So, you have made the order, designed the packaging, sent the deposit, tested the samples, and now you get an email telling you that you order is delayed. Getting your order delayed often leads to more complications than quality or pricing issues! Customers lose trust, can cancel the order or charge you per day for every day late! I usually consider the delivery times the highest risk factor in any order, and therefore, it is important to have a strategy to control the risk. Below I will outline some steps to take to control the lead times, and make sure you get your goods on time.

1.Be clear: Make sure your supplier understands all your requirements from day one, even before they give you the initial quote. Misunderstandings can lead to weeks of wasting time with clarifications.

2. Be ready: You cannot blame your supplier for delivering late if you don’t provide them with the details they need to make the order. Have your designs ready on time, and make sure to approve samples by the required dates.

3.Pay enough: If it is your first order to a supplier, make sure you are giving them enough profit to feel motivated to produce on time. Promises aren’t enough, money talks. If it is not your first order, and you are on a tight budget, make sure the annual net profit of your orders for this supplier is high enough. If the supplier is not making enough money, your items may get delayed, or even worse, cancelled.

4.Be friendly: Make sure to keep a good relationship with the supplier, so that they won’t feel uncomfortable to let you know when there is an issue. Often the sales team is more hands-on than the bosses, so don’t forget to treat them nice! Often a supplier will have an issue and hope to resolve it before it is too late, so they won’t inform you. You want to make sure that you are on top of this, and know when the issue arises, not when it is too late.

5.Follow up: Go to the factory, and make sure your items are being produced. Follow up often by phone and by email/QQ to make sure that no issues need to be solved. Check all steps of production clearly with the supplier, and make sure they are not hiding any issues from you.

6.Compromise: Swallow your ego and listen to the supplier. If there is a real issue, and the delivery time is important, be ready to make a compromise. Sometimes they will need to change small details, which can be acceptable, sometimes it is not acceptable. Hear them out and make a business decision not an emotional decision.

7.Make a contract: If it is a big order, hire a Chinese law firm to write up a legally binding, dual language contract for you. Make sure to outline all aspects of the order in the contract, including the quality, delivery and terms. This can be pricey, so I only recommend it for big companies or big orders.

8.Penalties: If you paid enough, your supplier will often agree to adding late-delivery penalties to the contract or purchase order. Keep the penalty low, but make sure it is significant enough. I suggest 1-2% per day. Your supplier might also agree to pay for the air shipment if there is a delay. Be smart and fair.

9.Support: If your supplier really needs you to pay more, sometimes it is best to pay all they are asking for, and not negotiate. Look at the sum, and calculate the risk vs reward.

10.Contacts: Keep a Rolodex filled with support contacts. If an order is getting delayed due to a shortage of a material, source it within your network and offer it to your supplier. If the electricity went out in the factory, suggest a power generator company to power up the factory. If the tooling is broken, introduce your supplier to a tooling repair company. You cannot just rely on the supplier to solve all the issues for you, you must get involved, and offer your help.

Business is all about win-win situations, and if you keep your supplier happy, they will do their best to support you, but you always need to be vigilant and prepared.