Scandic Sourcing has developed the Scandic Launch Pad which gives you the possibility to rent a fully serviced office in downtown Shanghai and be up and running with your business immediately, without having to register your own legal entity in China.  

Are you looking to do market research in China, or to launch your brand or product here but is held back by the administrative work involved in the company registration process? Do you want to test the waters without making too big of an investment? Do you need an office space to station an employee for your procurement- or work with suppliers in China? Scandic Launch Pad is the answer.

Scandic Launch Pad is a perfect solution for everyone interested in operating in China, including: 

• New market entrants who are setting up their company. 
• New companies conducting market research or feasibility studies . 
•      Companies that are in the process of building their own office. 
•      Companies setting up a short term project office. 
•      Existing companies looking to upscale or downsize.   
•      Any other companies that want a hassle free, flexible and cost effective office solution.

 International environment

At the Scandic Launch Pad, we offer a fully serviced desk-space in an international environment in downtown Shanghai. If you have questions or need of consultation regarding business in China during your time in the Launch Pad, you will have plenty of experienced engineers and consultants to ask. The Launch Pad is a great start-off point for your move to China – it’s a place where synergies are bound to happen.

 Benefits of signing on to the Scandic Launch Pad: 

•   Access to Scandic Sourcing’s in-house team

      Scandic Sourcing and its team of 25+ staff have an extensive experience of doing business in China. These in-house resources covers logistics, shipment network, accounting, HR, market entry, sourcing, Code of Conduct etc.

•       International Environment & Network

      Access to Scandic Sourcing’s internal resources as well as the external network. Work in an international environment in downtown Shanghai.

•       Minimum Investment & Commitment

     Scandic Sourcing’s BSO requires only a monthly fee which enables a presence and office space in Shanghai from day one.

Read our Launch Pad fact-sheet for price-information

      For more information, contact : 

Scandic Sourcing has developed a new Procurement Solution on a subscription basis. For a monthly sum, your company gets a package of procurement and supplier management services to ensure that your supply chain in China runs safely and without interruptions.

Scandic Sourcing evaluates your supplier pool to identify potential risks and prevent interruptions in your supply chain. We make sure to communicate directly with the factory owners or the management to circumvent costly middlemen and third-party agents. We can communicate directly with all layers of the suppliers organisation to get you the best price and conditions and build transparent and long-term relations with the suppliers in the process to ensure favorable working conditions.

We also handle quote requests and organise the bidding process for new orders. We also do continous research to keep you updated on the cost structure for your industry in China, including raw material /material costs and market price. 

Scandic Sourcing can be the partner in China you can trust; it doesn’t only save you regular trips to China or having to station employees here, but also makes sure your supply chain is managed cost-efficiently and that it is stable and risk free. The subscription service also includes reduced rates on our regular services such as supplier searches, field audits and supplier code of conduct programs.

Our Procurement Solution includes:

Account Manager

Supplier Search and Development

Invoicing

Updates on market prices

General price requests / RFQ process

Support with price negotiation

Order coordination

Delivery schedule control

Review of QC records

Maintain supplier database

Our Services options are Shared or Dedicated resources depending on the scope and size of your operations and supplier pool in China.

The most efficient way to ensure safe and sound working conditions among your Chinese suppliers is to employ a Code of Conduct Audit program monitored and enforced by third-party on-site inspections.

Despite soaring labor-wages, China has enduring strengths as a manufacturing base for Western companies and remains a very attractive place to do business. However, social responsible conduct among Chinese suppliers has not kept pace with the economic progress. Fact is that labor right violations is so common it can be assumed to be taking place if not proven otherwise. The solution: research shows that factories operated by Western companies that employ a Code of Conduct program tend to have few violations.

The benefits of its flexible work-force, well developed infrastructure and low cost manufacturing make China an attractive destination to outsource manufacturing and production. In 2021 alone, a record $173 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) flowed into China. The growing Chinese domestic consumer base is also a mouth-watering target for many a Western executives. Yet in the frenzy of lowering production costs and outsourcing production to China, the fact remains that many Chinese suppliers offers less than substandard working conditions for its workers.

