Marathon Monday

Sometimes it’s just amazing what can be accomplished in China. The fact that I live in the middle of the worlds largest industrial zone (Guangdong Province) means that within 3 hours, in any direction, I can be at a factory for just about any given product sold the world over—really just about anything and everything is exported from the Pearl River Delta. Taken collectively, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Hong Kong, is the busiest export area in China—yes, more so than the overly promoted Shanghai, Ningbo, Zhijiang area.So on Monday I visited 5 different factories—it took 16 hours. But I was able to confirm a mold at one factory, approve some died colors at a second factory, do print checks on 2 SKU’s of product packaging at a third, confirm assembly of a DIY kit at a fourth, and pick up production samples and do Outgoing QC at the last one.I didn’t schedule the day like that. Some factories canceled previously scheduled Sunday visits and others were ready earlier than the scheduled Tuesday visit. But just the fact that all these factory options are available and in such close proximity is absolutely amazing. I saw production that was to be shipped to the EU, the US and Australia. Goods going to Wal-Mart, Target, Michael’s and others.I can go from the highest of High Tech industrial parks to almost substance farming in literally a 30 minute drive. Sometimes I think that I’m in the Wild West with no laws but money. Sometimes I feel like I’m living on Gilligan’s Island and need the professor to peddle faster to make the intent work. Sometimes it’s Star Trek as I look down from the 11th story of a 40+story building in the financial district at the Ferraris, Bentley’s and Lamborghinis below. It’s never boring and it’s always changing.For example: A new elementary school was built and will be in use in less than 90 days. Three shipping export/import visas were applied for and delivered in less than 36 hours—they typically take 5 business days. The US Olympic Basketball team is just up the road (yea, I think that’s a big deal for China) for two days. Wal-Mart is China 5th largest trading partner/country. More than 200,000 people a year move into Shenzhen. Shenzhen has the highest per capita income in China—about $12,000 a year—while more than half of China makes less than $300 a year.Today I’m off to two more factories and the US vs. Brazil basketball game.