This week’s selection is the highly useful “42 Rules for Sourcing and Manufacturing in China” by Rosemary Coates.
In the book Coates interviews 20 manufacturing executives who, in total, have gone through all the perils of offshore manufacturing in China. These individuals relate their experience and provide solutions to common problems to assist one in making the jump to large scale offshore manufacturing.
To be sure, offshore manufacturing is typically less costly, at least at first glance. You can easily imagine extra shipping costs, for example, to move your manufactured products across the ocean to market, but it turns out there are far more complexities to intercontinental manufacturing.
China is an old country with many different practices and expectations. Things that would seem clear and obvious to a Westerner may not be so in China. Similarly, Chinese practices (and regulations) will differ from familiar procedures – and in some cases you may be completely unaware of requirements.
Thus the need for such a book, if you are contemplating this move.
I believe many Fabbaloo readers may find this book of interest because the purpose of owning / operating a 3D printer very often is to develop a prototype for a proposed machine or product.
But once a prototype is developed, it must be manufactured. Typically this is not done through 3D printers – at least not yet – because of the costs and time delays in doing so. For now such entrepreneurs must seek a manufacturing partner to put the gadget together and produce them.
Sometimes that involves a friendly discussion with a local contract manufacturer, but it’s possible entrepreneurs may find local relationships expensive compared to overseas options.
However, engaging with overseas manufacturers can be quite a mystery to those first attempting to do so. Coates’ book covers typical mistakes made, how to make things happen and other success strategies.
This week we’re trying something a little different – this is not an actual paper book. This item is available as an audiobook through Amazon’s Audible subsidiary. As such, this book is actually free – if you sign up for Audible’s free trial.
Via Amazon
