Thank you to our Customers.

Source in Asia Limited wish to thank all their customers for the help given through 2013, and look forward to successfully working with them in 2014.

Illuminated Plant Containers Coming Soon.

COMING SOON.

Make your gardens and homes look stunning and create the "WOW" factor with your friends by using Illuminated Plant Containers.

The pots combine garden lighting with your planting in a quality product.  The products look fantastic both intenally and externally with the products being safe for use both inside and outside.

LED Illuminated Plant Containers and furniture are becoming Vogue for both homes and Businesses and Source in Asia Limited are adding a comprehensive product range to their website shop.

The product range will incude illuminated plant containers, decorative cubes and balls, tables stools and chairs, with Bar/Restaurant Furniture being added later.

All products will be offered at VERY COMPETATIVE PRICES, with the products being shipped directly from the manufacturer.

For more details on these products and costs, please contact the following:

SOURCE IN ASIA LIMITED.
Tel:  +44 (0) 1772 466658.
Mail:  info@source-in-asiatoday.co.uk

China Trivia – 3

·         The modern word “China” most likely derives from the name of the Qin (pronounced “chin”) dynasty. First Emperor Qin Shi Huang (260-210 B.C.) of the Qin dynasty first unified China in 221 B.C., beginning an Imperial period which would last until A.D. 1912.

·         Toilet paper was invented in China in the late 1300s. It was for emperors only.

·         Despite its size, all of China is in one time zone.

·         Chinese is spoken by 92% of China’s population. There are at least seven major families of the Chinese language, including Mandarin, Cantonese, Wu, Hakka, Gan, Xiang, and Min.

·         Suspension bridges were invented in China in 25 B.C, 1,800 years before such bridges were known in the West.

·         The bicycle was introduced into China around 1891 by two American travelers named Allen and Sachtleben. The bicycle is now the primary transportation for millions of Chinese. The last Qing emperor (Puyi) rode a bicycle around the Forbidden City in Beijing. China is currently the leading bicycle manufacturer.

·         If the population of China walked past you in single file, the line would never end because of the rate of reproduction.

·         About 700,000 engineers graduate annually from schools in China.

·         China has more English-speaking inhabitants than England.

·         China's money is called renminbi, meaning the "people's currency".

·         The world's largest producer of apples is China.

Hope you enjoyed these Trivia items.

China' first wine cellar opens in Changli county

The Moutai wine cellar, China's first deep storage wine facility, opened in Changli county, Hebei province on Aug 12, 2013. Built over the course of seven years by the Moutai Wine Company, the wine cellar ushers in a new form of wine-storage in China. It is the only constant temperature natural wine cellar in the country, representing elements of Moutai wine and a traditional wine cellar.

Changli county is known as "the home of the Chinese wine grape" and also "China's dry red wine city." The county sits at 39 degrees north latitude, the same as Bordeaux in France, a region recognized as one of the best areas in the world for growing grapes.

In July 2002, through investments from the Kwei Chou Moutai Group, the Changli Moutai Wine Co, was formed and began making wine with techniques imported from Bordeaux. Currently, the company's annual wine production has exceeded over 10,000 tons, with fixed assets extending beyond the hundred million yuan mark.

 

How to conduct a social compliance audit of a China factory.

How to conduct a social compliance audit of a China factory.

Corporate Social Responsibility audits, also commonly referred to as Ethical Sourcing audits or Social Compliance audits should be an integral part of every global supply chain. These audits are often conducted in such a way that suppliers are evaluated in their compliance with local laws. Some brands and retailers have additional standards and requirements that must be met by suppliers who wish to manufacture their products.

It is important to ensure that each participant in your supply chain (possibly even subcontractors) is evaluated to determine the conditions that their employees work under. Besides the obvious damage to individuals and communities that unethical manufacturing practices can lead to, they can also cause significant damage to your brand when they are publicized.

When conducting a CSR audit, auditors will need to address three key aspects of the supplier’s operation:

1. The physical facilities of the factory
2. Employment policies and other documentation on file
3. Employee interviews

Below, I have described each aspect, and the types of common issues that are found during CSR audits throughout mainland China.

1. Complete facility walk-through
A walk through of the entire facility – production area, warehouse, dormitories, canteen, etc – will give your auditors insight into the physical conditions the employees work in every day.

Local Chinese law requires that basic amenities be upheld at all factories: Enough space to move around and work in production areas, adequate ventilation, clearly marked and unobstructed emergency exits, sanitary cafeterias and restrooms, and easy access to potable water.

The majority of a supplier's compliance issues are usually discovered during this walkthrough. Common issues include machines lacking proper safety equipment, exposed or unmarked electrical wiring, chemicals that lack warning and information labels, and a lack of adequate personal protective equipment (PPE).

2. Thorough documentation review
Complimenting the facility walk-through, a documentation review will illustrate the kinds of policies and atmosphere employees are surrounded by. These are less tangible aspects of their employment situations (at least for observers) that have a huge impact on their daily lives.

Complimenting the facility walk-through, a documentation review will illustrate the kinds of policies and atmosphere employees are surrounded by. These are less tangible aspects of their employment situations (at least for observers) that have a huge impact on their daily lives.

Employee attendance records and payroll records are heavily scrutinized during this phase of the audit. Thorough auditors will request the previous 6 to 12 months of records for review. By comparing these records, auditors will be able to determine if the factory is adhering to labour regulations related to minimum wages, over time wages, and maximum working hours. Not surprisingly, non-compliance with those exact regulations are the most commonly reported issues from this stage of the audit.