Causes and Scandals

China has a substantial labor law in place that promises workers a five-day, 40-hour work week, guarantee, a set minimum wage and overtime pay for working hours exceeding 40 hours a week, as well as restrictions on overtime to 32 hours a month. However, as long as the Chinese suppliers keep competing in price – and as Western buyers are pressured to find the quickest delivery times to the lowest cost – violations at the factories are bound to take place. In fact the non-compliance to the Chinese labor law in China is so widespread, it can be assumed to be taking place until proven otherwise. The situation is also in-part caused by the Hokou-system which excludes migrant workers from the urban welfare system when they move to other provinces (some 370 million workers were employed outside their rural or urban township as of 2021) – in effect creating a working class that is easy to abuse. This creates an environment where workers rights are far from a priority for the factory management. A notable example is the Iphone-manufacturer Foxconn, where the 70-hour workweek supervised by its Taiwanese military style regime led to 13 suicides among its workforce.

More information on Code of Conduct

A 3d party Code of Conduct with regular audits and monitoring can efficiently counteract draconian management or substandard working conditions at your Chinese supplier's plants. The benefits bringing your suppliers to adequate social standards have a multitude of worthwhile benefits beyond the mere moral aspects.

Solution

Research shows that having a clear Code of Conduct program in place, adapted to be compatible with Chinese conditions can significantly improve working conditions among your supplier’s labor force. The benefits are many and are not merely moral benefits – suppliers who cannot comply with simple Code of Conduct requests are usually “bad apples” that can have a harmful effect on your entire chain of operations. If one of your suppliers cannot for instance place a proper fire exit sign by the emergency exit, what else will they give you trouble with down the line?

Codes of Conduct serve to weed out the high-risk suppliers and thus reduce the risk and fragility of your supply-chain in China. It also increases transparency and makes you more aware of the real state of your supplier’s operations. Suppliers that show a willingness and a capability to comply with a Code of Conduct are often also reliable in others aspects of its conduct – including producing goods on deadline and delivering adequate quality in a safe and sound way. The process of establishing the Code of Conduct program also serves to strengthen your relationship with the supplier. This has a number of benefits to ensure the long-term stability of your supply-chain out of China. If you are working in China for the long-term, a Code of Conduct is a small investment that can potentially save you millions in operating costs.

Scandic Sourcing’s Code of Conduct Program

Scandic Sourcing has developed a Code of Conduct program in accordance with ISO 14000 and the UN Global Compact that won the Swedish Chamber of Commerce 2012 award for innovation. It works to gradually bring your supplier pool up to the standard required by your home office. The program is adapted to not clash with Chinese local laws and regulations, and will be enforced by factory audits and monitoring systems. The starting point in Scandic Sourcing’s approach is that most factories are not violating international norms and Chinese laws deliberately, but rather from a lack of knowledge. Engagement, education and encouragement are key tools to raise awareness and get measurable improvements of standard among such suppliers.

Read more about applying a Code of Conduct in China.

Per Linden, CEO of Scandic Sourcing was recently interviewed by a Swedish welding magazine. Here is a transcript of the interview.

Can Chinese welders follow EN 1090 and ISO 3834?

Many of the bigger and export-driven companies have experience of that. But you should keep in mind that the Chinese welders have their own standards that they are trained to follow. Using foreign standards with your blueprints is not automatically going to ensure a good result – in fact it's rather the opposite. It would be better to define the correct Chinese standard; then you can have a greater assurance of compliance to the standards throughout the supply chain.

A CE-certification can mean an expense in the $10 000 range. If that's calculated into the budget, then there's no problem. All international certification-companies are here in China and can arrange that.

How is the status with Chinese WPS and welding certifications EN 287/9606?

Certified welders are required to do tests every year according to Chinese standards. It is possible to get European standards at some suppliers who are certified or are willing to do that. The tests are similar.

How does it work with the oversight with welding? How does the self-monitoring work?

It varies and you have to control how the supplier works. Self-monitoring is more unusual; the standard is to still have separate monitoring departments.

Are there certain businesses or products that are more interesting than others?

Welded products are suitable for production in China if it contains a minimum of welding that offsets the extra cost inferred by transports and monitoring. You have to keep in mind that a Chinese welder costs $500 – $1000 per month. Lately, the steel prices have been very favorable; the steel industry in China will have overcapacity for a long time ahead.

What do you think will happen in the long run?

I hope that we one day can get a harmonization of EU and Chinese standards. It would greatly facilitate communication for International orders. Meanwhile, my recommendation is that it is both easier and more responsible to have a Western engineer understand what Chinese standards are applicable rather than sending blueprints to a Chinese supplier knowing that but a few Chinese welders will have ever come across Western standards before – most of them have no access to it. Western companies should keep in mind that there's so much construction going on in China today that most new bridges, railroads, cars and machines in the world are made using Chinese welding-standards, not Western.