4 Tips for Finding The Right Chinese Supplier

Having your products manufactured in China can help keep quality up and costs down, but only with the help of an outside inspection company and the right supplying partner. There is no one magic formula for finding a high-quality supplier in China, but there are steps you can take to help ensure you get there.

Have a clear quality standard

As the buyer, you need to be able to provide a supplier with the right quality standards. What may be important to you–such as the dimensions–may not be as important to other customers the supplier has. When you are able to clarify this early on, it will increase the likelihood that you will choose a supplier who can meet your criteria.

Learn about the supplier’s other customers

In particular, see if you can find out who the supplier’s top customer is. When you take a look at the work done for the supplier’s biggest customer, you will get an idea of their typical standard for quality.

Have sufficient order volume

Keep in mind that in China, a larger factory will often turn down small orders, but those are the factories that tend to be more stable in quality. A smaller order also doesn’t call for more engineering work up front, meaning that many factories in China just go right into production for smaller orders, which is more risky because they will then have to addresses problems as those issues appear in the production in process. Lower-volume work may also have to be done in a more manual way, which can lead to an inconsistency in quality.

In short, make sure your order volume is big enough to avoid all of these problems, and always use the services of a China inspection company to confirm your products are what you need and expect them to be before they land at your door or at the homes of your customers.

Remember that price and quality are linked

The lower the price, the smaller the margin for the supplier, and this means they have less interest in going that extra mile to product perfect products for you. Like many other countries, in China, it’s “you get what you pay for”–if you are paying a very, very low price, you really can’t expect to get top quality.

Of course, as mentioned above, having product inspections done by a local company on the ground can help ensure your final products are what you need before you even receive them. Quality inspectors can examine your products for flaws in function, design, appearance or safety, run tests to ensure they meet your standards and even confirm the packaging and final shipping address are correct. Even the best supplier can make a mistake, so pair your supplier with an inspection company to protect yourself from all the angles.