Additionally, auditors will request all documentation regarding hiring practices and conditions of employment. Auditors will try to establish what the factory’s official policies are regarding discrimination, disciplinary action, retention of employee identification, termination conditions, and many important factors. These can be a good barometer for the attitude of employees towards management.

3. Employee interviews
A walk-through of the facility and documentation reviews yield valuable information, but there is no substitute for talking to the employees themselves. CSR is inherently a human-centric issue, so the people that work (and sometimes live) at the factory must be made a focal point of any investigation of working conditions.

Interviews with randomly selected workers will serve to gauge the employees understanding of the policies they work under and their feelings on the physical conditions as well, putting the information gathered in the steps above into much-needed context.

If employees report discrimination, or do not understand how their wages are calculated, feel that they are obligated to work excessive overtime, or bring up grievances about the state of their dormitories, these should all be considered red flags. Such claims will warrant further investigation, and suppliers should be counselled on how to resolve these issues as soon as possible.

Service outsourcing increasing rapidly in Nantong area

The contract amount of service outsourcing in Nantong Economic & Technological Development Area reached 510 million yuan ($83 million) a year-on-year growth of 65 percent in the first half of the year, and the real amount amounting to 430 million yuan, up by 64 percent over the previous year.

The area has taken the lead in the city of Nantong in the number and scale of outsourcing companies, Nantong Economic and Technological Development Area reported.

The government of the area has spent more than 500 million yuan on service outsourcing sites on 200,000 square meters of ground and has worked hard to establish a comprehensive production and living area, including nearly 100,000 sq m for living.

Wang Jianhua, of the Federal Software (Nantong) Co, said that they are providing after-sale outsourcing services for many Chinese software enterprises, such as Kingsoft and Rising.

Meanwhile, the Aisin (Nantong) Spare Parts Co, which supplies Toyota, will provide R&D services for China’s auto manufacturers.

The area has nearly a hundred outsourcing enterprises focused on call center services, software and information services, innovative design, and bio-pharmaceuticals R&D outsourcing.

Thank you to our Customers and Suppliers.

TO ALL MY CUSTOMERS AND SUPPLIERS.

Source in Asia Limited would like to thank their customers and their suppliers for the help given through the past year, and look forward to working with them in the coming lunar year.  May both customers and suppliers have good fortune, wealth, happinss and longevity in their business during the year for the snake.

CHINESE NEW YEAR, 2013 - THE YEAR OF THE SNAKE

Chinese New Year Around the world rings in the Year of the snake.

 

 

On February 10, 2013, Chinese people around the world will welcome the new year, ushering in the Year of the Snake.

 

Gong Xi Fa Ca! That’s the traditional Chinese New Year greeting that means “wishing you prosperity” in Mandarin. The first day of the Chinese New Year – February 10, 2013 – is the most important of Chinese holidays, celebrated by over 1.3 billion people in China and by millions of ethnic Chinese around the world. It’s a celebration that lasts for 15 days, culminating with the Lantern Festival. Each year is associated with one of 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac. For 2013, it’s the Year of the Snake.

Snake Personality

The person born in the year of snake is the wisest and most enigmatic of all. He/she can become a philosopher, a theologian, a political lizard or a wily financier. Such person is a thinker who also likes to live well. The snake - person loves books, music, clothes, and fine food; but with all his fondness for the good things of life, his innate elegance gives him a dislike for frivolities and foolish talk.

They like communicating and like interesting conversations, although if the conversation becomes repetitive their attention may soon wander. It is almost impossible to fix their attention for long talking about the weather. They prefer to focus on new interesting unusual ides and intelligent discussion in general.

In money matters, people born in the year of snake have good luck; they don't have to worry about money too much, such people will always be able to find couple of banknotes if they need it. The snake person has an ability to read complex situations quickly and then set about resolving them in a quiet, controlled manner. It is much more convenient and useful for this people to work independently, because in this case they have freedom to travel and negotiate on their own terms. The snake people can not stand being limited by others and this is another reason for them to work solo. People born in this year are logical and organized workers and have all the qualities needed to acquire new skills. They also have a very good memory and that enables them to fulfil the projects thoroughly. They are purposeful and getting towards their aim spotting potential troubles and reacting immediately. On the other hand, should they have achieved their goal the snake people usually withdraw to gather their thoughts and rest. But they need not much time to renew their energies and be ready for new challenges.

 

Ideal Job for the Snake Include

Professor, Linguist, Teacher, Psychiatrist, Psychologist, Astrologer, Clairvoyant, Personnel officer, Public relations executive, Interior designer.

Horoscope background

Lucky Numbers:  1, 2, 4, 6, 13, 24, 42, 46
Equivalent Western Sign: Taurus
Element: FIRE
Color: RED
Yin/Yang: YANG

 

Celebrity

Some Famous Snakes: Kim Basinger, Randy Crawford, Bob Dylan, Greta Garbo, Art Garfunkel, Audrey Hepburn, Paul Hogan, Liz Hurley, Carole King, Dean Martin, Robert Mitchum, Mike Oldfield, Ryan O'Neal, Dorothy Parker, Brad Pitt, Brooke Shields, Paul Simon, Dionne Warwick, Oprah Winfrey, Virginia Woolf, Susannah York.

Positive and Negative Capability

Positive:   The Snake can be amiable, compromising, fun-loving, altruistic, honorable, sympathetic, philosophical, charitable, a paragon of fashion, intuitive, discreet, diplomatic, amusing and sexy.
Negative:   The Snake can also be self-righteous, imperious, judgmental, conniving, mendacious, grabby, clinging, pessimistic, fickle, haughty, ostentatious and a very sore loser.