Please visit http://chinasourcingblog.blogspot.com/

I’ll be consolidating China Sourcing Blog and Micro Multi Startup at that location.

Thanks!!

I’ll be in Ningbo most of March.  The schedule is looking quite busy — 2 weeks of business consulting plus several new client job initiations.  That said, I’m happy to meet with new people to talk about possible business relationships or just to discuss China in general.  If you’ll be in Ningbo in March, please contact me at info@go-qss.com. 

A customer recently asked me about suing a Chinese supplier.  I’m a simple engineer, and so won’t comment on such things.  I gave him the name of Harris and Moure and asked him to contact them with questions.  However, I did perk up when I saw a recent MSNBC article covering the recent indictment of several companies over the tainted petfood scare in ‘07.  See also the China Law Blog post on the topic.

Much thought and effort goes into the selection of vendors, but how much effort do you put into selecting an audit provider?  Many potential clients begin their conversations with “We have tried third party auditors in the past…..” 

Does that sound familiar? I can’t tell you how to pick one company over another.  Your particular industry and needs will determine who is right for you.  What I can do, is give you some advice about audits in general. 

An audit in general terms is an objective evaluation of product, processes, and/or systems.  Most importantly, an audit is a comparison of actual performance to predetermined standards.  Note, please the emphasis on predetermined standards, and the means to evaluate your auditor is clear.   You must first specify to what standards you desire your supplier to be audited.  Feel free to ask your potential auditor to what standard they will perform an audit. 

That said, many corporate managers ask for an audit, desiring a general review of the supplier’s quality management and quality systems.  While not asking that a supplier be audited to a particular standard, e.g. ISO 9001:2000, they still desire a systematic and objective evaluation of a supplier.  The auditor must still audit to a general checklist (likely based on ISO 9001). 

In the future, simply ask your potential auditor to what standard they perform audits.  Ask for a copy of the audit checklist.  Please bear in mind that most checklists are customized for a particular customer, and that the predefined checklist may appear rather crude, but it should exist, and there should be no problem sharing it with you.  If there is no answer, and no checklist is available, move on.

While not China related exactly, I want to share an article I just wrote on Small Business Management Ratios (pdf, 93k).  I use some simple ratios to help me understand how my business is doing, especially with respect to my advertising and web presence.  Please have a look and tell me what you think!

Having spent much of the last six months working sales and customer service issues, I’m now looping back into technical mode to assist the crew.  I’ll be in Ningbo the first two weeks of December.  If you’re working with us, or if you’d like to, please drop me a note if you’d like to meet!

After several weeks of work, Quality Sourcing Solutions has lauched our new website.   The most important upgrade is the ease of navigation.  Please visit us and let me know what you think.  More upgrades are on the way, as these things are always works in progress. 

This morning, I took an our out of my day to watch “Vote for Me.”  Wow, what a fun story.  Please check it out, and look for it on your local PBS station at http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/pleasevoteforme/

 This short movie documents a Chinese experiment in democracy, the election of Class Monitor by a 3rd-grade class in Wuhan.  Influence peddling and vote purchasing quickly develop, but that is the natural state of a pure democracy.  Whatever your political slant, it’s a fun movie to see.

I’ve been in the US working sales for several months now.  Seeing the movie, I could feel China — the familiar apartment buildings, the electric scooters, the morning exercises by students.  I miss it!

Please, if you get a chance, watch this moving.  It’s only an hour, and a fantastic story!

A customer recently asked me if he should be looking to Vietnam for the next project, not China.  I told him that based on my estimates of population (specifically skilled labor) comparisons, and the relatively poor infrastructure in Vietnam, that it would be a very long time before he should consider that choice.  The guys at China Law Blog recently posted about the same subject, with the same basic conclusion.

 I visited Ho Chi Minh City and Natrong last year.  While I was amazed at the natural beauty, and relatively more western-oriented people, an industrial powerhouse it is not.  When people ask me how long I’ll focus on China, I assure them that I lose absolutely no sleep over this issue.  Certainly for the duration of my career, China is the place to manufacture.

CQA Press Release

I just received word that I’m now an American Society for Quality Certified Quality Auditor (CQA).  I’ve performed many audits, but decided it was time to get recognized for my knowledge.  In my business, trust is so important.  I feel that this certification at least shows that my team and I are committed to providing real value for our customers, and we’re committed to ongoing education in an effort to improve our service.

 Please don’t hesitate to contact us if we can perform an audit for you.  Audits are an important part of supplier management, and are cheap relative to the damage that a single bad shipment can cause.