Paul Wray, Managing Director of Furntec Ltd and Modern Outlook Furniture, talks about the importance of knowing your supplier.
KNOWING YOUR SUPPLIER IN CHINA
Navigating manufacturing in China can be a minefield if you have little or no experience in manufacturing abroad. As a Brit living in China, I work with many retailers across the UK, America and Worldwide to ensure they are not tackling challenges alone.
The main challenges you might face include:
– Finding the right factory
– Language barriers
– Shipping
– Quality of work
– High MOQ’s
– Lead times
– Design & development
– And intellectual property risks
– Negotiation/understanding the culture
Working with suppliers in China and building up trust takes time and it’s not something that happens overnight. I have spent many years living in China working with many suppliers to build up trust and reputation. As a trader and knowing how to work with the suppliers this adds huge benefit for customers around the world who cannot be based in the Far East and need help sourcing, negotiation or QC.
Do Customers think dealing direct they can obtain much better prices for the products they intend to buy? In most cases, prices are best negotiated by someone who knows the culture and people and how to get the best deal and not affect the quality of a product. Trust is 100% key here in China.
There are also many laws governed around the World when supplying furniture to certain countries. For example, when supplying the UK with products that will require UKFR regulations to be adhered to. Does the factory you are working with, know these standards required? Many suppliers will say they do but they don’t. How do you know your product will be safe?
Unfortunately, the list can go on and on with potential issues you can face in China by having your furniture produced here. Please don’t get me wrong, China is amazing for the furniture products it can produce, you just have to be mindful and my advice is to make sure you always have someone professional on the ground here at factories you are buying from, to make sure the quality and safety of your product is always applied.
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!
