Expansion, Consolidation and International Standards in the 2010 China Supply Chain March 31, 2010

Speaker: Bradley A. Feuling - CEO of Kong and Allan Consulting - Shanghai, China

China's supply chain over the past 15 years has developed rapidly. This has created significant challenges and opportunities, not only for Chinese manufacturing, but also for businesses and communities around the world. As many note, China will become the global economic driver of the 21st century. Hence, China's importance will not wane. Combined, these realities are creating an evolutionary shift already underway. As China continues its transition, important market maturation dynamics are influencing a greater number of Chinese and foreign businesses. These factors include expansion, consolidation and standards setting. For example, consolidation is a high priority for the national government to control resource allocation. Additionally, Shanghai is taking the lead in establishing preliminary guidelines for cold chain operations. With these significant changes, aspects of the China supply chain, such as material costs, logistics, capacity, and quality assurance will all be influenced. With the broad influence of these factors, supply chain adaptability will be critical for competitive sustainability in the coming years.