Chapter 2 – When Should You Visit A Factory?

The timing of your visit is defined by the main reasons you are visiting the factory.

  1. Combining your visit with visits at Chinese Trade Fairs – It is obvious that your visit will be before or after the Trade Fair period
  2. Visiting new factories for the first time for a detailed evaluation – Could be anytime but maybe limited due to the high cost of travel
  3. Visiting a factory to discuss a new high cost or large volume project – Not much choice here because the project dictates your timing
  4. Visiting a factory when you are experiencing major problems with quality and/or delivery – Also not much choice if you want to take timely action
  5. Visiting to negotiate conditions and prices for new high cost or  large volume orders – If you must meet target prices from your customers, you don’t want to delay negotiations which could endanger your customer’s timely order placement