Articles on Outsourcing & Manufacturing Custom Products
Doing Business
China vs Vietnam vs Bangladesh apparel, compared by garment type, order size, fabric source and US or EU destination, with current US tariffs and a pick for each scenario.
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Apparel Series
Supplier verification in China comes down to three checks: business license, company chop, and bank account name. How to run each one before you pay.
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Doing Business
The sourcing agent red flags to check before you pay anyone. Use them to judge whether an agent is accountable to you or to the factory it works with.
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Electronics Series
UN38.3 certification explained: battery transport tests, test reports and summaries, supplier responsibilities, and how to plan the testing budget.
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Apparel Series
Chinese New Year 2027 falls on 6 February. See when to start production and ship to avoid Chinese New Year shipping delays in Q1.
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Electronics Series
CE marking vs FCC: what each covers, who tests, and what selling an electronic product in the US, the EU and the UK actually requires before launch.
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Doing Business
What certifications does my product need? A matrix by product type for the US, UK and EU, covering FCC, CE, UKCA, CPSIA, UN38.3, REACH and RoHS.
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Doing Business
Sourcing agent vs factory direct, or a trading company? Who pays whom sets the incentive. Use our decision tree by experience level and order size.
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Electronics Series
PCB files for manufacturing explained: Gerbers, drill files, BOM, pick-and-place and assembly drawings. What a factory needs before it can quote and build.
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Apparel Series
The Chinese New Year factory shutdown lasts weeks, not days. When to place orders, how to protect quality after the restart, and how to plan around it.
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