Renaud, Paul, and Adrian are talking about assembly and checking fixtures. You'll learn what they are, how they work, and when to work on designing them.

If improving the speed, consistency, and quality of your products during mass production is important to you, as well as reducing costs, then you need to consider implementing fixtures in production to spur these improvements.

The same can be said for checking quality, too, as you'll see how in-line checking fixtures help you to avoid problems during production that can result in defective products creeping through.

00:00 - Greetings and introducing the topic: What happens if you have repeated quality issues from your manufacturing supplier?

01:17 - What are assembly fixtures? (+ examples).

11:00 - Benefits of assembly fixtures.

11:37 - Fixtures' role in mistake-proofing.

16:04 - Why good product design must include manufacturing process design.

20:24 - The timeline of when to work on process engineering and fixtures.

22:50 - Are fixtures hard to build and what materials can be used?

23:37 - Who pays for and owns the fixtures?

26:50 - What are checking fixtures (used for QC)?

27:59 - Examples of checking fixtures.

30:52 - How to decide where and how you need to be checking quality during production.

36:20 - The ROI of using fixtures.

38:15 - Why pilot runs are helpful for identifying where fixtures are needed.

39:24 - Wrapping up.

• Exploring The Key New Product Development Deliverables [Podcast]

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Renaud and Adrian discuss the unwelcome scenario of recurring quality problems from your outsourced supplier who's handling your manufacturing in China. They cover your quality standard, 6 tips on how to handle common recurring quality problems, and several reasons WHY these issues might be happening in the first place.

00:00 - Greetings and introducing the topic: What happens if you have repeated quality issues from your manufacturing supplier?

01:57 - YOU need to make sure that the supplier understands your quality standard first.

03:46 - Tip 1. Always inform the supplier clearly how and why they went wrong.

08:18 - Tip 2. Give feedback on issues as early as possible during production.

10:44 - Tip 3. NEVER accept quality lower than your standard, including making an exception.

14:00 - Tip 4. Clearly define your quality standard including critical, major, minor, and non-defects.

22:01 - Tip 5. Set AQL limits (i.e. tolerances for defects) that correspond to your quality standard.

26:09 - Tip 6. Switch to a newer better supplier.

31:46 - Why product design issues could actually be the cause of your troubles.

33:43 - Why poor manufacturing might be the cause.

37:08 - Why your supplier's suppliers might be the cause.

41:27 - Wrapping up.

• 4 quality standard levels [Podcast]

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Adrian from the team and Sofeast's reliability expert, Andrew Amirnovin, talk about ISTA package testing. Importers should consider doing this testing to gain peace of mind that the shipping cartons they select will get their products to their destination safely. You'll learn what the tests include, how much they cost, when to do them, and much more.

00:00 - Greetings and introducing the topic of ISTA package testing.

03:02 - Who is ISTA and what testing standards do they offer?

09:28 - ISTA-1a.

10:34 - ISTA-2a.

15:46 - ISTA-3a.

18:49 - Is ISTA testing mandatory?

19:47 - What does it cost?

22:26 - What does an ISTA test pass actually mean?

24:28 - What if your package fails the test?

26:01 - When should importers start thinking about packaging options?

29:33 - Do the tests require real product samples to be used?

31:19 - Wrapping up.

• 9 Types of Packaging (Benefits, Costs, Sustainability, and more) - Guide for Importers

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Sofeast's head of Supply Chain Management, Kate, joins Adrian in this short bonus podcast with a logistics focus to explain what HS and HTS codes are, and why they're so important for importers who are shipping their products from where they're manufactured to where they're going to be sold.

These codes are added to your customs declaration and classify what your product is. Different product codes will attract different levels of import duties, taxes, and tariffs, so selecting the right code is critical (and more than one might be appropriate for your product)! Your product classification may also influence the materials, components, and packaging you use, so that's also something to be aware of.

00:00 - Greetings.

01:11 - What are HS and HTS codes?

02:53 - How to select appropriate codes for your product/s?

03:33 - How the US/China trade war has affected costs for importers from China and why being aware of potential duties for your product is necessary before you ship.

06:319 - An example of where researching a better HTS code saved an American importer a lot of money.

08:59 - Kate's advice on getting the best code for your needs.

• HS vs HTS Codes: How to Find the Right Code for your Product? (incl. Links to Official Sources)

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Inventors with a new product concept are rightly concerned with IP protection. They sometimes ask if they should invest in a patent for their new idea ASAP. Renaud and Andrew join Adrian to cover this topic here.

You'll learn about types of patents, their cost, when a product is most likely to benefit from being patented, best practices for protecting your IP that you can follow before you file a patent, and plenty of examples of real businesses that had legal issues related to patents or who got to market successfully by being smart and careful about IP.

00:00 - Greetings & today's topic: Patents for new hardware products.

03:33 - IP protection Basics 1: Always sign an NDA when disclosing the product concept to people in the industry.

04:58 - IP protection Basics 2: These actions will get your product idea copied early.

07:14 - The different types of patents.

10:39 - Approximate costs for patent applications and PPA timeline.

17:24 - If patents are too expensive, what alternatives are there for protecting IP?

22:04 - The 2 main fears of people launching a new product.

33:32 - The dangers of going to investors and pitching your new product idea.

36:37 - What to do if you have a 'home run?'

39:17 - What if your product is not a home run?

41:14 - Which version of the new product really needs a patent?

46:20 - The dilemmas you face: To patent, or not to patent, and when?

50:39 - Summary and wrapping up.

