You’re looking to use a Chinese manufacturer for your new innovative product in Shenzhen, however, you’re concerned about IP issues, communication barriers, and quality control. We all have this idea instilled in our minds that Chinese manufacturing is low quality, IP snatching industry. But, this is not the case, and can easily be avoided.
Chinese manufacturing has come a long way since the turn of the 21st century, fast becoming the leaders, and adopters, of new innovative tech. Although Chinese manufacturers still rely heavily on their workforce, we have experienced great strides into the future of the Chinese manufacturing industry and we are seeing changes in the quality of products produced by Chinese manufacturers, especially Shenzhen manufacturers.
Concerns about Chinese manufacturers
There are many legitimate concerns surrounding IP (intellectual property) when outsourcing your manufacturing to China. However, not all Chinese factories are like this, quite the opposite, the majority of Chinese manufacturers are more concerned with the quantity you want to produce rather than replicating your ideas altogether. To overcome this and give yourself reassurance, get the manufacturer and everyone involved with your product, to sign an NDA (Non-disclosure agreement), yes these are upheld in China. I advise you to also look into choosing a Chinese manufacturer with a high reputation who’s got more to lose than you (i.e a publicly-traded Chinese manufacturer).
Choosing the right Chinese manufacturer
When choosing the right manufacturer, you need to do enough research to find out whether that manufacturer will be able to deliver the right type of quality you’re looking for. You should be looking out for, the equipment they use, such as, SPIs (solder paste inspection), and AOIs (automated optic inspection) which check the quality of a PCB (printed circuit board). These machines ensure that your PCB is of the highest quality before creating the PCBA (printed circuit board assembly).
We advise you to take a look at the surroundings and processes in which your product will be going through. You will then be able to highlight any issues you have with the Chinese manufacturers’ process and/or ask questions when uncertain. Talk with the staff too, see what they are like and how they operate? This gives you a much better understanding of the manufacturer’s management style which could impact your judgment and/or the quality of your product.
Communication and quality among Chinese manufacturers
Communication and quality are a concern, that, in our opinion, is one of the biggest issues that scares start-ups from choosing a Chinese manufacturer. There’s no single solution to bypass this problem. China is China, and not everyone speaks your language (English). Although, many Chinese manufacturers are aware of these issues and have invested time in hiring English speaking staff.
On the other hand, within an engineering team, there will usually be an NPI (new product introduction) engineer, who will be working on behalf of your product, and another on behalf of the Chinese manufacturer. The two engineers will have the necessary communication skills to have your specifications fabricated correctly in the factory. This is one solution to the communication barrier between your company and the factory.
Alternatives to working with a Chinese manufacturer
You may want to consider partnering with a Shenzhen engineering team to back you throughout your development process. Shenzhen is the hardware hub of the world and figuring out where you should build will be a big decision too. However, think communicators, think who will help you grow long-term vs short-term. China is full of manufacturers, so ensure you choose the right manufacturer whom you can build a trustworthy partnership with, more often or not Chinese manufactures value long-term partnerships, so, they’ll work hard to satisfy your needs.
Just keep in mind that there are many Chinese manufacturers in Shenzhen who are more than willing to manufacture your product. Many companies choose Shenzhen because of its engineering expertise and vast electronic supply-chain. On the other hand, there is a long list of procedures your product must go through in order to be manufacture-ready. So make sure you have a strong engineering team supporting your product, and running the right due diligence on your company’s behalf.
It’s not hard getting your product ‘made in China’ just know your concerns can be met, and your product completely developed to your specifications. Shenzhen is changing the accuracy and quality of hardware development, which complements future technology. Of course, as a company you’re going to hold your product and ideas close to your chest, however, there will come a time when you will need a Chinese manufacturing partner, so, choose wisely.
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