The primary goal and objective of many umbrella businesses are to maximize their sales. This maximum sales also comes with maximum profits. For a business to maintain this standard they will have to have a consistent supplier of the different types of umbrella they deal with. As of recent, many businesses have not been able to have their regular supplies primarily because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Covid has placed the activities of various umbrella suppliers on hold. At the same time, affecting the maximum profit goal of various umbrella businesses. The halt in supply may be due to the mode of business communication between the supplier and the businesses. In most cases, businesses usually come to an agreement with a particular supplier physically. That is, they will need to have a face-to-face meeting, which Covid is against. No one desires to get infected!
The disadvantages your business faces due to a halt in the supply of products can be avoided. You will not need to be worried about the Covid pandemic’s social distancing rule, that prevents your physical agreement with your supplier. You can prevent the disadvantages that affect your business profit by importing your umbrellas through the internet.
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Where to import your umbrellas from?
The importing of your umbrellas through the internet is the best way to keep your business afloat during Covid. But you will have to do research on a few factors to be on the safe side. No one desires low-quality products at an expensive rate. Therefore, you would have to consider factors, such as quality of products, and best wholesale rate, before ordering.
China is the best place for the importation of umbrellas to wherever your business is located. Of many countries with different suppliers, China houses the most reliable umbrella suppliers, such as HF Umbrella. Your business will be provided the best wholesale rate and high-quality products If you patronize them.
Although it is not a must to know about the manufacturer before you can import umbrellas from China, you will need to make research on a few factors. This research will make you understand the terms the manufacturer operates on, and the processes involved in shipping your umbrellas. These will provide you with the procedures you need to approach should there be any form of challenge in the process.
Steps Or Guide Involved In Importing Umbrella From China
Having knowledge about what you need in an umbrella is the first step to importing any type of umbrella from China. You will be able to predict the quality of the products by knowing the following:
- type of material used to make the umbrella
- Type of umbrella, such as golf umbrella, beach umbrella, etc
- Purpose of the umbrella, whether it is for rain, wind, or UV-blocking type of umbrella
This is the first tip or steps to guide you when importing umbrellas from China. Once you know this step you will not have any problems in following the remaining guidelines. The other steps involved in the importation of umbrella from China include the following:
- The type of umbrella your business need
- Processes involved in the manufacturing of umbrella
- Involvement of quality control team in the manufacturing of umbrella
- Shipping process
- How to approach challenges
- Choosing a reliable manufacturer or supplier
The Type Of Umbrella Your Business Need
Knowing the type of umbrella your business needs is a crucial factor. You should consider this factor before working with any umbrella manufacturer. The reason for this is due to the many types of umbrellas we have in today’s market.
The many types of umbrellas available for businesses to choose from vary in material types. Umbrellas are made with different materials, such as cotton, oil paper, silk, plastic, and nylon. These materials also come with various designs for the purpose of aesthetics.
If your business needs a custom type of umbrellas, you should pay more attention to this factor. To avoid errors in designs and quality of products.
Processes involved in the manufacturing of umbrella
This may appear irrelevant but it is important in finding a reliable manufacturer. In which there are several steps involved in the production of umbrellas. If the manufacturer skips any essential step you should not work with them. These steps include the following:
- First, cut
- Second cut
- Process of printing
- The assembly of the canopy
- Metal or wood installation at the tip of the umbrella
- Frame and canopy joining
- Installation of handles
- Double authentication test
- Packaging of umbrella
First cut: This is the first step involved in the production of umbrellas. It is also called a large cut and it primarily involves the cutting of the suitable fabric into the required size. In this process, the fabric is cut into a rectangular shape with the aid of a machine or hand-cutting method.
Second cut: The second cut is a process that comes after the first cut where the fabric is cut in a rectangular shape. On the contrary, the second cut also known as a smaller cut involves the cutting of the rectangular fabric into a triangular shape. This second cut forms the umbrellas panel—that is the gore that is triangular in shape.
Process of printing:
The process of printing on the umbrella involves the attachment of a 2D graphics image on the umbrellas fabrics. The 2D graphics printing is made to appear in its 3D form for impactful visibility. If your business needs a custom type of umbrellas, you will need to send your preferred graphics design to the manufacturer. Furthermore, the printing is done on the gore of the umbrella, which is the triangular-shaped fabric.
The assembly of canopy:
This process usually starts after the gore of the umbrella has been printed. The canopy of an umbrella is the part of the umbrella that shades the user. We assemble the canopy of a normal umbrella by sewing eight gores with the aid of a sewing machine. It is however different for custom-type umbrellas.
