Most major retailers have their own set of standards for social compliance. But generally, you’ll see some overlap in areas of focus like local law, labor practices, working environment and others. Let’s take a look at a couple international retailers' social compliance standards and some differences in their standards for supplier selection and auditing processes.
Topics:
Social Compliance
How often should you visit your suppliers? The short answer: Not very often. Why? Doesn’t visiting your supplier offer you valuable insight and an opportunity to voice any concerns to the supplier face-to-face? Visiting can be valuable just to “give face” to a Chinese supplier and factory, an important cultural and societal sign of respect. However, do not expect to gain anything of manufacturing value by visiting for than once or twice a year.
Topics:
Manufacturing Tips & Advice
When your products are being shipped internationally, it is extremely important to have clear shipping marks to help those who are dealing with the cargo. Shipping marks may seem like a minor detail in the grand scheme of manufacturing. But that shipment of products you’re expecting to receive in Los Angeles could be destined for Miami if cartons are labeled with incorrect markings.
Topics:
Manufacturing Tips & Advice,
pre shipment inspection,
shipping marks
You’re coming to China to visit your suppliers. Maybe you've taken the time to learn a couple of phrases like “hello” and “thank you” in Mandarin, which you hope will come in handy during your trip. You may have read a phrasebook, but most of the terms they contain are academic Chinese and not really the way people normally speak day-to-day. Here are 5 simple phrases that most people actually use in everyday life.
Topics:
Cultural Notes from the East
How does a product inspector carry out testing to make sure your products line up with specifications? And who provides the equipment needed for these tests? Here we'll let you know some essential equipment that factories must provide for inspection.
Topics:
Manufacturing Tips & Advice
How could the Tianjin warehouse explosions on August 12th have been prevented? And what can this tragedy teach us about managing supply chains? This article intends to illuminate, based on what is known, how the Tianjin warehouse explosions could have been prevented – namely through the use of an ISO 9001-type audit.
Topics:
Manufacturing Tips & Advice
One of the most common reasons for quality control inspections to FAIL is surprisingly simple and has nothing to do with the actual item you are buying from a factory. “Poor”, “damaged” or “inadequate” packaging are all possible culprits for failed inspection. Packaging is also the most common bit of production that will be subcontracted out to other companies, since most buyers choose suppliers based on their ability to make the actual item they want to sell instead of their capacity to make paper or plastic packaging.
Topics:
Manufacturing Tips & Advice
Transparency in manufacturing can make or break a retailer or distributor’s image. Social compliance audits are one of the most powerful tools used to ensure a factory is abiding by local laws and following an ethical and moral business culture. There are many areas that a social compliance audit can clarify about your factory. Here are the 4 most common issues they can bring to light regarding your supplier.
Topics:
Social Compliance
What does it mean when a supplier says that they "don't have time" for product inspection, and what should you do about it? Here we’ll tell you why your supplier might say this and what you can do to make sure you have adequate time for verifying your order before it ships.
Topics:
Product Inspection
Visiting a Chinese factory helps prospective buyers gauge everything from the quality of the products to the technical expertise on offer, as well as everything that could be going wrong with their operations. But before you rush out to apply for your Chinese visa, book your airplane tickets and embark on a trip to the Far East, take heed of these 5 mistakes you have to avoid when visiting a Chinese factory for the first time...
Topics:
Manufacturing Tips & Advice
