Best 14001 Podcasts (2024)

1
10 Common Problems From Chinese Suppliers (& How You Can Deal With Them) 49:16

2h ago49:16

49:16

Adrian and Renaud get together to talk about 10 common problems that companies with Chinese manufacturing suppliers often face, AND how you can deal with them. Hopefully, you are not one of the unlucky ones, but being prepared with the knowledge to avoid issues is always helpful! Show Sections 00:00 - Greetings and introduction 03:22 - 1. If your s…

1
Quality Fade: Silent AND Deadly! 36:41

7d ago36:41

36:41

Adrian and Renaud discuss Quality Fade. This bad practice from suppliers sees them put their profits before your product quality, but the big problem is that you may not even know it is happening as it's a gradual process where quality declines over time, bit by bit. Are you at risk, how do you identify it, and what can you do to combat it? We reve…

1
PCBA Protection: How to Care for the Heart of your Electronic Product 27:03

13d ago27:03

27:03

On this episode of the China Manufacturing Decoded Podcast, Adrian hosts and is joined by Andrew, our reliability and testing head who is going to explain why the PCBA in your electronic product is critical, and how to protect it both physically and through product design. Show Sections 00:00 - Greetings and introduction. 01:45 - What is the PCB an…

1
Traceability In Manufacturing: Far More Than Just A Safety Net 41:44

25d ago41:44

41:44

Adrian and Renaud are talking about traceability for manufacturers which provides a detailed record of how the products are manufactured and the supply chain, from raw materials to finished products. Having this mindset and system can help you to reduce risks and deal with problems quickly by pinpointing where they arise. It can also help you be a …

1
Boeing's Serious Issue: Bad Manufacturing Habits 39:18

1M ago39:18

39:18

Air travel requires an extremely high level of safety, so it's very embarrassing for Boeing that they have been dogged by quality and reliability issues lately, resulting in a near-disaster on a brand new Alaska Airlines 737 Max. Renaud and Paul look at Boeing's recent troubles, based on information from news reports, that seem to have been caused …

1
Manufacturer's & Buyer's Risks in China: Mitigation and Insurance Tips 34:36

1M ago34:36

34:36

Our CEO Renaud is joined by Marc Burban and Amanda Han, insurance brokers from Asian Risks Management Services. We get advice from these two China insurance experts, explore the typical risks that manufacturers and buyers in China face, and learn how you can use insurance and risk management to mitigate them. For anyone manufacturing in China, this…

1
Chinese e-Bike/Scooter Battery Fire Risks Are No Joke! (Feat.Clive Greenwood) 35:16

1M ago35:16

35:16

Renaud is joined by regular guest, Clive Greenwood, an international product compliance expert based in China. They talk about the growing risks of Li-ion batteries used in Chinese e-bikes and scooters amid many high-profile fires in China, deaths in the West, and grave warnings from the FDNY. Clive also makes suggestions about how legislation can …

1
Apple Vision Pro Cracking Up! Reliability Problems, So Soon? (BONUS) 15:03

2M ago15:03

15:03

In this bonus episode, our host and CEO Renaud is joined by our product reliability and durability expert, Andrew Amirnovin, to talk about the bad news for Apple that their much-hyped Vision Pro headset is cracking just weeks after being released to the public. They explore the durability problems rearing their heads only a month or so into the pro…

1
Plastic & Metal Development Prototypes: Uses & Limitations 34:45

2M ago34:45

34:45

Adrian hosts and is joined by Sofeast Group senior engineer, Paul Adams, and they talk about the uses and limitations of the metal and plastic 'development prototypes,' that is to say, product prototypes made during the development process and before mass production. Remember, these are not production-standard prototypes, but that doesn't mean that…

1
Handing Over To Manufacturing: Best Practices 39:41

2M ago39:41

39:41

Adrian and Renaud discuss how to plan for the handover of your innovative new product to manufacturing (with a focus on hard goods with mechanical elements and some electronic/electrical parts). Product handover should be a structured process of actions taken mainly before the manufacturer gets involved to ensure a smooth transition from you to the…