Metal or plastic stick installation at the tip of the umbrella: Once the canopy has been assembled it would not be stable on the ribs when opened. To make it stable, we usually make use of two different types of materials to the tips of the ribs. These materials may either be made of metal or plastic sticks. For the installation of the tips between the ribs and the canopy, we usually make use of a sewing machine.
Frame and canopy joining:
This process is self-explanatory—that is, the joining of the ribs to the canopy. The ribs are always attached to the canopy so that you will not have any problem opening the umbrellas. Unlike other processes that involve the use of sewing machines, this process is usually done by hand-sewing and assembly method.
Installation of handles:
The installation of handles to umbrellas can be done by different methods. The installation of the handles to the shaft of the umbrella can be done through the following methods:
- Screw on method
- Application of glue method
- Heating up shaft method
The method used depends on the type your umbrella business needs.
Double authentication test:
This process comes prior to the packaging of the umbrella. It is this process that determines if a particular umbrella would be packaged or not. To make this possible, manufacturers like HFUmbrella have a quality control staff in every section of production processes.
Therefore after the processes involved in the production of umbrellas, the umbrellas will be sent to this department. That is the quality control department to cross-check for any possible errors. The umbrellas with errors would be sent back for reprocessing depending on the errors found. While umbrellas that meet the required standard are sent for packaging.
Packaging of umbrella:
Every umbrella that passes the double authentication test—that is, a quality test would be sent to the packaging department. The packaging department consists of a group of staff whose primary job is to package the umbrella in cartons.
Involvement of quality control team in the manufacturing of umbrella
Once you find faults in the umbrellas you purchased, there is a high chance that the manufacturer does not have quality control staff. This is the main reason why you should make inquiries and research before working with any umbrella manufacturer.
The quality control staff or teams avoid or prevent the shipping of faulty umbrellas. They do this inspection before the production and before the shipping of orders.
Before the production (pre-production) inspection: as the term implies, it involves the inspection made before the production of orders. Samples of your orders are first pre-produced to be approved by the quality control department.
The pre-produced sample is a test product made to fit the designs of a particular business order. Until the test design is gotten by the production team, the quality control team will not approve it for production. In addition to this, the quality control department will also continue to inspect every process of production once they start.
Before the final stage of production or pre-final production: There are chances that the final product of umbrella production will have some faults. These faults can be spotted only by the quality control department on the basis of a standard.
The inspection is not only restricted to the final products. The quality control department also inspects the packaging material, categories of packaging, shipping marks, number of packaged items, etc. Once the umbrellas under inspection pass the test, they are approved by the quality control department. Then, they are ready for shipping.
Shipping process
You will receive your orders once the quality control department has approved the manufactured umbrellas. This is always through a process called shipping. You will get your shipped umbrellas through your forwarder agent in China. You can also use the recommended forwarder agent recommended by the manufacturer if you do not have one.
The Cost of shipping goods varies depending on the method you decide to use. Be sure that your umbrella manufacturer uses the right shipping way, to avoid losing your goods to the government.
How to approach challenges
You may be faced with various challenges or complications regarding your shipped umbrellas. It may occur before or after they are shipped. In most cases, many businesses complain about faulty (that is, damaged or broken) umbrellas. The relationship and agreement you have with the manufacturer will determine the best approach should this happen.
There are also cases where clients complain about receiving the wrong goods. If you choose a reliable manufacturer like HFUmbrella, you will be guaranteed a return policy. But it is rare to find clients complaining about these sets of complications when they worked with HFUmbrella. This is because we will provide a video and pictures of your ordered umbrella before shipping them to you.
Choosing a reliable manufacturer or supplier
From the already highlighted factors or guides to importing from China, you can tell it all depends on the manufacturer. There are various times clients complain about getting the wrong or damaged umbrellas they ordered. This complication could be avoided by choosing a reliable manufacturer, especially if your business needs the umbrellas in bulk.
You should source for various umbrella manufacturers that are capable of giving you the results you want. You should do this if you are new to working with suppliers in China. You can search for various manufacturers in China by using a business-to-business platform, such as Alibaba.
In such a platform you will be provided with policies that will act as a guide on how to purchase goods. This platform would also provide your business with an option to file claims should there be any form of complications.
Conclusion
In this health-conscious time where coronavirus seems to have placed a halt to businesses. You can still get the umbrellas of your choice for your businesses. This can be done by purchasing them online. As easy as this sounds, it is not an easy task, especially when it comes to choosing the right manufacturer.
Although there are several manufacturers in today’s market, working with manufacturers in China is the best. Among these manufacturers, HFUmbrella is famous for manufacturing umbrellas in bulk to anywhere in the world.
If you have any unanswered questions about the importation of umbrellas for your business from China, you should contact Justin(★E-mail:Justinzhang@hfumbrella.com ★Whatsapp:8613527750521): freely.
