Day 5: Manufacturing in China

I am writing this entry from Guangdong China, where I have just visited three of our contract manufacturers. This is my first time to China, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I had heard so many stories - good and bad - about the factories here that I thought I better just go with an open mind and try to enjoy the experience.

Here are some random thoughts and observations:

Crazy traffic.

Horns.

Pollution.

Construction. 

Bicycles everywhere. 

Jaywalking. 

Street front shops.

Smells of cooking oil.

Dust.

Isolated spots of landscaping.

Small spaces.

Small green spaces.

Trees overhanging paths.

Factory campuses like universities.

Thousands of employees.

Tens of thousands.

Multi-story buildings - always. 

Offices on the first floor.

Manufacturing on the upper floors.

Boards in a line.

Waiting for the next operation.

Waiting for the next operator.

Which operation?

Which operator?

Visual management by handwriting.

SOPs everywhere - yet at the wrong height?

Bottlenecks at every station.

Batch.

Queue.

Wait your turn.

Red.

Green.

Is it under control?

[no comment required]