Breaking Down the “Made In China” Stereotypes

Let’s face it: “Made in China” has a bad connotation. Seeing that label on anything can instantly downgrade your perception of the item. For many years, there was some truth to this; however, in 2015, it is simply no longer a generalization which can be made. 

China has moved mountains when it comes to technology upgrades over the past 20–30 years and has undergone what some consider a modern-day industrial revolution. It used to be focused on labor-intensive, low-technology goods, almost solely a result of an inferior cost of labor compared to more modernized countries. While this strategy may have fueled the revolution, it didn’t stop there. Instead, China kept going by adding technology, building modern, specialized factories and training their workforce to rival that of other world powers. In fact, the reason that part of the bad connotation may still be around is that the revolution happened so quickly; in fact, China industrialized 10 times quicker than Britain. To a point, it is hard to wrap your mind around how such a shift can happen over such a short period. 

Many industries have taken notice, automotive and electronics in particular, and have begun moving more and more high-tech components to China. In fact, today 1 in 4 passenger cars (or 24%) are made in China securing their spot as the world’s leading manufacturer of cars.    

All of this is great information, but what does it mean to the buyer looking at whether or not to outsource to China? Consider this: As late as the nineteenth century, manufacturing in Germany was considered “risky” while they underwent their own fast-paced industrial revolution. Now, Germany is recognized as the epitome of quality, ranking first in Automotive for country of origin recognition.

With the right help, outsourcing to China can help you to accomplish your cost-saving goals without sacrificing the quality of your components.