China has been the world’s largest exporter since 2009. None can compete with the lowest Chinese manufacturing costs. Whether you’re running an e-commerce store or a million-dollar Garments stores chain, you can’t survive in the market without importing Chinese manufactured items. Chinese Manufacturers are an essential part of nearly all industries’ supply chains. But finding a professional Chinese manufacturer or training a Chinese manufacturer for committed quality production can still be a tough row to hoe for many importers.

This blog will let you know how to find a Chinese manufacturer & expert tips for Training your China Factory before Production Starts.

How to find a Chinese Manufacturer?

It is essential to find a professional & trustable manufacturer for any business’s smooth on-ground landing. A manufacturer may lay the foundation of success for your business by providing quality products as committed to you. But the question is, how to find a reliable manufacturer in China? We have shared expert tips below to help you find a reliable & professional Chinese manufacturer for specific products.

Expert Tips to Find Chinese Manufacturer

The Internet is full of Chinese suppliers & manufacturers listings and their websites. Every manufacturer is bragging about its quality & achievement; it’s tough to pick one; after all, you’ve to sign huge trading deals with them. And the chosen manufacturer will ultimately decide the fortune of your business. You may follow the enlisted experts’ tips to narrow down the list of suppliers & manufacturers for a specific product,

• MOQ Bar

Most manufacturers set MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity) bar to take any order. MOQ number varies with varying manufacturers & products. If a manufacturer has set the MOQ = 50, you have to order at least 50 items to collaborate with them. MOQ is the first and foremost thing you have to notice while shortlisting the manufacturers’ list.

• Quality of Products

Quality is the fundamental factor you need to verify before finalizing the manufacturer. We will discuss this in detail later on.

• Customer Service

Manufacturers’ quick customer service is critical for peace of mind. You may notice the response time & quality of customer service while shortlisting the manufacturers. You may go with one it’s easy to communicate.

• Price per Unit 

Compare the price per unit offered by varying manufacturers, and feel free to negotiate for a discounted price on bulk purchases. It’s China, the world’s largest trading market; Negotiations will get you unbelievable offers. Ensure that you & your manufacturer are on the same page to avoid misunderstandings before initiating the order.

• Avoid Sourcing Agencies

You can end up working with a sourcing agency or supplier while searching for the manufacturer, as many sourcing agencies pretend to be manufacturers. You may research or contact Chinese business verifying agencies like Verifyfull to research on your behalf.

• Production Capacity

Manufacturer Production capacity is another critical factor that can impact your business. Do research to know the production capacity before sealing the deal with a manufacturer. You can also take help from Chinese business verifying agencies like Verifyfull to let you know the ground realities about a manufacturer’s capabilities.

• Contact Manufacturer

You may contact the shortlisted manufacturer to ask for their business license, quality assurance certifications, & other product-related certificates. And most importantly, ask how long they are in business, and their experience matters to flourish your business.

Now, when you have learned the basic ins and outs of dealing with a Chinese manufacturer, you may look at the enlisted resources & tactics to find a reliable Chinese manufacturer;

eTradeAsia.com

eTradeAsia.com has 670,665 registered suppliers & manufacturers with 1,401,617 products. And the number is continuously increasing; you can find several suppliers & manufacturers for a product at eTradeAsia.com irrespective of your niche.

LightintheBox.com

LightintheBox.com is a renowned hub for Chinese manufacturers & suppliers. It is known as China’s best apparel, gifts, gadgets, and home & gardening products manufacturer & suppliers’ hub. You must scroll their site to find a reliable manufacturer with cheap pricing offers for specific products.

MFG.com

MFG is a global directory for manufacturers; People call it Google for manufacturers searching. You can easily find any product at MFG.com, including heavy-duty products like machinery components, mold, gears, etc.

It could be the best platform to find manufacturers, especially engineering-related machinery & accessories. But unfortunately, it’s not easy to find the best prices or low bids at MFG.com.

