Doing business with Chinese suppliers is not always easy and smooth. Difficulties understanding and interpreting what your partners say or write, different concepts of deadlines and terms, quality control issues, and lack of product knowledge due to different market requirements are the most common problems foreign businesses face while dealing with Chinese manufacturers and suppliers.
As a Chinese construction machinery and hydraulic parts company with an international team and rich experience in working with foreign customers, WEITAI will give you some tips on preventing these potential issues.
Language confusion or loss in translation
First of all, try to avoid language confusion. Chinese is the only official language in China. Although most of the population studies English at school, very few people can speak and understand it on a decent level.
The best way of communication will be by writing e-mails. Try not to write long and descriptive ones, keep them short and highlight the most essential parts. If you don’t receive e-mails back, follow up with the phone/WeChat call. It will help to ensure that your partners receive and understand your messages.
If you plan to visit your Chinese partners, bring an interpreter. Even if the level of your partner’s English is decent, it would be good to have an extra pair of ears to ensure that you understood each other correctly. Remember about cultural differences, it will help you to smooth the communication process.
Quality control issues
As you know, different countries have different quality standards and levels of acceptance of quality faults. To ensure your Chinese partner understands your requirements, create a list of them and a QC (quality control) checklist. Many foreign companies often choose to hire a third party for a final product quality check. If you work with your supplier/manufacturer for the first time, you might want to do that too.
Longer delivery times
If you place a small order, the delivery time might get longer as the factory will try to manufacture your products when they have a short break between big orders. In addition, customs procedures in China can be quite long as well. So prepare for the fact that the production/delivery time of the original contract might get extended. Always keep up with the order by requesting e-mails with confirmations about different production stages and expected shipping terms.
Lack of product understanding
As the biggest world producer with a global manufacturing output of almost 28%, China supplies not only the products Chinese people are familiar with but many other goods for other international markets as well. Sometimes it leads to misunderstanding of some specific requirements of the product. Therefore, very precise quality requirements and a detailed QC checklist will help to minimize the risk of receiving the wrong/poorly made product.
We hope these tips were helpful for you! If you are looking for a reliable and experienced construction machinery parts supplier in China, message us!
