US Citizen Chinese Interpreter/Translator in Shenzhen
Not Currently Accepting New Clients
Most of my customers are interested in visiting factories/manufacturers directly. Of course, there are lots to choose from (and this varies by industry). With regards to getting the best price/quality mix, I have seen a particular scenario unfold a number of times. That scenario is this: a person chooses a manufacturer and starts to work with them. A few years go by and the factory they've chosen has produced mainly satisfactory results, but they'd like to increase quality. They believe that they've got a good price and that there are likely aren't other factories that could do a substantially better job at controlling errors/flaws in small percentage of the products they ship you or your customers. Later, that person visits a factory on a tip or lead, and discover that this new factory does a substantially better job at controlling errors/flaws that don't meet your expectations. Furthermore, the factory is both in the Shenzhen area and with largely similar prices. It never hurts to at least go out and personally ask about prices and take a look for yourself at all the options. Sometimes what was a mediocre factory before, has become quite good because of government loans/aid which has enabled them to buy better or more advanced production equipment/machines.
A substantial number of my customers are joint venture partners in a factory here in Shenzhen. It may be that a conflict of interest has arisen and you need to sort things out locally. One client/customer of mine used a technique that proved quite effective: just showing up unannounced and walking straight in and around the insides of the whole manufacturing compound. I won't go into details, but what he discovered was startling. This gave him a real leg-up in terms of defining the terms of their new arrangement. Often times you need an interpreter whom you know is absolutely committed to your interests and is on your side, not your partner's.