It should go without saying that China is an absolute powerhouse when it comes to manufacturing. Known as the ‘workshop of the world’, China’s manufacturing output surpassed the US way back in 2010 and accounts for around one fifth of global goods.
Therefore, there are millions of businesses who have to deal with manufacturers in a China on a daily basis – making clear communication and secure data transfer absolutely essential. Here are five ways to ensure you’re sharing data correctly with your Chinese manufacturers:
Be flexible
Wherever you’re buying products from, there’s no overstating the importance of adaptability and flexibility in manufacturing situations.
So be malleable. Choose a platform that allows you to send huge amounts of product data one week, and a relatively small amount the next. Choose a Chinese FTP platform that enables the sending of a wide range of materials. Choose a platform that’s easily scalable – ensuring that you can continue to grow in the future without worrying about moving to different providers.
Be secure
In China, online security is a huge issue. Much of the technology that’s used on public internet is unsecure and the country is renowned for not being as data-safe as others. Google and Microsoft, for instance, both refuse to keep servers for their Gmail and Hotmail services in China because of concerns over data security.
To avoid your data ending up in the hands of competitors or worse, it’s essential to share data that’s completely encrypted and subject to the very highest security standards.
Be quick
When sharing data with Chinese manufacturing, companies often struggle when it comes to speed. Thanks to the congested public internet and firewall issues, internet speeds in some parts of industrial China can be sluggish – while large files can stall amid unreliable connections.
Therefore, if you can source a specialist FTP solution to and from China that gets the job done, fast, then you’ll steal a march on other competitors.
Be detailed
If you speak to any successful company that works with Chinese manufacturers, they’ll tell you the importance of constant communication. After all, you’ll usually visit your manufacturing location no more than twice a year and so need a steady stream of communication to keep any problems at bay.
So when you’re sharing data with suppliers, ensure you’re giving them as much detail as you possibly can.
Be simple
The secret to great IT procurement is to integrate services and platforms that are both immensely detailed and very easy to use – capable of being used by both highly technical head office staff in the West and unskilled manufacturing workers in the East.
The key to great manufacturing lies in productivity. The simpler that you can make your file transfer solutions, the more productive your suppliers will be over the other side of the world.
If you’re looking to share large files to locations in China, Maytech can help. FTP-Stream, our China FTP service, is fast and – with data centres in Hong Kong – completely secure. Find out more online today.