An insider reveals what can--and does--go wrong when companies shift production to China In this entertaining behind-the-scenes account, Paul Midler tells us all that is wrong with our effort to shift manufacturing to China. Now updated and expanded, Poorly Made in China reveals industry secrets, including the dangerous practice of quality fade--the deliberate and secret habit of Chinese manufacturers to widen profit margins through the reduction of quality inputs. U.S. importers don't stand a chance, Midler explains, against savvy Chinese suppliers who feel they have little to lose by placing consumer safety at risk for the sake of greater profit. This is a lively and impassioned personal account, a collection of true stories, told by an American who has worked in the country for close to two decades. Poorly Made in China touches on a number of issues that affect us all.

Table of Contents

Foreword (ArthurWaldron). Introduction. CHAPTER 1 Vanishing Act. CHAPTER 2 Trouble Is My Business. CHAPTER 3 "All We Need Is Your Sample" CHAPTER 4 Vice President of Disadvantaged Neighborhoods. CHAPTER 5 "I Do Now". CHAPTER 6 Lurid Carnival of Global Commerce. CHAPTER 7 And That's a Good Thing. CHAPTER 8 Grains of Toil. CHAPTER 9 The China Game. Chapter 10 The Seven Steps of Problem Solving. CHAPTER 11 Counterfeit Culture. CHAPTER 12 No Animal Testing. CHAPTER 13 Joint Venture Panacea. CHAPTER 14 Take the Long Way Home. CHAPTER 15 Lucky Diamonds. CHAPTER 16 Trophy Trash. CHAPTER 17 "You Heard Me Wrong". CHAPTER 18 "Price Go Up!" CHAPTER 19 You Wouldn't Want to Be There. CHAPTER 20 Of Course, You Would Think So. CHAPTER 21 The New Factory. CHAPTER 22 Profit Zero. Afterword. Acknowledgments.

About the Author

PAUL MIDLER has over twenty years of experience related to Asia, and in his manufacturing career, he has worked directly with hundreds of Chinese suppliers in a broad range of industries. He holds an MBA from the Wharton School of Business and a master's in international studies from the University of Pennsylvania's Lauder Institute. Poorly Made in China is his first book.