1
Technology & Innovation in Freight Forwarding (Feat. Amit Rosenthal, CEO of Proboxx) 33:32

2M ago33:32

33:32

Renaud hosts today and welcomes guest speaker Amit Rosenthal, CEO of Proboxx, to the show and this episode's focus is on moving your products from Asia to where they need to be via freight forwarding. They discuss how the latest technological advancements in freight forwarding are streamlining operations, improving tracking and transparency, and of…

1
What's A Good QA Auditing & Inspection Program For New Products? 42:24

2M ago42:24

42:24

Adrian and Renaud go through what makes a good QA auditing and inspection program for innovative new electro-mechanical products that will reduce risks of poor quality, reliability, and compliance, and detect the issues in time for them to be worked on before anything is shipped. Unless you are producing simple products or working with a supplier w…

1
Why NOT doing ESD testing on new electronic products is scary! 43:13

3M ago43:13

43:13

On this episode of the China Manufacturing Decoded Podcast, Adrian hosts and is joined by Andrew, our reliability and compliance expert, from the Sofeast Group for a deep dive into electrostatic discharge (ESD) – a critical factor in electronics production with the potential for significant impact on product success and customer satisfaction. They …

1
Impact of Yemen's Houthis On Global Shipping in Jan '24 (BONUS) 19:00

3M ago19:00

19:00

Welcome to our special 200th episode of China Manufacturing Decoded, a podcast by Sofeast Group, where we discuss global manufacturing topics to help you decode and navigate the supply chain world. In this episode, we discuss the impact of the Houthi Yemeni rebels' attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, and how it may affect your shipping costs and ot…

1
The Experience Effect: The Key to Mass Production Cost Reduction & Efficiency 37:40

3M ago37:40

37:40

In this insightful episode, host Renaud Anjoran and senior engineer Paul Adams delve into the intriguing world of the 'experience effect' - a phenomenon that offers a wealth of benefits in mass production through persistent refinement and accumulated knowledge. Immersing you in several industrial examples, Renaud and Paul throw light on how Boeing …

1
Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 Near Disaster! Quality & Reliability Issues? 39:06

3M ago39:06

39:06

Renaud and Andrew Amirnovin, Sofeast's Head of Compliance and Reliability, are talking about the Boeing 737 Max 9 airplane that has been in the news again following a very frightening incident where part of the body blew out leading to a sudden depressurization and emergency landing. But why did this occur? Are there more quality and reliability is…

1
Cost Vs Quality - How Manufacturers Can Find A Balance 40:48

3M ago40:48

40:48

Adrian and Renaud tackle the big question of cost versus quality and how they both affect each other in manufacturing. You'll learn common Chinese attitudes towards them, the long-term power of lean, and some achievable levers that can bring you cost and quality benefits that most businesses can implement quickly. Show Sections 00:00 - Greetings an…

1
7 Key NPI Tasks To Do Before You Take Your Product Into Production 26:50

4M ago26:50

26:50

In this episode... Adrian and Andrew Amirnovin kick off 2024 by going through 7 key New Product Introduction tasks you need to be aware of to get a positive outcome before mass producing your product. If this is the year you bring a product to market, get ahead of the curve by bearing these 7 things in mind from one of our most experienced team mem…

1
13 Strategies To Ensure Consistent Product Quality 53:45

4M ago53:45

53:45

Adrian and Renaud return for the last podcast of 2023, a bumper episode where they go through 13 quality strategies you can adopt to achieve consistent product quality. They're roughly split into pre-production and post-production strategies, so settle down and dive in here! Show Sections 00:00 - Greetings and introduction. Pre-production 02:18 - 1…

1
How to add Surface Textures to Molded Plastic Parts (Feat. Paul Adams) 49:03

4M ago49:03

49:03

Adrian hosts and Paul Adams, one of Sofeast's senior engineers joins him to talk about how to add surface textures to plastic injection mold tooling and get the finish that we want on our plastic molded parts. Show Sections 00:00 - Greetings and introduction to textures for plastic injection molded parts. 02:55 - General points about getting starte…

