China Manufacturing Decoded

Business & Economics Podcasts

Join Renaud Anjoran, Founder & CEO of Sofeast, in this podcast aimed at importers & people who develop their own products as he discusses the hottest topics and shares actionable tips for manufacturing in China & SE Asia today! WHO IS RENAUD? Renaud is a French ISO 9001 & 14001 certified lead auditor, ASQ certified Quality Engineer and Quality Manager who has been working in the Chinese manufacturing industry since 2005. He is the founder of the Sofeast group that has over 200 staff globally and offers services (QA, product development & engineering, project management, SCM), contract manufacturing, and 3PL fulfilment for importers who develop their own products and buyers from China & SE Asia. WHY LISTEN? We‘ll discuss interesting topics for anyone who develops and sources their products from Asian suppliers and will share Renaud‘s decades of manufacturing experience, as well as inviting guests from the industry to get a different viewpoint. Our goal is to help you get better results and end up with suppliers and products that exceed your expectations!

Join Renaud Anjoran, Founder & CEO of Sofeast, in this podcast aimed at importers & people who develop their own products as he discusses the hottest topics and shares actionable tips for manufacturing in China & SE Asia today! WHO IS RENAUD? Renaud is a French ISO 9001 & 14001 certified lead auditor, ASQ certified Quality Engineer and Quality Manager who has been working in the Chinese manufacturing industry since 2005. He is the founder of the Sofeast group that has over 200 staff globally and offers services (QA, product development & engineering, project management, SCM), contract manufacturing, and 3PL fulfilment for importers who develop their own products and buyers from China & SE Asia. WHY LISTEN? We‘ll discuss interesting topics for anyone who develops and sources their products from Asian suppliers and will share Renaud‘s decades of manufacturing experience, as well as inviting guests from the industry to get a different viewpoint. Our goal is to help you get better results and end up with suppliers and products that exceed your expectations!

Location:

Hong Kong

Genres:

Business & Economics Podcasts

Description:

Twitter:

@sofeast

Language:

English

Website:

https://www.sofeast.com/

Episodes

Is It Time For North American Importers To Leave China? (Feat. Andrew Hupert)

5/13/2022

In this episode... Our CEO Renaud is joined by a special guest in this episode, Andrew Hupert, a cross-cultural management and communication expert, coach, and trainer who spent 10+ years in China, is currently based in Mexico, and also creates a podcast you should check out: Globalism 2.0. They discuss why companies are starting to leave China, in particular, American companies, where they're going, and why Western companies need to start thinking about diversifying supply chains rather...

Duration:00:43:21

Clarifying fabric quality requirements + Coping with US Tariffs on China-made goods + Handling volatile prices.

5/6/2022

In this episode... Renaud answers 3 great questions that came in from our listeners, assisted by Adrian from the Sofeast team. He'll cover how to communicate fabric quality to suppliers, tactics for coping with US tariffs on China-made goods, and strategies to cope with volatile material costs today. Show Sections 00:00 - Greetings & Introduction 01:43 - "How to communicate the quality of materials/fabrics you want to buy to your supplier..? There are qualitative aspects that are...

Duration:00:36:05

Levels of Quality Standards (from Basic to Advanced)

4/29/2022

In this episode... In order for your manufacturer to truly understand what you expect from them a quality standard for your product is required. This lays out how the product should look, its components and materials, what defects are and aren't acceptable (if any), its color, and so many other important aspects that Renaud will go into here. There are different levels of quality standards, from most basic to advanced...you'll see how they all fit together to keep everyone aligned and...

Duration:00:43:20

What Happens If You Decide To Leave Your Chinese Supplier?

4/22/2022

In this episode... A few episodes ago we put a call out to listeners for questions about manufacturing, especially in China, that they'd like Sofeast's CEO Renaud Anjoran to answer. One particularly good question that would require too long an answer for just one section of an episode was: What checklist of activities does an importer need to perform when ending business relationships with a Chinese contract manufacturer? So, in this episode, Renaud takes you through what happens if you...

