Revelation, Relationships & Responsibility: Securing a manufacturer in a distant culture

Maroon is a machine in motion, general strategy, logistics and the team have been secured. In the second day of the new year, Shannon set off to China to meet with the manufacturer and the agreements that had been set up over the summer months.

The objectives of the trip were fairly straightforward; to introduce himself and get to know his contacts in a face to face setting after months of email correspondence. If big deals are to be struck, we had to get to know them on a personal basis. Next was to view the factory facilities and meet some of it's people. We wanted to make sure everything was in order, and Shannon found the place as we expected, clean, efficient and a happy workforce. With the future of the factory assured, the last objective was to learn about the manufacturing process, allowing us to tune our organization to mesh as efficiently as possible.

Below are some pictures from the trip. Shannon grabbed some shots of the grounds, the town and the good-humored HuZhou residents around the factory.

The City of HuZhou, Northern Zhejiang, near Shanghai is a bustling place based on textiles (especially silk),building materials and agriculture.

Modest accomodations come with great service and delicious food. Shannon's contact, the factory rep graciously accepted our gift of scotch. We found out later he didn't like scotch, but at least he'll have it around the house for his friends. 

Food was amazing... Nicklas Chen, guide for the trip and owner of the company, brought Shannon around the office and the factory. A Chinese custom, they dined on traditional Cantonese cuisine, ordering way more then could possibly be eaten. Peking duck, fish dishes, waxberry juice, steak and fresh crab to name a few. The fish and the crab were caught that day in the large lake bordering Huzhou.

Clean, organized and well lit, the factory was a welcome sight.

The people were friendly and cheerful

Huhzou is called the Silk Capital of the World

The factory had an almost campus feel, and was filled with 20-somethings wandering around in small groups on their break..

The trip was a success, and a solid relationship built for the future. Efficiencies and further strategy will be discussed as the team reconvenes after Shannon's trip and an adviser's vacation.