1
Do you need a sourcing agent to buy from China? 45:28

5M ago45:28

45:28

Adrian and Renaud chat about whether hiring a sourcing agent is necessary for businesses that want to purchase products from China. They also discuss the different options, such as doing the sourcing work yourself, and their pros and cons. Show Sections 00:00 - Greetings and news: CNY '24 prep and visa-free China entry for 6 countries. 08:06 - Who …

1
Should you be wary of the cheapest Chinese suppliers? 40:17

5M ago40:17

40:17

Adrian hosts and Renaud is onboard to offer some cautionary advice about working with 'the cheapest Chinese supplier' with a focus on relatively ordinary consumer and electronic products. What might sound like a good deal could actually land you in hot water. Here's why... Show Sections 00:00 - Greetings and introduction: Should we be wary of choos…

1
Getting Ahead Of The Upcoming EU Product Liability Directive (Feat. Clive Greenwood & Prof. Simon Choi) 41:17

5M ago41:17

41:17

In this episode... Renaud hosts this episode on the EU's forthcoming directive on product liability which should get you nervous if you sell into Europe. Clive Greenwood and Prof. Simon Choi are two highly experienced compliance experts and Professor Choi brings a fresh outlook on how this affects manufacturers in China and EU importers in legal te…

1
How A Supplier’s Quality Can Be Evaluated & Validated 42:39

5M ago42:39

42:39

In this episode... Renaud and Andrew, Sofeast's head of New Product Development, are in the booth discussing how a supplier's quality can be evaluated and validated. In order to avoid purchasing parts or materials that will let you down, you need to be able to assess if a supplier is capable of reaching your requirements, and they're going to tell …

1
Sourcing Chinese Suppliers? 7 expert tips to get you better results! 46:14

6M ago46:14

46:14

In this episode... Adrian hosts and welcomes Kate Oliynykova, Sofeast's head of supply chain management, onto the podcast once again. This time she sheds light on how we do supplier identification for customers, sharing 7 tips for key areas to focus on and lots of advice that can help you get better results when you're sourcing from China (or other…

1
China’s REAL business environment for foreign investors today + How to set up a manufacturing company there 38:00

6M ago38:00

38:00

Sofeast's CEO Renaud welcomes China business expert Angel Ho, CEO of Hongda Business Services in Shenzhen, onto the show to talk about what the business environment for foreigners seeking to do business there today is really like, and about the process of setting up a manufacturing facility in China for foreigners and all of the legal and administr…

1
18 steps for selecting electronic components the right way 47:24

6M ago47:24

47:24

In this episode... Adrian and Andrew Amirnovin, Sofeast's reliability expert and our head of New Product Development, return and explore component selection (especially for electronics). This is just one piece of the manufacturing puzzle, but if you get it wrong it will come back to bite you! Luckily, Andrew is here to walk you through 18 steps tha…

1
Technology Readiness Levels: How can they help today’s manufacturers? 38:36

6M ago38:36

38:36

In this episode... Renaud hosts and is joined by Sofeast's senior engineer Paul Adams to go through Technology Readiness Levels which is a product development framework that is often used to gauge the progress of a new product launch project, especially during prototyping. But is it useful for today's manufacturers who are mass producing, say, cons…

1
DFM lessons we can learn from Elon Musk 33:44

7M ago33:44

33:44

Sofeast's CEO Renaud flies solo in this episode and discusses what he thought of the recent Elon Musk biography by Walter Isaacson. What can we, the manufacturing community, learn from this enigmatic character? As you'll hear, one of his specialities is making positive DFM (Design for Manufacturing) changes, so there will be plenty of focus on thos…

1
Testing To Failure For Your Product - Why? 42:16

7M ago42:16

42:16

In this episode... Adrian and Andrew Amirnovin, Sofeast's reliability expert and our head of New Product Development, are back on the pod and taking you on a journey into what testing to failure is, its benefits, and why you will find it a useful tool in your product reliability testing arsenal. Show Sections 00:00 - Greetings and introducing today…

