Manage Monday Risks in China Sourcing

After 30 years in China sourcing, I always say Monday is the litmus test—all the issues accumulated over the weekend surface by Monday morning.

The "Monday Syndrome" at the Factory Gate
Every Monday, the workshop supervisor’s desk in Chinese factories is piled with three things: unfinished goods from last weekend, unconfirmed production schedules, and mixed-up process requirements from shift handovers. I’ve seen too many bosses check progress only on Tuesday, only to find the entire production line waiting for revised drawings since Monday.

An Iron Rule in Our Line of Work: No Inspection, No Shipment
My team must accomplish three things every Monday: confirm first-article samples, review material ledgers, and update the inspection plan. Last month, for a smart home client, a Monday morning spot check revealed that the injection mold was mounted backward—this single catch brought the defect rate down from 15% to 2%.

The Butterfly Effect of L/C and Sinosure
Here’s a recent lesson: one supplier failed to update their Sinosure documents on Monday, only to discover by Friday that their credit line was frozen. They had to switch to cash settlement, increasing financial costs by 4 percentage points. Now, my finance specialist’s first task every Monday is to follow up on documentation.

Real-Life Case: That Morning Fire Drill in Dongguan
Last Christmas season, an e-commerce client received a sudden promotion notice from Amazon, requiring shipments 15 days ahead of schedule. We got the message Sunday night, and by early Monday morning, I was at the factory with an inspector. We verified the first carton while adjusting packaging plans on the spot. In the end, we managed to deliver 3,000 units to the bonded warehouse just before the cutoff.

A 30-Year Sourcing Veteran’s Monday Checklist

• Complete video check-ins with all key production supervisors by 9 AM.

• Mark critical material inventory in Excel with two-color coding (red for alert, green for normal).

• Resend updated technical drawings with bilingual notes (Chinese and English).

• Verify container numbers and match them with customs declarations for the week’s shipments.

Diligence on Monday paves the way for a smooth Friday. There are no secret tricks in supply chain management—it’s all about seeing what needs to be seen, asking the right questions, and mitigating risks before they escalate. Wishing you all a productive and successful week ahead.