中国的质量控制：真的是一个挑战吗？

对于西方的许多企业主，决定manufacture products or componentsfrom low-cost regions such as China is never an easy one. But most eventually cross that bridge because factories in these regions can manufacture your product for a fraction of what it costs you in the West.

在考虑这一转变时，企业主遇到的许多问题中，最大的关系之一就是quality。They wonder if a factory in China can manufacture their component or product to the same specifications as their suppliers in Europe or the US.

有时，他们的担忧是由于粘稠的感知而引起的（值得庆幸的是），即“中国制造”标签是质量差的代名词。直到几年前，在中国生产的商品质量可能已经存在质量问题，但中国的大量工厂现在生产与西方质量标准相匹配的商品，有时甚至超出了它们。

The drivers for this change have been many – mainly larger exposure to the global market and its requirements, as well as the demands of the growing Chinese middle class. These domestic consumers are a massive market on their own and are seeking out and willing to pay for high-quality goods such as electronics, home décor, toys, clothing and accessories, sports and fitness goods.

实际上，一些中国消费者品牌现在已被全球认可：思考小米，海尔和联想。

Having spent a few years in China working as a sourcing agent mainly for die casting, metal stamping and plastic injection moulding products, I’d like to share a few insights I have on quality in the Chinese manufacturing sector.

1.East vs West: Accept the cultural differences and keep walking

There is a difference in the cultural attitudes to quality in China as compared with Europe and the US. Though China has been a global exporter for years, that difference still exists, and buyers andsourcing agents经常发现自己反对这种态度。

一个常见的回答是：“正当”。在质量检查期间，您发现该产品的偏差不可接受，但工厂代表会坚持：“这是正确的”。

When you are looking at a component that has specific quality standards that have been provided in detail in the manufacturing agreement, this response simply does not cut it when a product fails a quality inspection. Deviations of about .2 mm or differences in colour in a batch may be “just about right” for some manufacturers, but are unacceptable to many buyers and their customers. So though Chinese manufacturers think we are really picky sometimes, we labour on.

Having said that, the official standards that the West uses to audit quality control may not be a reliable indicator of quality control in a Chinese factory. This brings me to my second point.

2. Chinese factories may lack quality control documentation, but they certainly have awareness.

如果您使用西方标准审核中国工厂，您可能会发现这两个结果频繁弹出：

a. The factory’s quality control process will look terrible on paper but their product is likely to match your specifications.

b. The factory’s quality control process looks great in an audit, but your product is a disaster.

为什么这样？

西方质量控制标准，例如在工厂拥有进程的质量控制官员，在纸上看起来不错，工厂甚至可能有一个指定的人，但是您知道该人是否实际上是有资格的那个人实际上在工厂地板上？

在我的经验中,有一个老太太用卡尺s walking around the factory floor inspecting products as they are made is far more effective than a “quality control officer” whose presence looks impressive on paper and during an audit but does not really contribute to maintaining quality in the manufacturing process.

根据我的经验，我们与质量合作的大多数工厂都表现出色，因为这是他们专门研究的。这些小型工厂仅生产一个利基市场，其员工知道该产品的来龙去脉。

因此，在中国选择一家工厂时，将在制造该特定产品或以前提供给西方国家的产品的名单上始终是一个好主意，因为这意味着工厂对西方质量期望很熟悉。

Additionally, while negotiating with the factory, carefully go over all your产品规格以及其他要求和期望并确保以书面形式清楚地传达它们。

You must either arrange for quality control inspections or conduct them yourself. Most factories are open to such inspections and you should avoid factories that resist these checks.

Follow these basic tips and you will get a good product (and less white hair) nine times out of 10.

This brings me to my third and final point.

3. Quality is directly proportional to manufacturing cost

Simply put, you get what you pay for. Raw materials, labour, electricity, and the maintenance of factory infrastructure such as machinery cost money. A manufacturer will therefore have a price floor – the minimum cost it takes to manufacture that product without compromising on quality.

有时，大型买家倾向于尝试进一步降低供应商的价格，并且供应商可能会让位，也许是因为订单的规模。

But remember that an unnatural reduction in price will always have repercussions elsewhere – perhaps in the use of cheaper (and lower quality) raw materials, less skilled factory workers or poor conditions of work. All this has implications on quality. In the long run, this can affect the delivery of your product and your reputation.