Ethical manufacturing of trampolines

Ethical manufacturing of trampolines and your contribution

Reflecting on my latest trip to China to visit the factory that we have worked with for over 5 years, my mind turns to my earlier experiences and perceptions of factories in China. When choosing a factory, ethical people and places are what we seek out first and foremost.

Perceptions of industrial China

• Industrial China, the factory centre of the world, brings to mind crazy noisy places full of smoke, steam, dust, clutter and long faces doing monotonous tasks day in day out.
• Where do we all get that idea from? TV documentaries/news, and articles?
• I will admit I have seen a few places that do fit this description in my 10 years but thankfully not many.

Ethical?

In terms of ethical, I don't wish to be misleading. I refer to the operation of the business, our interactions with the factory at all levels and the visual ongoing improvements we are seeing that backs up each year what management are telling us. Ethical, I am afraid doesn't extend to all levels of where the materials have come from for our factory to use. Nor the environmental implications.

Trampoline factory - Shandong province

• I am happy to inform you that the factory where our trampolines are made, began as a family business. It has grown with family still very much present in all levels of the business from management to product development and production.
• The factory itself is very well laid out, spacious, clean, with a growing focus on worker safety.
• Dust is kept to a minimum by mopping the floor, machines have vents piped outside, and workstations are mostly well lit.

The workers

• The workers are covered by insurance from home to work and until they travel home so a focus on transport safety is also growing although I do personally think it is the area most needed for improvement now (we did discuss ideas to improve safety to and from work).
• Worker awareness of safety is a slow education for all - some are starting to wear safety glasses and ear protection but it isn't consistent yet.
• I speak very little Chinese so I rely greatly on my ability to read body language and facial expression, an awareness which is heightened when in a foreign country.
• What I do notice is people’s faces and the way in which they interact with others of varying positions and from my observations, our trampolines are made in a happy and caring environment where there’s clearly a lot of friendships, family and fun banter.
• Sign language, laughter, smiles, and signs of gratitude and cooperation are universal and workers are very reciprocal and animated in the factory with us as we work together.
• It is good to see everyone within a department team moves to different workstations during various times in a week. No one is on one task all the time and they all seem to share what could be seen as the more fun jobs (I get very tempted to pitch in to do some box making too).

Chinese pride and growing reputation for quality manufacturing

• The factory has lots of photos pinned up of their trampolines in people’s backyards all across the world which they are proud of.
• They also have photos up of factory faults to show them where to improve and remind them why they need to take care.
• They strive to save face as a culture and they are striving to change the reputation of their country in regards to manufacturing for the western world.
• I think they are making very good progress.
• Quality checks take place at every stage and by more people than when we first began. As a result, the quality of the product and packaging has further improved.

How you are important in the changes

• We talk a lot about our customers and what they are looking for and how your kids use the trampolines as an element to help them know you.
• Understanding who customers are and what you want, it isn’t about the workers getting know us it is about them getting to know you.
• We take a full warranty profile, photos, and samples for direct feedback. Through their management, this gets delivered to all their staff.
• We want them to take extra care not to leave flaws in the mat, or burrs on the end of the steel and many other things that they check and do.
• When we have videos of kids doing tricks we show them to various workers and then others come up to us wanting to view them as well.
• Our business model isn't to be the cheapest so we do not focus on price but to ask the factory to deliver the best quality at the right price for all concerned. 
• We can look our customers in the eye knowing that the men and women who made the trampolines are not living in poverty they have in 5 years, clearly become middle class Chinese.

My thoughts wander now to all the other products that I use on a daily basis and wonder about each of those workers who have made my computer, pen, mug and send them my thoughts that I hope their families are happy, well and that their workplace is managed in a safe and ethical way.

Scroll down this page a little further for more articles of interest related to manufacturing and importing.