Southeast Asia has experienced unprecedented change over the past half-century transforming itself from a poor, undeveloped, and conflict-ridden region, to one with political stability, booming economies, and some of the most highly educated and skilled workforces in the world. Countries like China & Singapore have received a large portion of the limelight and even countries like Thailand and Vietnam are being labeled, ‘The Next China’. 

But one country that might not be on your radar is Cambodia.

The Sedex membership developed the audit methodology known as SMETA (Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit) to provide a centralized audit process that can be reliably shared. Developed by the Associate Auditor Group (AAG) with input from numerous stakeholders, the protocols of the audit were put into two types of audits: SMETA 2-Pillar audit and SMETA 4-Pillar audit.

In a recent inspection performed on beauty skincare packaging containers, our inspector noticed that the client’s labeling didn’t match up in a way that greatly affects the marketability of the final product. The client’s order was for plastic bottles that will later contain 1 fl oz / 30ml of a skincare product, to be filled in a different country. However, the bottles were all made with printed labeling for 0.9 fl ox / 27ml. This created a huge problem for the buyer because the order was already completed with over 5,000 units, thus forcing every unit to be reworked before leaving the factory.

Having thoughts about where to go next for sourcing products? Have a closer look at Thailand!

With the availability of many manufacturing categories such as; Food and Beverages, Electric & Electronics, Textiles & Garment, and Automotive, Thailand is a great option to explore as your next sourcing destination. And with the benefits of the country’s manufacturing clusters, you can invest confidently in a stable region you might not have considered in the past.

With V-Trust’s extensive understanding of the manufacturing capabilities of Thailand, we’ve prepared a savvy breakdown of the main manufacturing clusters available to consider for your expanding projects.

India is becoming an increasingly popular destination for finding product suppliers. There are as many as 44 manufacturing zones across the country. What are the easiest ways of finding suppliers? We’ve created the below list for your reference:

V-Trust reported rapid growth in Vietnam during the first five months of 2022. The 15.6% rise in imports & exports this year indicates factory output throughout the country is returning to pre-pandemic levels.  For those of you interested in learning about the fastest-growing economy in Southeast Asia, this blog will provide you with updates regarding business and life in Vietnam.

Having correct, readable barcodes on packaging is crucial to guarantee the efficiency of inventory management, tracking & tracing and product handling throughout the supply chain. Therefore, ensuring that all approved packages have correct, readable barcodes, which includes verification of the barcode’s grading and quality, is an essential part of the general checking criteria of on-site product inspections.

Garment manufacturing in Asia is one of the largest manufacturing sectors of the world. The most successful garment companies have a great production schedule, to get their products out on time to meet the needs of those consumers. So, what are they doing differently to ensure their production schedule runs so smoothly and with high-quality standards? They’re utilizing inspection services long before their product order’s completion dates.

Wondering about sourcing from Pakistan, as an addition to your supply chain?

Competitive product prices, plentiful raw material resources, faster production leads, and tax-free policies might convince you, even more, to look closer at Pakistan as a new sourcing option.

With a local presence in Pakistan, the V-Trust team prepared some insights on the manufacturing industry and top products exported from this country, to introduce the main production clusters and strengths of Pakistan suppliers.

Let’s begin!