• Read a whole selection of our content about Product IP Risks & Protection When Manufacturing [Resources]

Get help from Sofeast to check that potential manufacturers are trustworthy: Combined Supplier Due Diligence Checks (Best Results & Value)

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Renaud and Adrian talk about the 11 points buyers need to cover when sourcing a contract manufacturer in China for electronic products (although much of this advice is relevant to many hard goods in general and suppliers in other Asian countries, too) so you can find a partner you can rely on.

00:00 - Greetings & today's topic: Sourcing a CM in China for manufacturing electronic products.

02:10 - What is a contract manufacturer in comparison to other supplier types?

06:55 - 1. What will your order quantity be? (This influences the type of CM that is suitable)

09:43 - 2. Will you order a high-volume, low product mix setup, or the opposite?

12:24 - 3. Do you have visibility and transparency over the supply chain?

19:14 - 4. Will your Intellectual Property be protected, and how?

20:48 - 5. Will they be helping to develop your product and make it compliant?

23:51 - 6. What manufacturing processes does the CM have in-house?

27:45 - 7. What is the CM's QC capability?

28:35 - 8. What kinds of tooling, fixtures, and jigs does the CM have for in-line testing?

29:37 - 9. Who has liability for safety and compliance issues?

31:00 - 10. What payment terms can they accept?

32:01 - 11. What delivery terms do they provide (incoterms)?

34:56 - Summary and wrapping up.

• OEM, ODM, Contract Manufacturers: Which Chinese Supplier To Choose?

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Adrian is joined by one of Sofeast's senior engineers, Paul Adams, who will take us through 7 key tests that importers who are developing new metal and/or plastic products and checking that their quality remains on target after production should consider to check and validate certain critical points in materials, components, and products, such as their hardness, durability, and chemical makeup. 

He explains what each test is, the equipment used, the industries and products that use them, and more, so you can decide if they're right for your product.

00:00 - Greetings.

01:04 - Introducing Paul Adams.

02:56 - Today's topic: The tests most importers should consider performing on their hard goods and why.

Namely:

1. Tensile test

These are NOT in order of importance.

05:44 - Test 1: Tensile test

16:20 - Why importers should have an understanding of test machine types.

17:20 - Test 2: Impact test.

25:46 - Test 3: Hardness test.

34:21 - Test 4: Flexural test (bend test).

42:06 - Test 5: Chemical analysis.

49:46 - Test 6: Fatigue testing.

57:09 - Test 7: Creep test.

1:04:26 - Summary of tests covered & wrapping up.

Need help with testing? Sofeast can help you devise and perform appropriate testing such as those outlined here on your materials/parts/product in our own lab: Reliability & Durability Testing (Products & Packaging in a China lab)

• What’s the real Cost of Poor Quality and Reliability? [Podcast]

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Adrian welcomes back Sofeast's head of New Product Development and resident product reliability expert, Andrew Amirnovin, and in this bonus episode, they're discussing UL compliance.

You'll find out what UL certification is, what it involves, the types of products that require it, and where. UL compliance is especially important for American importers, but UL screening gives any importer a good understanding of their product's safety, too, so give it a listen here.

00:00 - Greetings.

00:30 - The topic: UL compliance.

01:51 - What kind of product might be seen as a safety hazard?

02:48 - Where is UL usually required and is it mandatory?

05:53 - Risks if you do not do UL certification.

07:48 - How long does UL certification take and what does it cost?

13:00 - Do you need to re-certify a new version of your product?

15:36 - When should you start working on UL compliance testing?

19:40 - Some ideas to avoid doing full UL certification.

24:13 - Why UL compliance is important, which labs you need to use for the testing, and the kinds of advice and support we usually provide to help clients comply.

30:44 - Wrapping up.

• 11 Common Electronic Product Certification And Compliance Requirements

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Renaud and Adrian dissect two recent FT articles concerning how Apple set up a successful supply chain in China that helped them dominate rivals, how they handle the NPI process in a fairly unique way, and whether, in light of the current geopolitical situation, they're too reliant on China and what moves they're making to diversify.

00:00 - Greetings.

01:20 - The topic: A focus on Apple. How they built a successful supply chain in China, and whether are they too reliant on China now.

04:00 - "I want to make a product with Apple's quality and design." Realistic?

08:06 - Finding new suppliers to keep the pressure on their supply chain and get the best deal possible.

11:26 - Apple has 15k of their own staff in China. What does this mean?

17:47 - Apple may not own the factories, but they do own a lot of the equipment. Why?

23:32 - They get sub-suppliers to commit to building custom parts just for Apple in large quantities.

27:27 - The benefits of using CMs like Foxconn.

29:29 - Giving away too much control and technical know-how is not the Apple way.

35:27 - Apple's attempts to diversify supply chains into Vietnam and India.

40:07 - Will/should they leave China entirely?

49:48 - Wrapping up.

• Article 1: How Apple tied its fortunes to China 

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Renaud returns this week, but this time he's flying solo and coming to you from Las Vegas where he's been at CES 2023.

What's new, what's interesting, and everything else you need to know about this gigantic consumer electronics trade show is included in this episode!

00:00 - Greeting from Vegas!

00:39 - Why is CES important and how is it structured?

05:46 - There was a strong Korean showing.

07:04 - Reinvented 'smart' products were a hot category.

10:16 - Products that are more revolutionary.

12:16 - Health and concept products.

14:19 - The Metaverse.

17:40 - Other 'hot' products.

23:58 - Electric Vehicles.

25:12 - Wrapping up.

• The weirdest and most wonderful products CES 2023 had to offer

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