1
7 Key Learnings From Manufacturing Organizational Charts 32:20

7M ago32:20

32:20

Sofeast's CEO Renaud explains what a manufacturing organizational chart is and, critically, 7 key things that we can learn about our suppliers from theirs. During your sourcing journey, Renaud's advice will help you spot potential issues with some red flags to be aware of. (Adrian from the team hosts). Show Sections 00:00 - Greetings and introducti…

1
How to use reliability data to make better products & save money 39:43

7M ago39:43

39:43

In this episode... Renaud hosts today and is joined by Andrew Amirnovin, Sofeast's reliability expert and our head of New Product Development, to cover the topic of reliability data and how it can be used to help you make better products and reduce your costs. Show Sections 00:00 - Greetings and introducing today's topic. 00:43 - What kind of relia…

1
Avoid Sending Immature Product Designs to a Chinese Manufacturer! 28:59

7M ago28:59

28:59

Renaud makes it clear where you need to be with new product designs before you approach Chinese manufacturers. He also explains the risks with immature designs, common red flags, and the work you'll need to do to have designs that can be called 'ready to industrialize.' Show Sections 00:00 - Introduction. 01:24 - What do we mean by mature product d…

1
Building Better Systems & Processes For Importers (Feat. Gianmarco Meli) 40:59

8M ago40:59

40:59

Renaud welcomes e-commerce guru and host of the popular 'The Seller Process' podcast, Gianmarco Meli, to the podcast today to talk about building better systems and processes for your company if you're importing and selling products that you make or buy in low-cost Asia online via e-commerce and want to be more successful. Show Sections 00:00 - Int…

1
The Benefits of a Feasibility Study (during new product development) 51:54

8M ago51:54

51:54

Renaud and Adrian talk about what a feasibility study for new products is, its benefits, and everything you need to know in order to implement yours. This will really help you to identify potential issues long before you manufacture your product, saving time and money on correcting them later on. Show Sections 00:00 - Introduction. 02:01 - Many peo…

1
Component-Level Testing Deep Dive 48:22

8M ago48:22

48:22

In this episode... Join Andrew Amirnovin, Sofeast's reliability expert and our head of New Product Development, on a deep dive into what component-level testing is, the process followed for selecting and testing components that won't let you down, and the various benefits you'll get by doing this during the product design and development process. S…

1
The Taguchi Method (Robust Design): Manufacturing New Products Consistently 40:05

8M ago40:05

40:05

Renaud and our senior engineer Paul Adams discuss the Taguchi method, also known as Robust Design. The Taguchi method is a tool used in engineering and manufacturing to improve product and process quality and reduce defects at an early stage. It is a statistical analysis approach used early in the product development process that reduces your costs…

1
Cheap Battery Risks And Why New Laws Mean Their Days Are Numbered 58:42

9M ago58:42

58:42

In this episode... China-based British compliance expert, Clive Greenwood, joins Renaud this time to discuss the risks that cheap Li-ion batteries from China flooding the globe pose to consumers. They go on to discuss in detail the health and safety and compliance laws governing batteries (and most products), and forthcoming sustainability laws tha…

1
Reliability Nightmares! Titan Sub Disaster & Siemens Gamesa Wind Turbines 41:52

9M ago41:52

41:52

In this episode... Sofeast's CEO Renaud and Andrew Amirnovin, reliability expert and our head of New Product Development, explore two high-profile product reliability nightmares that have been in the news recently: the destruction of the Oceangate Titan submersible that catastrophically imploded near the wreck of the Titanic and the reliability fai…

1
EU Product Compliance Overview & Tips for Buyers (Feat. Fredrik Grönkvist) 38:47

9M ago38:47

38:47

Sofeast CEO Renaud welcomes our friend Fredrik Grönkvist of Compliancegate.com to the show today to talk about EU product compliance, in particular, harmful substances of note, common regulations or directives you need to comply with, and what we can learn from recent data about non-compliant products found by EU market surveillance authorities. Th…

