The business
Tom grew up on the factory floor helping her father run his clothing manufacturing business.
Now, Tom runs her own business, specialising in his own business, and manufactures the pieces in China.
Finding an overseas supplier
Tom found her main factory in China thanks to a recommendation from her brother, who is also in the rag trade. He had been producing Merino wool jumpers out of China and gave Tom this particular factory contact. Her main contact there, Fiona, speaks very good English. Fiona heads up a department there that does millions of dollars of business in the US, Germany and France, which was also a good sign (that they can maintain big, demanding orders).
Within a month Tom visited the factory and took a tour. She liked that it wasn't a sweat shop, there were a lot of workers and they were well cared for, many even lived onsite. She has now worked with Fiona for more than 10 years and they both cultivate the relationship and respect for each other.
Overcoming language barriers
Despite this, there are ongoing issues.
Somebody in the food chain can still get things wrong,' she says.A simple misunderstanding in the colour code of a yarn written on a garment specification can mean a sweater is made in bright orange instead of pale green--as happened to Tom a few years ago.
To combat confusion and translation errors, Tom keeps her directions and requests very clear and simple. 'I never overload with information,' she says.
Have backup plans
Despite years in the business, there's always a chance a shipment will arrive late or quality control. Tom tries to head off problems by bringing her production cycle forward. She's clear in explaining this to her factory contacts too, so they know she's trying to give them as much time as possible to do a good job.
Pay suppliers on time
Tom learned about integrity as a child. In the 1970s and '80s, during bad economic times, her father was always mindful of his staff. 'Never forget that the people on that factory floor have children to feed,' he would say to his daughter.
Today, Tom always pays her suppliers on time. 'I get my stuff made as I never have, and never will, let anyone down on payment,' she says. 'It goes back to the lessons I learned as a child.'
Currency fluctuations can be stressful as her foreign orders are in American dollars. She pays on delivery of a shipment, which can be months after an order is placed. It's about riding out the cycles.
If you have any inquiry of used clothing, used clothes, used shoes, used bags, be free to contact us info@fansung.com, so that we will do efforts to solve it for you.
Site Map 
Chat 
