In this episode of The Supply Chain of Thought, Laura continues her conversation with Michael DeClerk, Founder & CEO of CPG Sourcing, as they dive deeper into CPG’s upcoming ebook, An Advanced Guide to China Sourcing and Procurement.
Building on Episode 5, this discussion walks through three critical chapters of the book:
-Quality assurance in China – from prevention to precision
-Contract negotiation and legal enforceability in China
-Communication as strategy across cultures, languages, and time zones
You’ll hear real-world stories from decades of China sourcing:
-When quality was “too good” and the buyer asked to lower quality
-A famous toy recall case that shows why specification detail matters
-Why “I trust my supplier” is not a contract strategy
-How a simple misunderstanding turned a Pantone-red pump into royal blue inventory
-Why communication failures create downstream supply chain disasters
In this episode, we cover:
00:00: Intro & recap of Part 1: Chapters 1 & 2
01:36: Chapter 3 Quality Assurance in China
02:12: The “three essentials” of China sourcing: price, quality, on-time delivery
03:50: Durability: from 50¢ spatula to $5,000 aerospace component
12:20: CPG’s three-tier quality assurance system (regulatory, functional, aesthetic)
20:45: Chapter 4 Contract Negotiation
25:10: Seasoned buyers with no contracts
30:28: Chopped contracts
38:48: Six core pillars of a strong China sourcing contract
40:41: NNN agreements, tooling/molding contracts & master service agreements
43:10: Chapter 5: Communication as strategy: culture, language and “saving face”
Get notified when the ebook is released and access more resources on China sourcing: Visit our website: https://cpgsourcing.com/
🎧 Subscribe to The Supply Chain of Thought for more deep dives on China sourcing, contracts, risk management, and international supply chains.
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#Contracts
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