised You About Chinese Factory Conditions?

George: Like I said, I had different expectations going into factories that made different products. I think the biggest surprises to me were products made of wood and the factory conditions in there. I expected a place with power tools or something that dangerous to have better working conditions and more precautionary measures. But it seemed the wood factories were the messiest of them all. There was sawdust all over the ground, the lighting was terrible, and people were sitting on little plastic chairs with no goggles or safety equipment whatsoever.

There were also kids in the area, they were not working the machinery, but they were helping with other measures such as dusting off the finished products. It was very surprising to me.

chinese factory conditionsThis was during the summertime and the kids are out of school, so I would say they were around 10 to 12 years old.

John: Yes, that’s not a situation that’s very rare to see – suppliers hiring kids too young to be working.

What we tell people to do when we find child labor violations is to perform an audit of the factory mainly for social compliance (see What is a Social Compliance Audit?). Where they can go in to verify ID’s and interview workers, and find out what the situation is in terms of age groups being hired at the factory.

Treatment by Staff in Chinese Factories

John: I talked previously with Humberto about the Supplier Review, and he went on one where the conditions were somewhat appalling and the treatment from factory staff was not altogether welcoming or cooperative. Would you say your experience was similar to that?

George: The treatment we got I wouldn’t say was extremely different, but it felt a lot more impersonal. The individual who was there to manage our Supplier Review, refused to provide a lot of the information that we needed, making up excuses like, “Our boss isn’t in today and he’s the only one with permission to say who sees this”, basically just making any kind of excuse to avoid showing us any kind of licenses.

John: As I understand it, that particular factory failed the audit for that reason. Is that right?

George: Yes, they failed to give us a business license so we cannot pass a business that fails to do that.

John: The Supplier Review is based ISO 9001 standards and it’s an important process in terms of sourcing, finding suppliers and identifying qualified suppliers. It’s an important screening process to determine if they’re professional and if they’re capable of manufacturing the product at the quality standards and quantity that you want (see Factory Audits in China – What is a Supplier Review?). And it’s definitely a red flag to see a supplier that is not cooperative, whether it be chinese factory conditionssubmitting financial statements, business license or export license or any other documentation that you need to see to know if this is a factory you want to work with.

It sounds like you felt some tension in the factory dealing with that particular rep. Is that right?

George: Yes. Even though they were trying to seem friendly, you could tell there was a sort of distance between what they were saying and what they actually wanted to say.

Conclusion

It’s clear that everyone brings their own expectations along with them to their first visit to a Chinese factory. Mainstream Western media has a way of portraying Chinese factories as either orderly, clean and well-regimented facilities that offer Chinese people a leg up out of poverty, or as sweatshops employing children to work in harsh conditions for long hours.

I think the main takeaway here is that Chinese factory conditions vary considerably, depending on location, product type and other factors. There are some factories that are unsafe, run-down and export low quality goods, just as there are some factories in China which are reputable and can make quality products.

The lesson to buyers is simple: do your homework by visiting factories before placing an order. If you’re not able to visit first-hand, hire a qualified 3rd-party to audit the factory on your behalf. Make sure your suppliers can not only make a product that fits your expectations, but also can do so ethically.

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