1
Partnering with a Chinese Factory: A Misguided Intention? 36:24

9M ago36:24

36:24

Renaud and Adrian tackle the issue of whether partnering with your Chinese factory is a misguided intention. The Western win-win mindset doesn't mean as much in China, and buyers may find that neglecting basic protections such as a manufacturing contract in the name of not upsetting their supplier and having a 'strong partnership' is a big mistake.…

1
”Help! I Have No Idea What Reliability Testing My Product Needs!” 32:53

10M ago32:53

32:53

In this episode... Sofeast's Andrew Amirnovin, product reliability expert, joins Adrian from the team to introduce reliability testing and explain the kinds of questions you'll need to answer if you're bringing a new product to market and want to assure that it's as reliable as possible. You may know that you need your product to be reliable, but w…

1
Question time! New Product Development, Purchasing Electronics, Supplier Bankruptcy, and Reliability & Quality Tips. 43:17

10M ago43:17

43:17

Renaud answers four exciting questions from our listeners in this episode. We cover new product development, if and how to start purchasing and importing electronics, supplier bankruptcy, and tips for controlling product quality and reliability. Show Sections 00:00 - Introduction. 01:22 - 1. New product development for a product with a GSM module. …

1
10 Key Factors Impacting Cost Of Electronic Product Design 45:16

10M ago45:16

45:16

In this episode... Sofeast's Andrew Amirnovin, reliability expert and head of New Product Development, joins Adrian from the team as they discuss which factors impact electronic product design costs and why. This will be a helpful reminder for any business designing a new product that wants to keep a control over costs. Show Sections 00:00 - Greeti…

1
Responsible & Sustainable Purchasing Practices 37:48

10M ago37:48

37:48

Renaud and Adrian discuss responsible and sustainable purchasing, the latter taking things even further than the former, and why buyers play an important role in their suppliers' ESG performance. This episode will give you food for thought on how your actions affect the supply chain. Show Sections 00:00 - Introduction. 02:44 - What is responsible p…

1
Observations about ’Post-Covid’ China for Visitors (June ’23) 53:07

10M ago53:07

53:07

Renaud and Adrian are both coming live from China for the first time on the podcast. Now they've both been able to visit following covid, what has most obviously changed? What tips do they have for business visitors? How's the economic landscape? Here are their observations, focusing on Guangdong, as that's where Sofeast is based. Show Sections 00:…

1
Building A Product While Keeping The Whole Customer Journey In Mind 50:41

11M ago50:41

50:41

In this episode... Sofeast's CEO Renaud and head of New Product Development, Andrew discuss how to build a product while keeping the whole customer journey in mind. There is more to launching a product than just making a good product, strange as it may sound at first, and you'll see that manufacturers need to consider the whole customer journey whe…

1
Why Sustainability Requirements Will Force Companies To Get Visibility Into Their Supply Chains 50:34

11M ago50:34

50:34

Renaud and Adrian from Sofeast are talking about forthcoming sustainability requirements which are going to require importers to have a LOT more visibility over their supply chains, especially those who sell in the EU. They dig into how this will affect you in this episode... Show Sections 00:00 - Greetings and introduction. 01:40 - The EU 'Green D…

1
Product Returns? Here’s How Reliability Engineers Find And Fix The Issues. 41:23

11M ago41:23

41:23

In this episode... Sofeast's resident reliability expert and head of New Product Development, Andrew Amirnovin, joins Adrian from the team to show you the 5-step process of how to fix problem products that are being returned by customers. Everyone hopes they won't be affected by product reliability issues resulting in returns, but if it does happen…

1
How to Design Products with a Lower Environmental Impact 1:01:46

11M ago1:01:46

1:01:46

Renaud, assisted by Adrian from the team, provides a number of environmental improvement strategies based on the IEC 62430 standard for environmentally conscious design that you can follow when designing your new product. Improving sustainability is becoming more important for businesses, especially with new legislation like the EU's ecodesign for …

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