Sourcing products from China continues to offer real opportunities for European companies. The country has a broad manufacturing base, an extensive network of specialised suppliers and the ability to produce everything from standard components to highly customised products. But finding a factory and getting a competitive quotation is only the beginning. In 2026, European buyers…
For a long time, many European companies came to China with a fairly simple objective: find a factory, negotiate a price and manufacture a product. That approach still exists. But it no longer tells the whole story. Today, China can offer much more than production capacity. For companies looking to develop new products, improve existing…
For several years, European companies have been talking about reducing their dependence on China. The reasons are easy to understand. Geopolitical tensions, tariffs, changing regulations and supply chain disruptions have made many companies rethink where they buy and manufacture their products. Some are looking for suppliers in Europe. Others are exploring Southeast Asia, India or…
What if the product you need is not available off the shelf? This is a situation we see quite often when working with European companies. The customer may already have a product idea, a drawing, a sample or a detailed specification. What they need is not simply a supplier selling a similar product, but a…
Finding a supplier in China is easier than it used to be. A few searches on Alibaba, Google or a B2B platform can produce dozens, sometimes hundreds, of potential suppliers within a few hours. But this is only the easy part. The real challenge is deciding which supplier is actually right for your project. Can…
For decades, “Made in China” meant one thing: competitive manufacturing at scale. That is still true. But it is no longer the whole story. China is increasingly exporting something else: the machines, components and technologies that other factories need to produce their own products. Industrial robots. Automation systems. Precision equipment. Electronic components. Production lines. China…
Importing from China can look simple from the outside. Find a factory.Agree on a price.Place the order.Arrange the shipment. In practice, things are rarely that straightforward. A supplier may misunderstand a technical requirement. A quotation may not include everything the buyer expects. A sample may look right but still need changes before production. And once…
You send the same request to three Chinese factories. A few days later, the answers come back: €8.20. €9.10. €11.50. Same product. Same quantity. Same specifications. At first, the choice seems easy. Why pay €11.50 if someone else can do it for €8.20? But before choosing the cheapest quotation, there is one thing we always…
