My husband and I just returned from a visit to Hong Kong and China last week, and we got a chance to go visit the umbrella factory that manufactures my Cheeky umbrellas while we were there. This was my first factory visit and what a fabulous experience it was! Prior to this, I have had a buying agent who is located in Hong Kong visit and inspect the factory so that I could ensure I was dealing with a legitimate, ethical and honest company with good quality products. But of course there is nothing better than being able to meet the factory owner/manager in person and see the factory with my own eyes.
After a night in Hong Kong, we took the train across the border to Shenzhen, China and spent the night there. The factory manager picked us up at our hotel the next morning and we drove 1.5 hours to the factory location. When we first arrived, we headed to the boardroom to discuss upcoming orders, quality improvement, etc. We also viewed their umbrella frame and handle samples and chose the ones we liked for future products (e.g. folding purse-sized umbrellas, ladies golf umbrellas, children's umbrellas, etc.)
Next we went on a factory tour. These are some women sewing the fabric to the ribs of the umbrella...
Attaching the snaps to the tie bands...
Table of partially completed umbrellas...
Aluminum for making umbrella ribs...
Factory workers assembling umbrella ribs...
After our tour, we headed for lunch...and our first experience with chicken feet! In Canada they bring a basket of bread to your table before your food, but in China they bring a bowl of fried chicken feet! We didn't get a chance to try any though...the factory manager told the server to take them away because he suspected we might find them unappetizing (probably true...I might have tried them, but my husband has a queasy stomach...he couldn't even watch that tv show Fear Factor without gagging!)
We returned to the factory after lunch and headed back to the boardroom for a little more discussion. Then we drove over to the screen printing factory...
By this time it was around 3PM and we drove back to Shenzhen to take a nap at the hotel (still jet-lagged!) before heading out to dinner. The factory owner/manager (aka Chinese host extraordinaire!) and his wife (who also works at the factory as the accountant) took us to a great Cantonese seafood restaurant. We chose the seafood we ate from tanks at the front - scallops, some type of fish and some type of large prawn. Unfortunately we didn't know what we were eating most of the time because our hosts often didn't know the english words for the food! The factory owner and his wife are a young couple very similar to ourselves - early 30's with no kids yet, entrepreneurial and like the outdoors (hiking, biking, etc.) We were trying to convince them to come to Vancouver on their next holiday since there are so many outdoor activities to do here! After dinner they took us to a bar to experience a couple of live bands. Bands in Canadian bars usually play rock music, but these bands played Chinese pop music. It was pretty funny...we felt like we were watching a Chinese version of American Idol or something.
The next morning, the factory owner/manager picked us up from the hotel once again and took us for dim sum. Although it felt odd to eat chicken and noodles for breakfast (I usually have yogurt and fruit), it was delicious!
After dim sum, my husband and I headed back to Hong Kong. All in all, our visit to Cheeky Umbrella's manufacturer was one of the best personal experiences I've had and also one of the best things I've done for my business. Looking forward to going back!
Labels: Umbrella factory, umbrella manufacturer
