We know that you can go on Alibaba and find a factory. You can trust that the factory has an internal quality control team that cares about your product, but we both know that is a very risky assumption. You can reduce that risk by flying overseas to inspect the factory yourself and stay up late talking to the factory when problems arise, if you can overcome the language barrier that is. None of these options are convenient, inexpensive, or risk-free. In fact, they set you and your product up for quality issues, time delays, and other costly problems.

 

Unlike Alibaba or other product manufacturing companies, Blacksmith International has real Blacksmith employees overseas who handle your Sourcing, Audits, external Quality Control, Communication and Negotiation with your factory in order to minimize your production risk!

 

Recently, members of the Blacksmith International China team visited our headquarters in Salt Lake City. While the team in China contains many members, we want to introduce you to a few of our stellar employees who take of your products:

 

Cheng Xin (AKA Master Cheng) – Head of Quality Control

 

Master Cheng oversees a team of Quality Control specialists. Many factories have internal QC teams, but due to their internal bias and pressure from management, they often have a low quality standard. The Blacksmith QC team has no tolerance for low quality. Cheng and his team visit your factory and inspect your product throughout the production process to ensure your product is being MADE RIGHT. If it is not being made right, then the issue is immediately fixed. When production is completed, Cheng’s team does a final random inspection in a private room away from the pressures of factory owners. Major quality issues are caught early and fixed before shipping so you never receive an order of product you can’t sell.

 

 

 

Peter Zhang – Supplier Relations

 

Peter is our Supplier Relations manager. His team is responsible for vetting factories to ensure our clients are working with the best factory for their product. This includes finding a factory that specializes in a particular type of production, is effective and good at what they do, and excited to work on a given project. Not all factories are set up for the most cost-efficient, fast, and high-quality production. The best factories are highly sought-after by big brands. It can take a long time for factories to trust new clients. At the end of the day, the factories want large and consistent orders from their customers. Since Blacksmith is well-known and trusted by many factories around China, Peter and his team are able to cultivate strong relationships with factory management for long-term, trusting partnerships with the best factory for your product.

 

 

Sunny Lu – Merchandising Team Manager

 

Sunny and her team of Merchandisers do most of the nitty-gritty communication and negotiation with your factory and suppliers. They know your product inside and out and work hard to set up every order for precision, speed, and success. Similar to finding the right factory for your product, you also need to find the right source for your product materials. This involves everything from injection molding and tooling, to fabric milling, dyeing, and more. Sunny’s team attends the Canton Fair and other supplier trade events to track down the best sources and the best materials for your product. Just like with production factories, it takes time and trust to build a relationship with the best materials suppliers. Sunny and her team have that trusted reputation. Once your materials are sourced, Sunny’s team works closely with audited factories to get quotes, arrange product samples, place and monitor production orders, and communicate effectively on product details between the factory, your U.S.-based Client Success Manager, and you!

 

 

Candy Zhou – Director of New Product Development 

 

Candy’s helps the Blacksmith team on both sides of the Pacific troubleshoot tricky problems relating to price and quality in order to set all of our clients up for smooth and successful production. Candy creates detailed production plans for new products that have never been manufactured before. Her outlines demonstrate the most efficient way to manufacture the new product based on the materials. Candy has been with Blacksmith for 8 years.

 

 

 

 

Ultimately, it takes a long time to build strong relationships with factories in China, and it’s difficult to do from across an ocean. Because of our talented, on-the-ground China team, Blacksmith is well-known and trusted by suppliers and production factories, making it much easier to match you with the right factory for your product. Our quality control team ensures that your product is held to the highest standard and always made right. Contact us about getting your product made right today.