Paul Wray, Managing Director of Furntec Ltd and Modern Outlook Furniture, talks about the Chinese New Year.
A year has almost come and gone and what a year it’s been, with the struggles of the suffering economy worldwide and many factories here in China trying desperately to keep their heads above water with lack of orders. The one good thing with the Chinese people is they are resilient and never give up and work hard for what they believe in and have a passion for.
That being said, there are still the factories here in China that are full for production before Chinese New Year and are working flat out to provide their customers with products before the shutdown towards the end of January 2024. Factory owners here now have to work smart and it’s not just about lowering prices to gain more business, it’s about working closely with their customers. Good Quality, Production lead times, service and support all goes hand in hand to not only obtain new business but to maintain their current customers.
Thankfully with the extensive knowledge of being on the ground here in China for the past 26 years in the furniture industry, the factories that I partner with, work extremely close with my company, so I have complete trust from the factory owners which is absolutely vital when doing any business in China. If the factories do not know you, it takes a long time to build up the trust which means are you getting the best deals, quality, product, designs and materials?
Now with Chinese New Year so close, most factories are closed for taking any new orders as time has run out to order due to material lead times and many factory staff leaving early to go back to their home towns in one of the biggest migration of people in the World at this special time of year. Factories will be closed for almost most of February and even when they start up again, they will inevitably be short staffed, as they slowly travel many miles to return to work.
This is when you need to take advantage of development and it’s something we do every year, and not wait until after the Chinese New Year. Now we are preparing new developed products to launch whilst China shuts down for their holiday and also preparing for the shows in March next year. Please if you are looking to develop any new products, we would be happy to assist and now is a good time.
Happy Chinese New Year to you all.
Modern Outlook Furniture assists businesses of all sizes in procurement from China at any stage of your project. If you would like a no obligation conversation about how we can assist you and help you avoid any costly issues or nasty surprises, please do get in touch!
