In the next of our series on common sourcing mistakes we look at customers who look to complete their product development process in China. This can be defined as approaching a factory with incomplete (or even no) drawings, which are not signed off and expecting the factory to advise on product design and specification and complete prototypes.
Worse still we’ve seen a number of projects get stuck in the sample development process for years – with some projects stuck in an endless cycle of mould tweaks, materials changes, packaging changes, and so on.
The above is to be avoided at all times – you risk eroding any goodwill you’ve built up with your factory, who may move onto other higher priority projects. Get all your designs complete at home, and only approach the factory when you’re in a position to place an order. It is essential to ask the factory to complete pre-production samples for approval, but avoid getting them to develop ‘prototypes’, which may be subject to continuous change.
For a comprehensive guide on how to get things right, check out our ‘Ultimate checklist on China sourcing’
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I agree that expecting a Chinese factory to come up with all the specs is very dangerous.
But the reverse can also be a problem. Let’s say you buy garments. You send the patterns to use when cutting the fabric. But the factory does not use them. Why? Because they will “adapt” them to their sewing method. After a few surprises of this type, most buyers let the factory do the whole development work, since it is closer to what will be done in production.