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Made in China

In a recent feature brief, Hi-Tech Security Solutions referred to the competition local manufacturers face from cheaper Chinese goods. Hendrik Combrinck, marketing manager for ZKSoftware in South Africa responds.

Low price does not always mean low quality, but it could mean a challenge to high-end products. For years, products made in China were branded with a cheap and low-quality badge. However, as the quality of goods produced by Chinese manufacturers continued to improve in the last two decades, the big names in electronics are now forced to lower their prices.

Technology is advancing at a quicker pace than ever before and many Chinese companies have also changed their business plans from being low-cost assemblers for big brand profit driven companies and are now producing more innovative and quality products of their own. This is now giving the buying power back to the end user and they are no longer forced to buy high priced brands.

Global competition continues to drive down prices and Chinese factories are coming to the party by producing very high quality products at very low prices. This is mainly due to millions of dollars spent each year on quality control and factory layout to enhance their production and make it more streamlined and cost effective.

The most important factor here is still that the buyer in South Africa must make sure that the company he buys from in China is reputable and has tested its products in the South African environment and has a South African service centre with full service back up. This will ensure buying confidence not only for the distributor, but for the end user as well.

Hendrik Combrinck, marketing manager for ZKSoftware in South Africa

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