Vietnamese Suppliers Strategic Search for a Nordic Bathroom Furniture Maker
The client, a bathroom furniture maker in the Nordic region, has designed, produced, and sold bathroom furniture for over a century, with sourcing activities being centralized in China. However, recent anti-dumping duties of Chinese imports faced them with a challenge – posing the urgency to acquire supplier alternatives. Vietnam suppliers showed up as one of the most promising options thanks to the newly ratified EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement, which allow them to enjoy a duty-free advantage when exporting product to the EU.
With that being discussed, the client asked ARC Consulting to conduct a Vietnamese supplier search of four different product categories. The project aimed to identify the best long-term partners based on key criteria, such as product quality, supplier capabilities, export experience, and costs. Additionally, the study provided a comprehensive overview of the Vietnam supplier landscape to support the client’s future decision-making.
By expanding their operations to Vietnam and other potential markets, the client was able to reclaim their control over operations and cost advantage for the future. Moreover, the Vietnam market with its economic potential and strategic Free Trade Agreements provide a huge opportunity for European businesses whose operations are dependent upon Asian sourcing.
Yet the amount of research and analysis required for successful execution is time-consuming, which might take away the client’s attention on widely important business goals. As a result, ARC Consulting support came in handy, allowing the client to take advantage of our long-standing experience in Southeast Asia markets.
First, the client and ARC Consulting mapped out and reviewed the requirements and prerequisites for potential suppliers. Accordingly, Asia Perspective team performed a supplier screening assessment on the Vietnam market, short-listening the suppliers that match the set criteria through multiple rounds. In parallel, ARC Consulting researched export procedures from the target country to Europe, emphasizing key differences with the client’s previous experience that need further notice in the later stage.
Second, ARC Consulting gathered production, logistics, shipment data, and quotation from suppliers. To deepen the analysis input, the consultant team carried both extensive research and face-to-face meetings with the prospects.
Subsequently, a supplier evaluation and identification of the most suitable candidates were conducted, including cost analysis and detailed business model alignment reviews together with the client. Along the way, ARC Consulting followed up closely with suppliers to ensure on-time responses for any technical concerns.
In the end, ARC Consulting formulated the final report with compiled information and cost benchmarking. After being filtered with predefined criteria, the list of final candidates was recommended to the client.
Throughout the entire project, over 50 different suppliers were contacted and assessed, leading to an identification of 10 suppliers labeled as potential to cover the client’s four product categories of interest.
All in all, ARC Consulting provided the client with a comprehensive report, presenting a straightforward solution for their product supply concern. The extensive research with fact-based supplier analysis also gave a good sense of whether the Vietnam market is a strategic fit for their future business.
ARC Consulting’s assistance received pleasant feedback from the client since it helped them to stay on the right track to decrease their operational expenditure and gain cost advantage with available supplier alternatives.
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