Trade Shows

Before the internet era, there was a time when trade shows were the only option to find manufacturers or suppliers. You can still consider the attending trade shows option to meet the Chinese manufacturer or suppliers face-to-face. Many Chinese companies take part in global trade shows these days. Trade shows allow you to meet multiple manufacturers under the same roof, and you can ask questions to mitigate your doubts.

You can use Facebook Groups or Google to search for trade shows in the USA, Europe, or China. Ensure to attend the trade shows related to your business niche; they have the potential to open doors of innovation for any business.

Similarly, there are many other platforms like Alibaba, Ali Express, SaleHoo, and Made in China, where you can easily find Chinese manufacturers or suppliers for a specific business niche. You can also take help from Verifying agencies like verifyfull.com to verify the Chinese manufacturer’s legality status, production capacity, and on-ground status by physically visiting the manufacturer’s site.

After picking up a manufacturer, the question arises about the quality & understanding of the product. You may need to train your China manufacturer before production starts to avoid issues regarding product designs & quality.

Here we will let you know the best tips for training your China manufacturer before production starts.

Training your China Factory before Production Starts

Being on the same page is essential for buyers & manufacturers to make a deal successful. You may take the enlisted precautionary measures to ensure that the factory understands your customized need,

• Demand for the pre-production sample and halt the production process till sampling approvals.
• Share a well-written product packing guideline with your manufacturer.
• Share strict guidelines regarding varying materials’ colors if colors matter to your product.

These precautionary steps are enough if,

• The manufacturer is working on a standard product with minimal customization, and they have experience producing a similar product on a mass scale.
• The factory has strong engineering skills with professional staff and works with strict quality control SOPs.

If the above-discussed conditions do not meet, you may have to walk an extra mile to train your factory.

We have enlisted the four-step factory training process to make it easy.

Write a Specification Sheet

Write a detailed specification sheet that explains all that you need. It is also suggested to write possible defects and their respective severities. For instance, you may write a scratch of more than 3mm long on the product will be considered a significant defect.

Specifications details & inspection checklist will force factory workers to adopt a proactive approach to producing the products buyers need.

Quality Control Department

So, the manufacturer has a list of all minor, central, and critical defects. Manufacturers need a quality control department to ensure regular quality inspections to find the defects and discuss them with the on-site engineer or shift managers to mitigate the issues.

If the factory produces smaller products, ask quality control departments to put a few flawless products on the shelf. It would help shift managers to compare the products and instantly mitigate any doubts regarding defects.

In Contrast, if the factory produces more oversized sized products and it is not possible to put one in the production hall, they may use the pictures or video of a perfect product to help shift managers for quality inspections.

Work Instructions for Operators

Professional manufacturers have a detailed & well-organized set of instructions for the operators & labor. Frame a graphical or in-writing set of instructions at multiple places in the production hall; it will help the operators to work according to the standardized procedure.

It will make the work easy & speedy for the operators by aligning all the labor force in one direction and ultimately bringing quality to the production.

Work instructions set generally focus on the enlisted elements,

• Simple & short text explaining the way to perform a particular task efficiently.
• Graphical demonstration of what to do & how to do
• Tips to verify the quality

Control Plan

The control plan is one of the critical elements you may ask for from your factory in China. A professional manufacturer with an efficient quality control department must be familiar with the control plan. But unfortunately, it is not the actual case; many factories don’t even know about the control plan. You have to work with their quality control department to prepare a well-organized control plan.

The control plan will let you know about the factory safety standards and whether they have addressed the potential risks or not.

Final Words | Training your China Factory before Production Starts

You may follow the above-discussed expert tips to find a manufacturer in China or train your China factory before production starts.

If you have to order for a bulk quantity, you may request your manufacturer to do a pilot project first with the same workforce, machinery, and speed. It would help you bring quality control & other significant production issues to light.

You may collaborate with the manufacturer’s quality control department and try to send your quality inspector for inspections. You can also take help from Chinese factories verifying companies like Verifyfull.com to do all the on-ground inspections on your behalf.