China Manufacturing Decoded

In this episode of China Manufacturing Decoded, Adrian and Renaud discuss the evolving role of software in the development and manufacturing of electronic products. They explore how software has become a significant source of competitive advantage, often surpassing hardware in importance.

Using examples from smartphones to cars, they illustrate how software drives innovation, user experience, and brand differentiation. The discussi...

Join us as we delve into the five main uses of prototyping equipment, including 3D printers, CNC milling, and more. Our host, Renaud, is joined by Paul Adams, head of the new product development team, to explore why prototyping is crucial for design houses, manufacturing companies, and product developers alike.

In this episode, we break down the distinctions between prototyping and production equipment and discuss the importance of...

Join hosts Renaud and Adrian as they discuss the ins and outs of factory audits and how to select the right one based on your specific requirements.

In this episode, Renaud shares insights from his recent experiences and highlights the latest developments at Sofeast Group, including the expansion of their plastic injection molding facility.

The main focus of the discussion is on different types of factory audits such as quality sys...

Renaud hosts and is joined again by regular guest, Andrew Amirnovin. They talk about where China has come from quality-wise and the forces that aligned to transform Chinese products from poor to great quality in the past two decades or so.

00:00 - Greetings and introduction.

03:46 - What happened to transform China-made products from low to high quality over the past couple of decades or so?

17:05 - Why the foreign ...

Adrian is on hosting duty and is joined by Sofeast's Head of Supply Chain Management, Kate. Rising shipping costs (sea, air, and otherwise) are an issue facing importers from Asia now in 2024, but what's causing it and are there any tips to help you cope? Also, in a second topic, Kate dispels the confusion about FOB vs FCA, explaining why the more common incoterm (at least when buying from Chinese manufacturers) isn't necessarily t...

Adrian and Renaud get together to talk about Elon Musk's insights and philosophy into developing and bringing new products to market (from an interview by 'Everyday Astronaut' on YouTube at his launch facility a few years back). He shares his philosophies on new product introductions which cover some common sense topics that manufacturers of almost any product should bear in mind.

00:00 - Greetings and introduction ...

Renaud hosts and is joined by Andrew Amirnovin, Sofeast's product reliability head, and they're looking at how Apple tests iPhone reliability and durability. Recently Marques Brownlee shared some videos from within Apple's testing lab and interviews with their head of hardware engineering and the insights were interesting. It turns out that Andrew has also visited Apple's lab and he shares his own insights about that, and the pair ...

Adrian hosts and Renaud goes deep into design reviews which can really save your skin by identifying and fixing problems that can lead to defects and failures. What kinds of product design reviews can be done to reduce problems, and when during the product design and development process should they be done?

00:00 - Greetings and introduction.

02:25 - Why design reviews are important.

12:02 - The different types of r...

Renaud hosts and is joined by Fredrik Gronkvist, founder of Productmkr.com, to discuss near-sourcing from Europe + Turkey (and Mexico for North American buyers) VS buying from China. Fredrik has done a lot of research on how to source from China alternatives and he now offers a supplier database for subscribers to help make finding the right option easier. Here he shares his advice on near-sourcing and how it differs from the tradi...

Adrian and Renaud are back to examine the recent May 14th news of new China tariffs being implemented by the Biden administration with the overall aim of reducing trade with China whom many in America see as flooding the market with cheap exports that damage American businesses who can't compete. EVs, solar panels, medical devices, steel and aluminum, and more are in the firing line. So, how does this affect US importers and the re...

Renaud welcomes Dan Harris, Partner of the Seattle-headquartered and globally officed Harris Sliwoski LLP and long-time writer of the China Law Blog, to the podcast! Over the years he has shared so much valuable information for importers who buy from and manufacture in China; a key topic being keeping IP safe when purchasing from Chinese suppliers.

So in this episode, we delve into Dan's decades of assisting Western companies navi...

Renaud hosts and is joined by Sofeast Group senior engineer, Paul Adams, to discuss how to go from a design to mass-producing your plastic injection molded parts, first following the proven pre-production pilot run approach to ensure risks are kept to a minimum. You'll learn what should be optimized and what should not be skipped, even if sometimes getting to market sooner seems tempting.

00:00 - Greetings and intro...

Today Adrian and Andrew Amirnovin, our reliability and testing head, look at some of China's recent technology successes, what fuels China's tech dominance, and how technology is caught up in the middle of the US-China trade war. 

00:00 - Greetings and introduction.

06:18 - What is fuelling China's tech dominance?

12:40 - The success story of Huawei.

20:32 - Other Chinese tech success stories.

23:30 - Is Chinese tec...

Adrian and Renaud get together to talk about 10 common problems that companies with Chinese manufacturing suppliers often face, AND how you can deal with them. Hopefully, you are not one of the unlucky ones, but being prepared with the knowledge to avoid issues is always helpful!

00:00 - Greetings and introduction

03:22 - 1. If your supplier refuses to ship the goods you paid for.

09:40 - 2. Your manufacturer tries ...

Adrian and Renaud discuss Quality Fade. This bad practice from suppliers sees them put their profits before your product quality, but the big problem is that you may not even know it is happening as it's a gradual process where quality declines over time, bit by bit.

Are you at risk, how do you identify it, and what can you do to combat it? We reveal all in this episode!

00:00 - Greetings and introduction

02:27 - Wh...

On this episode of the China Manufacturing Decoded Podcast, Adrian hosts and is joined by Andrew, our reliability and testing head who is going to explain why the PCBA in your electronic product is critical, and how to protect it both physically and through product design.

00:00 - Greetings and introduction.

01:45 - What is the PCB and why is it so important?

03:04 - How and why do we protect the PCB?

04:40 - Confor...

Adrian and Renaud are talking about traceability for manufacturers which provides a detailed record of how the products are manufactured and the supply chain, from raw materials to finished products. Having this mindset and system can help you to reduce risks and deal with problems quickly by pinpointing where they arise. It can also help you be a more compliant business. Plenty of benefits, but it takes a cultural shift to put in ...

Air travel requires an extremely high level of safety, so it's very embarrassing for Boeing that they have been dogged by quality and reliability issues lately, resulting in a near-disaster on a brand new Alaska Airlines 737 Max.

Renaud and Paul look at Boeing's recent troubles, based on information from news reports, that seem to have been caused by bad manufacturing habits such as accepting sub-standard parts from suppliers with...

Our CEO Renaud is joined by Marc Burban and Amanda Han, insurance brokers from Asian Risks Management Services. We get advice from these two China insurance experts, explore the typical risks that manufacturers and buyers in China face, and learn how you can use insurance and risk management to mitigate them. For anyone manufacturing in China, this information will help you understand your best options moving forward and how an ins...