What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Zhangzhou Clock Manufacturing Industry? How to Carry Out Quality Control?
Zhangzhou City is the largest quartz clock and quartz clock movement production base in China and even in the world. Zhangzhou area has a very complete Quartz watch industrial chain. The required movement, watch core, plastic accessories, seconds hand, casing, electronic components, packaging, etc. are all available. According to statistics, there are now more than 30 watch export enterprises in Zhangzhou City, Fujian Province, and more than 100 related accessory production enterprises. The products are exported to more than 130 countries around the world. Quartz clocks produced each year account for 10% of the world’s total output and movements account for more than 30% of the world’s total output, making it one of the country’s largest watch export bases. Therefore, CLI Company has also accumulated a lot of experience in Zhangzhou watch inspection. Here, we will briefly introduce the advantages and disadvantages of Zhangzhou clocks for foreign importers to better understand the industrial chain of Zhangzhou clocks.
Advantages of Zhangzhou Clock Industry
1.Zhangzhou is famous for its abundant clocks and watches, with a high market share and large share of export.
There are more than 100 manufacturers of quartz clocks and watches and accessories in Zhangzhou area, 90% of quartz watches and clocks produced in Zhangzhou are exported,especially in Asia, Africa and Latin America, while the market share in Europe and the United States is also about one third.
2.Complete industrial chain
The clock manufacturers in Zhangzhou and the manufacturers of other parts and components all specialize in their respective duties. From the shell to the core components such as movement, from alloy materials to plastic materials, there are professional manufacturers in these gathering areas that are self-sufficient. As long as an enterprise receives the order for finished products，it will immediately subcontract the production of major components to other professional manufacturers, and complete the assembly and delivery in a short time. Therefore, many foreign businessmen require a third-party inspection company to conduct Zhangzhou watch inspection before shipment to ensure that these assembled products function normally. Just like the article Manufacturing Technology of Quartz Watch mentioned, there are two very important steps in the clock manufacturing process: parts processing and parts assembly. Because first of all, there must be qualified original fittings, and these original fittings must be perfectly assembled together. Therefore,Zhangzhou watch inspection is also very important, and on-site inspectors will inspect five aspects randomly:
* Check whether the movement model is correct and the screws of the rear cover cannot be loosened and locked.
* Watch pointer spacing and position, because the hands and watch mirrors, dial and between the three hands should maintain a certain distance, otherwise mutual collision and affect the normal operation of the mark. When checking the watch, you can dial the minute hand and hour hand to 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock to see if the two hands are at right angles, 6 o’clock to see if the two hands are in line, 12 o’clock to see if the two hands coincide.
* Observe whether the watch will stop in the range of DC 1.55 V to DC 1.25 V.
* Check the dial knob and needle of the watch to see if the knob will slip.
* Adjust the timing to see if the pointer rotates evenly.
Therefore, even if Zhangzhou’s industrial chain is relatively mature, Zhangzhou watch inspection is still one of the important means to confirm the quality of watches.
3.Abundant labor resources
As a traditional clock manufacturing base, Zhangzhou has trained a large number of skilled clock workers who are familiar with the manufacturing process and have certain technical capabilities. In Zhangzhou, nearly 20,000 people are employed in the clock industry. Therefore,during Zhangzhou watch inspection, we will find many workers with more than six years of clock work experience, skilled workers will also play a positive role in product quality assurance. Moreover, compared with Shenzhen, the wage cost is relatively low, facilitating the formation of a competitive advantage in labor force.
Disadvantages of Zhangzhou Clock Industry
Although the clock industry in Zhangzhou has developed to a certain extent, compared with other clock producing areas in Shenzhen and Hong Kong, there are still some problems to be solved, focusing on several aspects:
1.Lack of brand and low added value of products
Most of the clock manufacturing enterprises in Zhangzhou started with OEM. In Zhangzhou’s clock industry, there are too many manufacturers and the scale is not large, resulting in low price competition. Without international brand support, Zhangzhou’s watch industry can only occupy the low-end market and rely on low-cost strategy to expand its business. Although the price advantage is very important for foreign investors, it is difficult to improve the quality after all by blindly suppressing costs. For example, if inferior movement is adopted, the defect of large travel time error will occur.
Therefore, during the zhangzhou watch inspection, inspectors will require the factory to carry out travel time error inspection.There are three levels of standards for checking the travel time error of this watch, as follows:
After all, the watch is a kind of precise timing instrument, and its use time is relatively long, so this test is essential in zhangzhou watch inspection.
2.The scientific research strength of the enterprise is weak and the independent innovation ability is not enough.
The clock industry in Zhangzhou is still dominated by labor-intensive producers. Most of the manufacturers do not have independent research and development capabilities. Core technologies are mainly imported from abroad. Some manufacturers directly imitate foreign products to produce, which makes it difficult to form their own core competitiveness. For example, in the case of Zhangzhou watch inspection, most movements were found to be made in Japan. Lack of independent innovation capability will lead to disorderly competition in Zhangzhou clock industry. Many enterprises produce a product at the same time, which will reduce prices and vicious competition, thus causing the homogenization of products.
3.Lack of talents in enterprise management and marketing
The shortage of international marketing talents also greatly restricts the further development of watch enterprises. In the process of Zhangzhou watch inspection, inspectors often contact with the salesmen of foreign trade companies，inspections are arranged by traders. Many factories have to be solved problems through foreign trade companies.
With the adjustment of China’s export policy, especially the reduction of export tax rebate rate, the exchange rate issue and the tough withdrawal of the new labor law, etc. In addition, the continuous rise in the prices of various raw materials has greatly increased the production costs of enterprises. In the past, it did happen to sacrifice quality in order to reduce costs, so customers usually have to arrange Zhangzhou watch inspection before shipment. Avoid the circulation of products with serious defects to the market and reduce the risks of importers: Quartz Watch Inspection mentions several key links, such as checking the outer shell, watch mirror, dial and time-division needle, without sand holes and obvious scratches. Check that the three needles are installed correctly, etc.
Zhangzhou watch enterprises should implement standardized production in strict accordance with the production process, actively apply for ISO quality management certification and ROSH directive certification, and preferably accept a third party arranged by foreign investors to conduct Zhangzhou watch inspection, so as to strive for the product quality and production mode to meet the requirements of the importing country. At the same time, it relies on unique low-cost strategy to develop the international market.
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