Considered one of the grandest celebrations in Southeast Asia, the Chinese New Year is also the lengthiest holiday of their lunar year. Traditionally, the Chinese New Year lasts 15 days; however, as many workers travel with their families, the celebration dates vary. For businesses relying on our international supply chain, this often leads to an incredibly stressful time and an abundance of uncertainty. As suppliers cease production, there is often the anticipation of when a supplier will reopen, start production, and at what capacity? Our suggestion? Don’t slow down! Use the momentum from your New Year goals and use the CNY shutdown to your competitive advantage. While some businesses may use the excuse of the CNY holiday to sit back and patiently wait for things to happen, this is your opportunity to get ahead and thrive!

It’s 2022, and you have a fresh, new budget, big business goals, but yet - something doesn’t feel quite right. Although you may not recognize it right now, you may encounter situations this year that prevent you from reaching your fullest potential. Unfortunately, if you aren’t aware of these roadblocks, you may not realize how to avoid them or overcome them. While international outsourcing continues to be a conflicting topic of business conversation, we’re here to share with you four subtle clues that may have a positive influence and may even lead you to alter the way you conduct business. Whether you’re looking to invest in international outsourcing or just curious how it could benefit your business, international outsourcing strategies are explicitly geared to play to your strengths and values to meet your business goals.

Now is certainly not the time to go "missing" from your supplier. If you're looking to continue producing high-quality products at an affordable price, it's critical to remain in close contact with your supplier and carefully oversee your order(s). Before the Chinese New Year, suppliers rush through production, doing everything they can to ensure orders placed before CNY are completed and shipped on time. Positive and supportive communication can help to alleviate stress for both of you during this hectic time. Whether virtual or in-person, our global sourcing team has compiled six tips to ensure you continue to have consistent, quality communication with your supplier.

As a Global Sourcing Agency, it is our job to ensure our customers are well-informed of the status of their current projects, future orders, and the holiday schedules of their suppliers. While our world enters a season of excitement and joy, it is also a time that businesses endure a lot of stress. Temporary closures and shut-downs mean stagnant factories and an idle supply chain, as companies strategically gamble through their “built-up” inventory, hoping to appease customers through early Spring. For importers, the anticipation of Chinese New Year (CNY) can create havoc and unwanted agony as the dates of the CNY holiday can range between two weeks and a couple of months.

While 2020 was a year unlike any of us have ever experienced, 2021 has had its trials and tribulations, as well. As we get closer to 2022, now is the most suitable time to reflect, review and evaluate your business and personal successes, as well as areas that may need strengthening. If you’re looking to start the new year off with a “clean slate” or “fresh start,” make time to identify and celebrate your 2021 achievements. What happened this year that allowed your business to thrive? How did your business become better? What is your current business culture like? Do your mission statements and business goals reflect the successes you had in 2021?

These are three words that encompass entirely different meanings that ultimately depict the culture of your business. Unfortunately, obtaining all three of these values isn't sustainable. A company that focuses on varying combinations of these words will tell you that certain combinations are more beneficial for them than others. For example, combining the terms good and cheap may equate to a high-quality product at a low cost; however, maybe the lead time of this project is incredibly off-putting and doesn't meet your customer's demands. Perhaps your business has toyed with the terms: fast and cheap. The fallback? There could be concerns with the quality of your product, a risk to your company's reputation, and disappointed customers. Alternatively, your business might focus attention on the terms: good and fast, but after receiving a quote, you realize it's much too expensive to produce and well out of your customer's project budget. Now what?

You're Not Alone: Managing and Avoiding Supply Chain Disruptions Do you feel like you're the only one affected by supply chain disruptions? Trust us. You're not alone. Supply chain disruptions will always be a popular [...]