FAQs

We deal with real people in privately owned businesses. The level of support these companies offer us and our customers is outstanding. Beyond the geo-political headlines is a very well educated and super-efficient workforce who regularly go the extra mile to help. This is what we will aim to give you access to.

There is almost no industry that could not benefit from having access to and forming a strategic partnership with the ‘right’ company whether that be in introducing new product ranges or giving customers access to capital equipment they don’t have. The main limit is your own imagination.

China has a vast share of global production, and whilst labour costs are increasing, so is innovation and future trends are likely to see China leading the way in automated production to remain competitive.

We understand that customers can be concerned about their IP being copied, and we are able to provide an introduction to a lawyer with an M.A., and Ph. D, Law School / Intellectual Property School, Peking University who can provide specific advice in English.

Our aim is to help companies that don’t have the knowledge and resource to deal in China. That means we help smaller companies – companies that are competing with multinationals, and need to have access to the same, or better, facilities as their larger competitors.

Our aim is to help our customers grow, and support the supply side option. Our typical long term customers have a turnover of less than £10m and have all achieved growth through our service.

We are always happy to have a confidential discussion as to whether we think we might be able to offer companies a solution, so why not request a call at; hello@onepointtwo.com

Our service is industry agnostic, and our focus is on working with customers and suppliers to enable business. This means that we need support from the customer to understand what is important to them – whether it be ISO standards, equipment, industry knowledge, price – so that we can play a constructive role. We do not claim to be technical specialists in every aspect, and our value proposition is in communicating and enabling the business.

We have 26 years of experience in managing relationships of both customers and suppliers and we know that symbiotic relationships are crucial for long term success. Providing such basis is in place, we will be able to minimize your risk.

Perhaps the most crucial part of doing business in China is finding the right company to work with. This cannot be overstated, and unless you have the knowledge and resource within China to do that research, the chances of success are low.

Your wants and needs are unique to you, and as such, our service is designed to provide you with the opportunity to look at the options in China without commitment. We do this by raising a series of questions to try and understand as much as we can about your objectives (both short and long term), and this information is used in our research in China.

The meeting gives you the opportunity to ask any questions of us and help you work out whether you think we are a suitable partner to work with. Our customer relationships are long, and it must be right for all parties.

Our objective will be to come away with a clear understanding of your vision, and what you need to achieve that.

Based on the varying nature of different projects we receive, we may need to charge a fee to conduct the research work. If charged, such a fee would be in the region of £3,000 – £5,000 and is simply to cover costs and risk.

This cost can be refunded to customers that proceed and achieve pre-agreed sales levels. Any charges would be agreed upon prior to commencing any work.

Our service is designed for customers to ‘have a look’ and see if China is right for them or not, and your objectives are unique to you. These objectives might not be achievable, or there could be factors that don’t work for you.

Our supplier search is designed to give you information to make decisions.

There is no pressure from us – we aim to support all decisions, but the decision to proceed is yours alone. You can think about it – postpone it, or get on with it – your call.

Understanding who you are doing business with is, in our opinion, crucial – and yet many people exploring China have no idea who they are actually working with. A Google search can provide a series of options, but are they factories or claiming to be – and what is actually going on?

Our service provides you with a clear understanding of suppliers and any sub-contractors that you are interested to know about – just ask.

We have systems in place to de-mystify all of this – and in a normal business, the activity would encourage you to visit your partner – but the covid world has put an end to that. It remains crucial to develop a positive relationship in spite of this, and our colleagues will ensure that your chosen partner has a clear channel of communication with you.

Our service is 100% designed to support customers that need reliable and stable supply chains, but do not have the in-house knowledge of how to manage this over the long term. Long-term relationships need unwavering support and local knowledge. Our aim is to create symbiotic relationships – a win-win that supports both customer and supplier over the long term.

We support smaller UK customers, and a smaller customer does not generally make a good partner with a big supplier – smaller suppliers often lack the ability to communicate effectively with foreign customers, and the relationship needs support.

We have dozens of systems to support customers so that they understand precisely what is going on – we will give you good news as well as bad – and support the relationship to thrive and survive.

Our oldest customers have had over 20 years of stable supply and can focus on growing their business and leaving us to support them in that.

We can work in GBP, EUR or USD. We will provide a quotation in the currency that you require.

Most factories that we negotiate with are happy to work within the +/-4% band of negotiated prices relating to the exchange rate. This allows both parties an understanding of when prices will be adjusted, whether in your favour or not. However, factories will often hold prices if there is a positive relationship.

Changing commodity prices can have a huge impact on pricing, and we can reach an agreement to protect the supplier from a loss-making situation and allow customers to work within a known formula. Such a system allows customers to include terms in their own T&C to protect against these increases.

Our long-term customers enjoy 9 weeks of available credit from shipping, but this will only be achievable over time. As with everything, trust and friendship are a priority, so paying on time will give customers the best chance of securing favourable terms. We support all customers with clear information as to when payment is due to avoid any misunderstanding.

Where tooling is needed, we can generally obtain a 50% upfront commitment, with the balance paid within an agreed time limit or after sample approval. The upfront payment can be a ‘leap of faith’ for those unsure of who they are dealing with, but we can make the process straightforward and supported by a step-by-step development plan.

We have systems in place to support all customers with payments to ensure a clear understanding of when payments are due allowing the best chance to improve credit terms.

This is a hot topic in recent months linked to Covid disruption. There has been a global shortage of containers, and freight rates are unusually high. The impact is being felt by all companies globally, and there is no short-term avoidance, although we expect stabilization in the near future.

Knowing when your goods will leave China can be a constant source of frustration for customers, and we have a number of Systems to ensure you are kept fully informed on production status and lead times.

We ship from China every week of the year by sea and air freight to the UK and can provide full support in this for customers new to shipping. Our service includes creating all the relevant shipping documentation and supplying you with your documents to pass on to your nominated freight forwarder.

Our pricing is offered on a CIF or FOB basis, with the majority of factories preferring to use their own local agents to handle the documentation within China.

Whilst we will all work together to try and avoid any issues, there will always be challenges that need to be resolved. We will support our customers to resolve issues and find a solution that avoids conflict and or legal action. Long-term relationships will bring dividends – and shouting and screaming will only be counter-productive.

There are numerous examples of relationships not working out – but is this the wrong supplier or the inability to manage that supplier? Does it mean ‘China’ cannot offer a solution?

For companies with existing assets in China, the transfer can be difficult if there is no clear understanding of exactly who you are dealing with and the associated T&C, and whether those tools and gauges can be used by a 3^rd party is often unclear until they have been received.

We are happy to have conversations for companies in the situation that would like to try and transfer these assets over to a supplier that we have identified – but there are no guarantees on this.

Assuming all parties are happy – this process can be relatively easy to organise.

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions. Please call on 01225 460 388 or send us a message at hello@onepointtwo.com