Manufacturer China

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Several friends have called or sent notes asking: “How hot is it in Vietnam?” Well, I usually answer: “Hot, as far as I know. At least, that is what my friends in Ho Chi Minh City tell me.”

I know many of you thought I had gone to Vietnam in March to work there for three months. Well, sorry, I haven’t updated the fact, that I never made it to the Mekong Delta area. Instead, I made the shortlist for a permanent opportunity in the US, that would require me to foreclose any chance of hiring had I gone to Vietnam. I opted to stay and take my chance on the new opportunity. And I got it!

On May 2, I start at Geiger International, a division of Herman Miller in the office furniture business. I’ll be a vice president for the casegoods manufacturing. The main facility is located in southwest Atlanta, and I’ll be relocating to the area over the next few months.

It’s a new beginning. I was blessed to receive a new kidney last year, and I’m taking this new lease on life to live the fullest with this new opportunity. I have a lot of preparations to make, but I can’t wait. The job will be challenging, but I know many of you are happy to hear I’ll be staying in the US. Equally, a lot of my International friends are sad I won’t be moving back to Asia. And actually part of me will miss Asia too. But I had to take the best available for me now. And I love getting back to the office furniture business, with the preeminent leader in high end wood furniture for the office. I should even be traveling back to West Michigan soon, where the Herman Miller headquarters is located. So I will see my many friends in that area!

Well, it’s back to moving preparations for now. I gotta find a temporary home for my dog, Goldie. I still don’t know what I’ll be doing with my home. And I have to get things packed. So it may be a while before I can pass on more progress. But my next post will probably be from HotLanta!

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A couple new photographs.

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“Things just aren’t like they used to be” is a common theme of cafe chats and pundits alike, and always has been. But this story from my favorite journalist, James Fallows, is one worth pondering. When is the last time you heard of a powerful politician saying, “throw the book at me”?

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If you source products from China or South-East Asia, you MUST require pre-production samples before production is launched. In some cases it will be impossible, but the supplier should give you a clear explanation about it.

I just read a recent article by David Dayton, which outlines the important points to keep in mind.

1. Always ask for perfect pre-production samples

“We never place orders for products that have not been sampled correctly”

It seems like an obvious principle, but many importers do not follow it.

The buyer is in a hurry, it seems like the factory is just one step away from getting there (and promises that “it will be fine in production”)… And the buyer surrenders.

The problem is, by doing so you are not setting a clear standard. If it’s actually not feasible technically, the factory will never admit their responsibility.

And potential issues that would be uncovered on a fully functioning sample are left aside, for a later stage… When it costs much more to solve problems.

2. P-P samples are the standard for production

We have the standards-are-too-high conversation all the time. But, of course they made the “Golden Sample” and we’re asking for that to be re-created in mass. Now they see the conflict of interests that the Golden Sample creates.

It is very common for factories to make a really nice sample that they can’t duplicate reliably in industrial quantities. Then they say “of course, this is bulk production, so it is not as nice as the P-P sample”.

How to avoid this situation?

First, once you have a perfect pre-production sample, write down your tolerances. Make the distinction between what absolutely has to be as nice as the sample, and what can be a little off. A good template for this is an inspection checklist.

Second, ask for the manufacturer’s feedback on these points. If you can’t be there, hire a service company to send someone on site. It is important to discuss about this with factory technicians and managers, rather than salespeople or middlemen.

Third, put pressure on the factory. Send inspectors to make sure the standard and the tolerances are respected. Do not pay before you are confident everything is fine.

Fourth, do not negotiate your standard. If a part of the goods can’t be reworked, just get it sorted out and refuse it. The manufacturer needs to understand that no exceptions will be made.

Any other tips for such situations?

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Ever since scoring a massive 1998 hit – "Sincere" – out of a track he produced in his bedroom, MJ Cole has been one of British dance music’s leading lights, and a key figure in the UK Garage scene whose influence helped bring about much of what Britain listens to today (well, the good bits – Simon Cowell spawned pretty much everything else). Cole started his musical career early, playing piano and oboe, even taking part in the BBC’s Young Musician of the Year contest as a youngster, so we asked him how a classical background sets up a producer/DJ with more electronic inclinations.

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Date: Apr 20th 2011 6:10p.m.
Contributed by: clairebared

RUFF (Ranik Ultimate Fighting Federation), China’s first homegrown MMA league, picks the finalists in their Ring Girls contest at the Big Bamboo. Nicole Lo took home the title on the night. Ring Girls have become synonymous with MMA, not only walking the cage in between rounds, but also serving as spokesmodels for the fastest growing sport in the world.

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Luohu District is located at the southern portion of the Shenzhen territory and has 10 subdistricts. Louho is known as a shopping district. Infrastructures where put up on a flattened hill, so they house a variety shopping places. Counterfeit goods can be bought in this district. Aside from the shopping spree that tourists can enjoy in the town, a dazzling nightlife awaits the partygoer.

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You’ve seen the results of our 2011 Reader Restaurant Awards – now let’s take a closer look at the winners. In each of this series of posts, we’ll cover the winners in a group of categories, with comments from theBeijinger.com’s User Reviews flagged up to indicate just why readers like them, and links to each venue’s Directory listing on our website.

Basic is best. Fancy and intricate dishes are great, but sometimes simple food can be just as indulgent and that is especially true with our next few categories. Pizzas covered in molten cheese, perfectly seared steaks, juicy burgers and delectable sandwiches make up our next batch of awards.

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People’s Republic of China

During the massive IP enforcement campaign “Bright Sword” police cracked down in Beijing, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Guizhou in 40 cases involving the production and selling of fake alcohol. China Daily wrote: “March 23 to 25, police raided 272 production and sales outlets nationwide and found more than 300 devices used for counterfeiting as well as over 13.5 million pieces of forged packaging materials, such as bottle caps, labels and boxes of well-known brands. Meanwhile, more than 30 tons of bulk wines and 13.5 million fake bottles, caps and labels worth up to 2 billion yuan (US$ 306 million) were also seized by police.” Read here.