Archive for the ‘Sorcit's China Diary’ Category

Hong Kong Airport

Final day at the fair which I have to say I was really looking forward to! The agenda for today was to revisit some fabric scarf manufacturers that I met yesterday to brief them on a new project and if possible get some quotes.  After that I headed to the carpets & flooring hall to discuss a current project with one of our rug manufacturers.  At the same time, I picked up a couple of other contacts.  I then spent the next few hours walking through the home textiles halls in search of possible manufacturers for towelling products, handkerchiefs, scarfs and kitchen textiles.  Not an easy task finding partners who you can trust and deliver a good service.  Picked up 2 or 3 very good options which we will investigate further.  I ended the fair with a trip to the fashion & travel bags hall, where I met some current suppliers of Sorcit and one or two new sources. Finally I headed back to my hotel for a good Thai meal before catching the train to Hong Kong and checking in for a brief overnight stay in one of the local airport hotels.  Looking forward to getting back for a good Sunday roast! Will be back in the UK office on Thursday.

Hope you enjoyed following my trip and I look forward to the next one in 2010. For a full range of our products and services click here.

First day of the fair which I focused on fashion accessories (scarfs, hats & handkerchiefs), office supplies (stationary & accessories) and medical devices & disposables (1st aid kits).   In each case, I had specific products or materials that I needed to find for current customer projects. Some interesting finds on the Sustainability front which will be very useful to follow up later. So a successful day at the fair and then I headed back to my hotel for an evening of e-mails! Tomorrow will be my final day at the fair, specifically looking at home textiles and possibly a few other categories, time permitting.

Began the day with a visit to a new ceramic factory which is located 30 minutes from our Xiamen office. Currently they have 60 workers and producing mid to high end glazed ornamental ceramics. Guide prices on some of Sorcit existing items suggest it is a possible factory for the near future. Afterwards, I headed back to the office for a final summary meeting with our Chinese staff. In the afternoon, I flew to Guangzhou for the 3rd and final phase of the Canton Fair which covers textiles, bags, sports equipment, office supplies and medical products.

Set off for Dehua (in the Fujian Province) this morning arriving at 10am. Initial visit to a small ceramic factory which we are consider to use developing some new items. Established 25 years ago, generally the quality of products was very good and the management seemed very professional. They produce garden ormaments, indoor decorative artefacts and tableware.   In the afternoon we headed to a factory that currently produces 100% of our ceramic business. I have known this factory for at least 13 years, so they understand our quality requirements and most important ensure our products are not copied. We have a number of key orders going through at present which I was involved in the QC process and at the same time new developments were discussed. After a good lunch and evening meal ended up back in Xiamen, ready for a final day in the China office tomorrow before heading to the Phase#3 of the Canton Fair.

Headed to Quanzhou today (1½ drive from Xiamen) where I visited 2 metal factories whom both produce indoor & outdoor handicrafts. The 1st factory recently moved to these new premises which were very impressive with a large showroom. Excellent quality factory, however, price tends to reflect this as they target medium to high end market. We have a project currently under development for a new innovative outdoor decorative range which we hope to start producing within the November and ship prior to Chinese New Year.

The 2nd fty was a smaller operation but have their own in-house tooling and stamping. Lower priced factory aimed at low to middle market.  We may consider developing few items in the beginning, with the aim to push this factory to produce higher end finishing.

Ended the day with a visit to a PET drinking bottle factory and toilet seat factory, both of which were well organised and producing good quality products.   Off to Dehua in the morning, one of China’s ceramic capitals!

Today was spent all day in our Xiamen office. Held two interviews in the morning, followed by two meetings with manufacturers in the afternoon. The first was a toilet seat manufacturer who currently produces novelty designs for one of our customers. They have recently opened a new factory in Quanzhou which is only a 1 hour drive from Xiamen. This will be good for quality control and new development. The second meeting was with a small metal manufacturer who produces components for various products which we combine with the metal e.g ceramic, wood, etc. The internet connection is too slow in the office for my UK domain, so I headed back to my hotel to carry on with the e-mails! Heading to Quanzhou in the morning for several factory visits.

Today was a busy day. Had two final stage interviews for office positions which both went well. The first was Chinese born but spent 8 years in New Zealand studying and then working for similar company to Sorcit. So a Chinese National with Western experience in similar company. The second was a materials science engineer who also has an MBA and could bring a lot of experience and contacts to the business. In the evening all the office staff and the two candidates joined me for dinner so we got to know them socially. Everyone had an enjoyable time. In the afternoon we travelled to a wooden factory that produces high quality wooden clocks and boxes for us. Main purpose was to discuss new developments. This was followed by a visit to a plastic  factory that specialises in producing bespoke projects. We currently have a number in production and under development. Extremely professional factory. All in all a productive day and now I am getting through e-mails!

Early start today (7am) with a one & half hour drive to textile factory (kitchen accessories & bags).  Checked quality of production for 2 orders which was excellent.  This is a factory based in Guangdong province which we started doing business with last year and is very professional in their approach to service and product quality.  We intend to do a lot more business with this factory over the coming year.

Was picked up @ 10am to drive to a new toiletries & cosmetics factory.  WOW!  What a factory.  From the outside of the building nothing to get excited about but still clean and organised.  Once you stepped into the building it was transformed.  Everything very modern and extremely clean. Everyone wears overcoat, head cover and shoe protectors.  They are producing for many famous cosmetics brands one of which they hope to secure in the near future is Chanel.  The young looking boss of this factory has been in the cosmetic industry for 25 years, so certainly knows his stuff!  Sorcit are currently working on a new development with this factory which will hopefully materialise over the coming months. I also have some other potential projects in the pipeline which they could produce and I will certainly be looking to write a more detailed blog on this manufacturer and its capabilities in the near future.

In the afternoon, I flew from Guangzhou to Xiamen ready to spend several days in our China office, recruiting more local staff and visiting factories. Upon arrival visited a bag factory that are currently producing a laptop bag in an eco friendly material…….great product which I am sure will sell very well for Christmas and well into 2010.

It has been a long day today! Covered home decorations, gifts/premiums and personal care. Picked up some very useful contacts for a number of projects currently under development. Got back about 8pm and have been on e-mail with UK ever since (now 12.30am). Getting collected in the morning @ 7am to visit one of our kitchen textile factories and inspect some current production and discuss new developments. After that, onto a new toiletry factory and then flying to Xiamen (where our China office is based).

First day at the Canton Fair phase 2 which covers general ceramics, art ceramics, gardening products, kitchen & tableware, glass artware, home decorations, gifts & premiums, festival products, clocks & watches, furniture, stone & iron products, household items, personal care products, toiletries, toys and weaving/rattan products. Lots of products!!! As usual my 1st stop was McDonalds to plan the day ahead and make sure I didn’t go hungry!  It was clearly evident that attendance was well below previous shows due the impact of global recession. The focus for me today was mainly ceramics (tableware and art ceramics) and kitchenware/tableware.  I came across excellent manufacturer of FSC approved wooden kitchen accessories (Oak, Sycamore, Beech, Birch) but more interesting was a new range of bamboo accessories produced in a variety of new techniques & finishes.  In terms of the ceramics, well it is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Too many manufacturers and trading companies all trying to get your business and you need to decipher which ones are genuine and can produce to Sorcit’s requirements.  I found at least half a dozen very good options which we will be exploring further over the coming months.  Looking forward to another day at the fair tomorrow and of course another McDonalds!