3 Major Tips For Finding Quality Manufacturers in China

  • Date Published: April 23, 2022
  • Date Updated: April 25, 2022

 

3 Major Tips For Finding Quality Manufacturers in China

The rise of China as the world’s factory was not only fueled by low labor costs but also its mature business ecosystem, and skilled workers, as the top three reasons why it still is one of the go-to places for manufacturing. The fast-growing China economy impressed a lot of countries.

 

And continue to do so, with their “Made in China 2025” plan. This plan aims to shift from low-value manufacturing like clothes, cosmetics, and other basic consumer goods into high-tech manufacturing like AI and electric vehicles, where they plan to be at least 70% self-sufficient in these high-tech industries.

 

Good news for importers isn’t it? More and more Alibaba suppliers now offer high-tech products than ever before, which means prices for these high-tech products are getting lower too! With China constantly catching up, it’s a good place to manufacture your goods not only for high-tech products but also for consumer goods products.

 

However, before manufacturing your products in China, it’s important to know which manufacturers to trust your money with. If you just launched your business or have never manufactured in China, things can be overwhelming. But don’t worry, we listed our Top 3 tips on finding quality and reliable manufacturers in China, to make it easy for you to get started.

 

  1. Online research. Use online marketplace/directories like Alibaba or AliExpress.

First, look for products you want to sell here in the Philippines on Alibaba or AliExpress. Then check if the product price, and features meet your expectations, chat with the Alibaba or AliExpress suppliers to know exactly how much the products are, the product’s features, quality, actual pictures, actual videos, etc. 

Second, check their company name on Google and Baidu (Google of China). Usually, they would have some kind of online presence, especially for big manufacturers. Furthermore, you may also include their Company name + Scam and see if there are scam incidents that have happened before with the same or similar company name. 

Third, after checking them on the top search engines, ask them some basic questions like: 

  • What are their main products?
  • What countries do they usually export to?
  • Do they join trade shows? If yes, what are these trade shows? (You can also counter check this on the official website of the trade shows since trade shows would usually have a directory of companies who have joined)
  • Check if they know the certificates needed for the products you want to sell, these are more common for electronics, machinery, plants, etc. 

 

Fourth, after manufacturers answer your questions, you can already get a feel if they know whether they’re knowledgeable about the products that they manufacture. Furthermore, you also get a feel of how prompt they respond. 

 

2. Visit China and attend trade shows.

Although not all manufacturers attend trade shows since some of the companies are still operated traditionally, with no online presence whatsoever. Think of family businesses here in the Philippines (although not all). 

 

But since trade shows bring different people together from manufacturers to clients to service providers, it’s the perfect place to discuss or negotiate with potential manufacturers as well as meet like-minded people who you may collaborate with in the future. Furthermore, you can see sample items from manufacturers and can compare their quality at trade shows which is a major plus. Meanwhile, visiting China might not be the option to go for if you are just starting and operating with small capital.

 

Choosing to manufacture your products still largely depends on your business size, business goals, and how customized your products have to be. Because truth be told, sometimes trading companies may be more suitable for your business needs, especially for business owners who are just starting and want to test the waters out first. Since trading companies usually have lower minimum order quantity (MOQ) and usually carry different product lines (which can be an advantage if you want to test different products all at the same time, saving you from paying multiple domestic shipping fees) as compared to manufacturers who usually specializes in a few product lines only and requires a big minimum order quantity (MOQ). 

 

3. Know Manufacturing Specialty By Region 

Knowing which China province specializes in what industry is an advantage. It’s also highly advisable to buy products from manufacturers whose factories are located in the manufacturing hub that specializes in the product they produce. Since, it’s usually cheaper, largely because the business infrastructure in that specific region is mature or complete. For example, toy car manufacturers need plastic wheels and plastic car lights. More often than not, say Manufacturing Company A specializes in producing plastic car lights while Manufacturing Company B specializes in plastic wheels, if that’s the case then they can partner with each other to create different toy cars thereby lessening the production cost for both of them since they don’t have to produce every part that goes into that toy car anymore. 

 

The Chinese government has grouped their industries into clusters, wherein businesses that belong to the same industry are gathered together in the same province or district. For instance, “Shenzhen”, is the powerhouse of electronic products while toys it’s mainly from Zhejiang or Chenghai. Buying from the specialized manufacturing hubs not only reduces costs but also speeds up the production time since out-of-stock situations get lessened. 

Here’s a list of what each China Province specializes in:

  • Shenzhen = Electronic products
  • Zhejiang = Small commodities
  • Zhongshan = Lights
  • Fujian = Shoes
  • Wenzhou, Taizhou = Glasses
  • Guangzhou = Apparel

 

Final Thoughts

Performing due diligence makes you as a business owner gain a bigger picture of how the manufacturing company you plan to partner with works, plus it also lessens the financial risks for you if you investigate and evaluate risks thoroughly before entering into the partnership since every production mistake is costly, especially for new importers.

 

However, on the other hand, choosing the manufacturer to partner with shouldn't solely be price-based. While price is important to every business, it’s a must to also look at other aspects, like the quality of products, payment terms, customer service experience, etc. since these can equally impact your business’ bottom line. 

Considering picking the right manufacturer will be one of the most crucial parts of your business, it’s important to get it right. Here at EZ Sourcing Group, we offer a product sourcing service, to help you eliminate costly overseas procurement mistakes. Know more about our range of services here.

 

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