Guidance and Tips to Import from China to UK

When you are planning to import from China
to UK, you will have to keep some very important aspects of business in mind. The
business of import and export stands on the pillars of trust. Therefore, you
will have to make sure that you select a china supplier who can be trusted. If
you are willing to put trust in someone, then you will have to make sure that
you verify some important things. Even before you source a product from china,
you will have to plan a complete quality monitoring programme. This plan can be
made in-house or you can select a third party consultant.

Once the plan is ready, it needs to be
executed. The execution of the quality monitoring programme needs to be
according to the plan. If there are any deviations from the plan, then they
need to be flagged immediately. When the product reaches you, it is imperative
that you check the product and compare it with your expectations. If the
products are not meeting the specifications, you will have to undertake a root
cause analysis. This root cause analysis will give you a deep understanding of
the processes or steps that are not happening in the right manner.

There are many loopholes that you need to
overcome when you are sourcing products from china. Electronic products may
appear to be very cheap to you, but you will have to check the compatibility
from your side as well. Before you place an order, you will have to ask for a
sample from the china factory. These samples need to be according to the
specifications that you send to the china factory. Once you receive these
samples, they need to be checked very well. You may have to employ technical
experts who can have good look at the sample and test it against the set
guidelines.

If the product or products meet the
guidelines, you can go ahead and place a bulk order. You can either go directly
to the china factories, or you can hire a good sourcing agent china
to act as a bridge between you and the china factory. The sourcing agent is
generally from china, but you will have to be in constant touch with the agent
so that you get a holistic picture of the processes.

If you feel that the china sourcing agent
is not doing a good job, you will have to send a team to China and ask them to
talk to the sourcing agent. If still, there is no improvement in the services
of the china sourcing agent, then you will have to terminate the contract with
the sourcing agent. However, you will have to make sure that you have a good
backup plan to meet the project requirements. China sources are good, but you
will have to remain alert all the time.

You will have to open all your
communication channels so that you have a transparent dialogue with them.
Importing from China is all about building strong relationships. Most import
ventures have failed when they have not communicated well with their china
counterparts. If you treat china suppliers as regular suppliers, you are not
doing anything to build a relationship. However, if you treat the china
suppliers as partners, you will surely benefit from the relationship.         

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Salient
Features of Product Sourcing from China