Early 2020 handed the global supply chain one of its hardest disruptions in years. Factories fell silent, shipments stalled, and importers were left waiting. By the time I started writing this, most factories had somehow restored their operations and long-delayed…
When people talk about Japanese melon, Hokkaido is probably the most famous spot. In fact, Nara also grow high quality melon. How they compete with the unique natural quality and sunshine in Hokkaido? No they don’t compete. They grow it…
Forecast is meaningless if the supplier doesn’t follow it for stocking. Yet a supplier would not seriously stock if the forecast is unreliable nor liable. If only a “liable forecast” is meaningful, why not just place a changeable order? Let’s…
Ask and understand why the MOQ is so high. Define the uncommon part that is unique to the required version of the product. If the uncommon part(s) are cheap, buy in / invest all of them to greatly reduce the…
There are few processes before a supplier visit: first, you need to be clear what you need to buy (demand definition), then you find your supplier on google, Alibaba, or other platforms like made-in-china.com or HKTDC (the one who hold…
In yesterday’s B2B showroom talk, I interviewed an offset printing factory. Packaging printing is probably one of my most familiarize industries, and I couldn’t really tell how many printers, big and small, I have been visited during my career. Unfortunately,…
It is at 1 pm in a factory located in Taizhou. In a dark, small office of 6, while most of her colleagues are having their afternoon nap, Jenny is an exception. Already she has had a long morning. She…
While everyone heads to gold rush for their Amazon business, there are many opportunities that people usually omit when working with Chinese manufacturer. In fact, the nature of small qty purchase for a startup B2C business does not easily help…
Will you call Apple a middleman between consumer and Foxconn? No. It is the value which make middleman worth. A capable middleman worth no less than a professional sourcing staff — just make sure he works hard enough to earn…
Most suppliers you source are middlemen, not direct factories Okay, let’s face the fact that more than half of the suppliers in any sourcing channel are “middle man,” and very few of them will tell you the truth. What makes…
