Yesterday I went on a business trip to Wuxi (无锡) in the Jiangsu province to visit a factory that manufacturers high quality apparel for European markets. I have visited many factories before, but they were mostly for industrial and mechanical products. This was my first time visiting a factory that specialised in apparel production. Most factories in apparel only specialise in one aspect of the manufacturing process, for example the cutting of the fabric is outsourced, however this factory was able to handle all aspects of manufacturing internally which is of huge importance for production cost. The factory had been in operation for around 10 years now .
There is often a misconception that products produced in China are of poor quality. In the past that view might have had more validity, however these days Chinese factories are equipped with state of the art equipment that is often produced by high-tech countries such as Germany and South Korea. Not only has the equipment improved but the working conditions and wages have increased substantially. This factory in particular prides itself on its working conditions. The factory was very spacious, equipped with nice air conditioning and had a kitchen dedicated to providing high quality food for the staff for lunch and dinner. The boss explained that the company pays much higher than other factories in the area and prides itself on working conditions for the staff as they are integral to the company's success.
The factory was currently producing 11,000 pieces of apparel a day with around a staff of 250. The boss advised that they are aiming to increase the staff to a capacity to 1000 over the coming years. Most clients (large retailers/brands) of the factory request 5 year contracts for production which means the factory must be well equipped to provide the supply and not miss any deadlines.
As China's economy continues to grow the increase in wages has poised a challenge for some manufacturers, with other countries such as Vietnam, Bangladesh and India proving to have cheaper production costs, however a lot of manufacturers have started transitioning their workforce to automation. This factory had recently invested in hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of new machinery that can cut fabric at 5 to 6 times the speed of a human. The machine only requires two workers to manage the operation greatly enhancing output and efficiency.
The thing I most appreciated the factory was the transparency and the depth of information that the boss articulated. This is extremely important when looking for potential manufacturers in China. Having a company that is willing to show you every detail that goes into production builds trust and reputation. A lot of factories will prepare for visitors and 'put on an act' to appease the visitors that is far from the reality, however this factory was very different. You could tell that employees were used to visitors inspecting all the time and just went on about their business quietly.
All in all it was a great visit, I believe in the future it is likely we will recommend some clients to have some of their production handled by the manufacturer.
If you have any questions or comments please let me know?