Duration:00:42:41

How to develop your Chinese suppliers? - Sourcing from China (Part 7)

4/15/2022

In this episode... Many importers are new to sourcing from China so we've been creating a mini-series of episodes that explores the sourcing process with advice and best practices from Sofeast's CEO Renaud Anjoran. In this series of episodes, we’re exploring how to do your own sourcing from China, from finding suppliers for your products to getting them made. Last time in episode 98 we discussed how to follow up on ongoing production and what it means to be a hands-on or hands-off buyer,...

Duration:00:44:39

How To Set Up A Receiving Quality Inspection?

4/8/2022

In this episode... Sofeast's CEO Renaud Anjoran is joined by Adrian from the team to explain how to set up a receiving quality inspection on incoming components or materials that will be used by your factory or manufacturer to produce your products. We've all heard the saying: "Garbage in, garbage out." This principle applies to manufacturing. So by conducting a receiving quality inspection, we assure that the components going into our products reach our expectations and reduce the chances...

Duration:00:36:50

100th episode special: YOUR manufacturing questions answered!

4/1/2022

In this episode... To celebrate our 100th episode Sofeast's CEO Renaud Anjoran takes questions from our listeners and answers as many as possible in this special episode. 100 episodes is an important milestone and we're so glad that listeners enjoy the podcast and find it helpful, so thanks for the kind comments in your emails! Show Sections 00:00 - Greetings and introduction. 01:50 - Should importers be worried about Chinese supply chains in relation to the Russian invasion and its...

Duration:00:40:26

’Design for X’ Overview: 12 Optimizations for New Products (Feat. Andrew Amirnovin)

3/25/2022

In this episode... Sofeast's CEO Renaud Anjoran is joined once again by our head of New Product Development, Andrew Amirnovin, and this time they're giving an overview of 12 things that a company can optimize for when designing and developing a new product. These include 'Design for Manufacturing,' Design for Assembly,' and many more. So, what are the DfX principles, what are their benefits if adopted by designers, and which could be right for you to focus on? Keep listening... Show...

Duration:00:55:00

‘Hands-On’ Or ‘Hands-Off’ Buyer? - Sourcing from China (Part 6)

3/18/2022

In this episode... Many importers are new to sourcing from China so we've been creating a mini-series of episodes that explores the sourcing process with advice and best practices from Sofeast's CEO Renaud Anjoran. In this series of episodes, we’re exploring how to do your own sourcing from China, from finding suppliers for your products to getting them made. We’ve moved onto soft skills, and last time in episode 92 we spoke about building rapport with your suppliers. Now, we’re going to...

Duration:00:36:38

BONUS: Covid Lockdowns Intensify Across China

3/14/2022

In this episode... Renaud is back with a bonus episode about the Covid situation in China. Since our last episode, the situation has gotten a lot more serious and there are lockdowns all around China, including in some major manufacturing cities and provinces, including Guangdong, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Changchun (to name but a few). Until now supply chains probably haven't been affected so much, but now factories are being shuttered, staff are at home, and deliveries and shipments can't...

Duration:00:23:46

What’s The ’Cradle To Cradle’ Product Design Concept?

3/11/2022

In this episode... Renaud and Adrian are back to discuss 'Cradle to Cradle' product design. Sustainability is in the media a lot these days as we have global instability from Covid and war causing energy, material, and shipping cost increases (among others) and climate change and environmental damage becoming more serious leading to the need to reduce carbon emissions as well as lowering the amount of hazardous waste produced. So, traditional products that become waste at the end of their...

Duration:00:55:14

Could War In Ukraine Affect Chinese Supply Chains?

3/4/2022

In this episode... Renaud and Adrian speak about the current war in Ukraine as we reach about a week into Russia's invasion. How can large-scale wars like this affect global supply chains? Where does China come into it? Is the West likely to turn its back on China in a similar way as they have done with Russia in the future? Finally, Renaud leaves you with some tips to reduce supply chain risks by potentially not leaving all of your eggs in the China basket. Show Sections 00:00 -...

