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Costs are rising in China. $600 - $800 per month is now a standard wage for factory labor. This is twice the going wage in Vietnam, and similar to the minimum wage of Portugal. Salaries for engineers and other professionals also match those of other high-middle income countries. Rents in Shenzhen are similar to those of a medium-sized US city. However, something that remains affordable in China is the expertise of firms. Therefore, instead of looking to only leverage the labor and equipment of factories, we have been increasingly looking for projects that place a large emphasis on our partner’s knowledge and ability to innovate. Some examples: A previously developed robot gave us confidence this factory could deliver We partnered with a Shantou toy factory to design and prototype a small robot. Total cost to our client for electrical + mechanical design work was $7.5K, vs.  a $100K quote from a US design firm. Initial prototype completed in two months. Now moving towards...

Shenzhen empties out quickly for the Lunar New Year. With the city to myself, I decided to bike south until I ran out of land. Which turned out to be the Shekou Port. I feel pretty confident that I was the only American to ride through the world's third busiest port that day, at least in flip flops. Other photos from the ride included. This is a pretty great town. I originally posted these photos on my Instagram. Check it out! 新年快乐🐷! Gordon ...

We have been making trips to Vietnam to explore the manufacturing environment south of the border. We have had the pleasure to make connections in Hanoi and Saigon and expand our team in-country. Below are thoughts on starting to do business in Vietnam. Vietnamese Die Casting of Korean Aluminum, Heading to Japan Prices Let’s start here. I had heard that prices in Vietnam were low, even lower than those in China. But never had any real info to back that up. Now with our first projects in Vietnam, we’re starting to get that data. Here are per piece quotes on the same die cast aluminum part, quantity 100,000 pieces: USA $0.68China $0.27Vietnam $0.13 With USA tooling costs at $40,000 and Vietnam tooling costs at $4000. The prices really are that good. A rule of thumb I heard was 40% savings over China - at least here, that more than holds. Old machines line Route 1A in Saigon. $2000 gets you whatever you want, if you can bargain. So....

Our first factory visit in Vietnam! With continued pressure from the Trump Tariffs, decided it was time to start making contacts south of the border. Caught a flight, hopped on the back of a Grab bike, and went to the factory. Outside of Hanoi, we saw examples of molding (plastic injection molding and aluminum die casting - molds made in Vietnam), CNC machining, large scale metal work, and electronics assembly. Enjoy! Looking forward to sharing as we continue to explore around Asia. Apologies for the vertical shot - the best way to hold my phone on the back of a scooter :)...

Ethiopian Adventures in Manufacturing, Business, and Chinese Influence By Gordon McCambridge I went to Ethiopia in July, ostensibly to see my girlfriend Elaine and the “normal” tourist sites. But it’s hard for me to go anywhere and fully turn off my hardware brain. So while Elaine was at work, I spent my days talking to folks and exploring what I could of developing manufacturing ecosystem of this country. Below are some of my takeaways from my time in and around Addis Ababa. Background Recently there have been reports of Ethiopia as the “China of Africa”  - a future potential manufacturing hub for the region and world. The primary driver here is Ethiopia’s population, which at over 100 million people makes it one of the largest and most densely populated countries in Africa. The comparison to China is also apt in that, emerging from communist rule as late as the 1990s, Ethiopia has relatively low income inequality and crime rates and as such is regarded...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAqRbGgEia8 Most of us think of China as a great place to make products, but it's also a great place to test and certify products - international standards and procedures at extremely affordable prices. Highlights from our recent trip to the lab....

Our second video shares a glimpse at what it's like to work in the world capital of hardware....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkgoevMEokA&t=4s Highlights from a recent visit to our PCBA partner in Shenzhen. Enjoy!...

 Irene Huang Shenzhen, China “We went to see the Movie Wolf Warriors this afternoon which, had hit the record of 3.8 billion box office in Chinese movie history. Hardly felt like a business trip! We chatted about our little office as we sit by the window of a restaurant. It’s been only over two months but everything has been going from good towards better. Over two months ago, I decided to commit myself to an entrepreneurship experience with Gordon in a field that was quite foreign to me, because I trusted that I still had the ability to find new passions and learn new skills! Happily, I did gradually start to enjoy so much the time I am with two American boys. There have been many tasks ahead of us, but as I look at the progress we made, I can see that we have successfully tackled each one so far. A lot of things could happen within one year. I look...

Erik Tharp Shenzhen, China Copyright © 1998-2017 Tencent Inc. All Rights Reserved. It wouldn’t be right to say WeChat is a chat app, nor would it be apt to describe it as simply a social media platform. It’s everywhere, and everything. It’s big and comprehensive and permeates life in China at all levels. At the most basic level, yes, it is social media. WeChat allows users to stay connected with friends via chat and groups, has a video calling feature, and Moments enable people to share photos, thoughts, and articles not unlike posting on Facebook. However, it isn’t limited to these features, and unlike platforms such as Facebook, it isn’t competing with other social media apps to be the dominant purveyor of social interaction. Since its inception in 2011, WeChat has been dominant, and doesn’t seem to be slowing down. Business Due to its ubiquitous nature, WeChat is an incredibly useful tool for business in China. Everyone is on WeChat at almost all times, and...