As Vietnam extends its reputation for being a manufacturing powerhouse, brands looking to source high-quality products are often left confused with international trade and logistics barriers. Fortunately for us, we have experts on our team.
Introducing Truong Thi Thu Hanh, the Production Manager for Creative Design Manufacturing,
Overseeing the operations in our factories in Southern Vietnam, Hanh knows international trade can be tricky.
But with the right advice, outsourcing manufacturing to Vietnam can also transform your business.
With a deep understanding of the challenges that distributors face when ordering from overseas, we picked her brain to understand how you can avoid common pitfalls and achieve a long-lasting and prosperous relationship with your supplier.
Q1: What do you think is the best advice to give companies who want to source from Vietnam (or Vietnam CDM in particular)
Understanding your customer’s requirements and vision is the best advice I can give.
For me, and our team at Creative Design Manufacturing (CDM), that means working with existing and prospective customers to understand their business, expectations, and goals. From my perspective, everyone I interact with is a customer.
My staff are customers of my leadership. I need to understand and deliver the training and tools they need to be successful. I work to ensure they have a path to follow to reach their personal goals and growth potential.
My source of leadership is the customer. My team and I work diligently to understand our customer and CDM leadership’s vision for the future and develop metrics to achieve those goals.
Our approach for companies seeking to source our products is no different. We strive to understand what considerations are necessary when distributors and brands look for composite (fiberglass) planters. We like to know who their customers are and what message, or feeling, they are trying to convey with their product offerings. These conversations put us in the best possible position to help clients find the right solution for their needs.
Q2: What challenges or hurdles do you see as pain points for your potential customers?
At CDM, we make every effort to ensure no customer experiences challenges or hurdles. We have exceptional relationships with freight companies, an in-depth understanding of global trade policies and laws and an expansive team ready to work through any issues that might arise.
One of the easiest pitfalls for manufacturers to run into is inconsistent, or unreliable, supply chains that endanger operation timelines and product quality. At CDM, we have developed exclusive relationships with raw material suppliers to include proprietary formulas ensuring not only a consistent flow of goods but materials that exceed the highest standards in the business.
There are always external factors, like increased ocean freight costs, that are out of our control but when it comes to the quality of our product and getting our product to the customer, we deliver a pain-free experience!
Q3: Are there any trends, or upcoming changes to Vietnamese laws that will make sourcing from Vietnam easier, or with less friction?
Vietnam has been evolving into a global leader in manufacturing and exporting for the past few years. Process improvements in import and export paperwork has led to more efficient and easier processing. Low tariffs and extensive free trade agreements support competitive trading and low costs. In short, ordering from CDM has never been easier and our future is looking even better.
I recently came across the below articles that highlight some of the improvements that have been made and where we have the greatest opportunities for growth going forward.
- Why Vietnam’s Free Trade Agreements Will Play an Important Role in 2022 (vietnam-briefing.com)
- Vietnam – Trade Agreements
- Vietnam banks on strong recovery attracting foreign investment | Alternatives | AsianInvestor
Q4: What advantages do CDM have over other planter manufacturers in Vietnam?
We have talked about this a little bit. Our relationships with logistics providers certainly positions us well to ensure smooth transactions for our customers. That, coupled with our command of our supply chain and our intensive quality control processes, enables us to produce and deliver the highest quality composite (fiberglass) planter on the market.
Our advantage not only comes from the quality of our product. It comes from the strong sense of family that we have within our workforce which stems from exceptional leadership that blends the best practices of East and West cultures. Our company is built upon the strength of our staff and their dedication to our vision.
How Can Creative Design Manufacturing Help Me?
As a company that trades globally in composite planters, you can rest assured that international trade with CDM is the best solution available for companies that care about quality, communication, and mutually assured success.
So what do I do next? The first step to answering all your manufacturing questions is to contact us directly. Our sales consultants are more than happy to guide you through any outstanding questions you might have and determine the route to your success!