Duration:00:26:26

6 Phases Of The Industrial Design Process (Feat. Andy Bartlett)

2/25/2022

In this episode... Andy Bartlett, an experienced UK-based product designer, joins Sofeast's CEO Renaud Anjoran on the podcast once again. Following on from a recent episode where Andy introduced industrial design and how to work with designers, this time they break down the ID process (with a focus on electro-mechanical products being made by startups and SMEs) into 6 detailed 'phases' and Andy explains each drawing from his own long experience. This will be helpful for anyone who's...

Duration:00:48:45

BONUS: Covid Situation in China (24 Feb 2022)

2/24/2022

In this episode, Renaud and Adrian give a bonus update on the Covid situation across China as localized Omicron outbreaks lead to restrictions and difficulty moving in and out of affected areas. Why is this important information for importers? Some major manufacturing hubs are affected, including Shenzhen, Wuhan, Chengdu, and Suzhou. This could mean that your supply chain is affected as workers are quarantined. Alternatively, it may affect your ability to keep control over or in contact...

Duration:00:15:27

Building Rapport With Suppliers - Sourcing from China (Part 5)

2/18/2022

In this episode... Many importers are new to sourcing from China so we've been creating a mini-series of episodes that explores the sourcing process with advice and best practices from Sofeast's CEO Renaud Anjoran. Up until now, we have discussed hard skills in parts 1-4 (links below) such as how to identify suitable suppliers, arrange backups, negotiate terms, create your quality standard, manage your project, and inspect product quality. But dealing with suppliers takes soft skills, too,...

Duration:00:34:30

The Long-Term Costs of Poor Quality & Reliability (feat. Clive Greenwood & Andrew Amirnovin)

2/11/2022

In this episode... Renaud is joined this week by two guests who both have decades of industry experience each: Sofeast's head of New Product Development, Andrew Amirnovin who has a background in electrical engineering and a keen focus on product reliability, and Clive Greenwood a quality consultant at WWMG associates who is a Six Sigma Black Belt and has a special focus on medical devices and product compliance. They'll be discussing the long-term costs of poor product quality and...

Duration:00:59:05

All About Industrial Design (feat. Andy Bartlett)

2/4/2022

In this episode... Adrian from the Sofeast team catches up with a friend of the show, British product designer Andy Bartlett, to have a lively chat all about industrial design. If you're bringing your new product idea to market you're going to need to work with an industrial designer to explore the idea and create designs that can actually be produced by a supplier in their factory. So let's get acquainted with some of the key aspects of industrial design here. What is industrial design?...

Duration:00:34:33

Chinese Or Western Model Manufacturer. Which To Use In China?

1/28/2022

In this episode... Sofeast's CEO Renaud recently wrote this guest post on Harris Bricken's China Law Blog about the two main product development models importers will experience when sourcing a Chinese manufacturing partner. Today he goes deeper, joined by Adrian from the Sofeast team, and explains what they are in detail, why expectations about how most Chinese manufacturers will behave need to change, and their pros & cons to you if you're searching for a manufacturer right now. You'll...

Duration:00:40:38

Risks You Face When Skipping New Product Introduction Steps (feat. Andrew Amirnovin)

1/21/2022

In this episode... The NPI process constitutes a lot of time, money, and effort before your product is even ready for manufacturing. Some manufacturers rush into mass production without following an NPI process or by skipping some of its key phases. Sofeast's CEO Renaud and head of NPD (new product development) Andrew are going to revisit the NPI process and explain why skipping its phases is a terrible idea while illustrating the many risks you face if doing so. Show Sections 00:00 -...

Duration:00:36:24

What Makes An Appropriate NNN Agreement?

1/14/2022

In this episode... NNN agreements are important legal tools importers should use to protect their IP. Renaud chats with Adrian about what they are, what does and doesn't make sense, and some of the common errors made with them that could leave you with an unenforceable agreement and no protection at all! First, though, they kick off by examining the increasing Covid cases and their effect on supply chains in China as of Mid-January 2022... Show Sections 00:00 - Greetings &...

Duration:00:36:12