By Etienne Charlier

You doubtlessly have heard and read many different stories about sourcing in China. Some are thrilling and others are scary. But ultimately, what really matters is to understand enough of the ins and outs of the China sourcing scene in order to answer a few key questions for your company: To Source or Not To Source; To Source What and What Not To Source?

Sourcing in China is a hot topic. Nevertheless, decisions to source (or not to), what to source and how to source are not little decisions to take because it seems like a good idea. A sourcing project in China is a time consuming but rewarding exercise. It is not for the ill-prepared but it can lead not only to lower cost quality supplies but also to increased flexibility and improved products. Read the rest of “Ins and Outs of Sourcing in China” or post a comment

By Han Dongfang 

Collective labour contracts have been developed and promoted by the Chinese government and the All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) since the mid-1990s. Thus far, however, because of the lack of genuine worker participation in the contract negotiations, they have brought only limited benefit to China’s workers.

CLB believes free collective bargaining should be introduced into the collective contracts negotiating process as a means of not only protecting workers’ rights and interests but of also improving labour-management relations. Given the widespread abuse of workers’ rights and the often severe tensions that exist between labour and management in China today, there is now an increasingly urgent need to promote greater worker involvement in this process. Read the rest of “Breaking the Impasse: Promoting Worker Involvement in the Collective Bargaining and Contracts Process” or post a comment

For many, China appears to be enormously far away. With a totally different culture and many practical problems and unknown, sometimes impossible, regulations. Not for Marco de Bruin though. Long before any other molding producer even considered it, his company was using the opportunities China is offering. Today, while the competition is experiencing a difficult time, Quodo Mould Systems is trying to control its remarkable growth.

The company first set foot in China in 2002. “Enthusiastic by what we saw, we immediately ordered the first moulds. That turned out not to be so simple. To have an assignment executed correctly, it is essential to communicate extensively. Not by means of a laptop, conveniently operated from another country, but directly on the work-floor.” Read the rest of “Molding your business for China” or post a comment