China software antitrust

Sourcing Agents When Manufacturing Overseas: The Long Version

You have a great product that you want to be made in a foreign country about which you know little. What do you do? Do you use a sourcing agent and if you do, how should you pay that agent and what should you have it do? Perhaps most importantly, how should your various contacts

International product sourcing

Thinking the Right Way About the New China Sourcing Environment

I have recently been helping a company source and develop a new product in China. This post contains the questions that have arisen during that process, along with my answers. 1. What is the right way to think about China sourcing now? A. Use Supply and Demand to Your Benefit The future will be rough,

Webinar Replay: Moving Your Manufacturing from China to Mexico

On February 23, Dan Harris (Harris Bricken) and Andrew Hupert hosted a webinar to discuss the practical aspects of moving your manufacturing to Mexico from China, the various ways to start with Mexican manufacturing, and how to successfully manufacture there. For anyone who missed this event, we’ve embedded a link to the replay below. We

China Manufacuring agreement

China Manufacturing and Robots

Most companies that have their products made in China do so because because labor is cheaper in China than in the US and Europe, and labor is a significant portion of the production cost. But over the past several years, wages have been steadily rising in China, making Chinese factories progressively less competitive on labor

How to leave China

A Resounding Maybe on Fleeing China

In China, the United States and the New Normal, I called the US-China trade war the “New Normal” and I predicted a “diminished future for foreign companies” manufacturing in China. I also said that since “the inception of the US-China trade war we have been saying that we do not see its end because we

Manufacturing in Mexico: Is it right for you?

In or Out. Thumbs Up or Down on Mexico.

Last year, I asked my good friend Andrew Hupert of North American Strategic Planning to explain what is involved in moving manufacturing from China to Mexico. I chose Andrew for this because he has spent so much time in both China and Mexico, navigating their manufacturing systems from the inside. My law firm frequently consulted with

Friendshoring. Moving manufacturing from China friendshoring

China Plus One is Getting Real

In 2014-2015, China Plus One was all the rage, and everyone (including us) was talking about the risks of companies putting all their eggs in one “China basket.” It was determined a China Plus One strategy was the way to counter those risks. This strategy involved companies having some/most of their products made in China,

China supply chain risks

Your China Supply Chain is a Bet Against the House

Last year, I asked my good friend Andrew Hupert of North American Strategic Planning to explain what is involved in moving manufacturing from China to Mexico. I chose Andrew for this because he has spent so much time in both China and Mexico, navigating their manufacturing systems from the inside. My law firm frequently consulted with

international contracts that work

International Contracts That Work

Lawyers love to jab at each other, especially when we are friends and operate in different jurisdictions or different practice areas. Recently a litigator friend said to me, “Don’t transactional lawyers just cut and paste? It looks really easy.” I replied, “Don’t litigators just argue about pointless things?” This willful misreading of each other’s skills