You’ve probably heard about China turning into a ghost town during the Spring Festival. If not, let me tell you: while factories shut down, daily life becomes lively, parks and tourist spots are bustling, and traffic is the worst I’ve ever experienced. Trains are fully booked weeks in advance.
But production? It completely stops. Dead. Non-existent. Even pollution usually eases up, and the skies become clearer.
In my third year in China, I learned the hard way just how much the fashion industry can suffer during Chinese New Year (CNY). At the company I worked for, production ran nonstop without accounting for the CNY break. That year, our production wasn’t ready in time. As usual, we asked to save it and continue after the holiday.
However—and this is a big however—a month later, we discovered all the clothes had been ruined. Heavy rains had leaked through the roof, damaging everything. You might assume the factory would be insured for such incidents, but it wasn’t. The factory lost everything: its clients, workers, and money. It eventually went bankrupt.
From that day forward, I made it a strict rule to have all production finished and safe before factories close for CNY.
How Do You Avoid CNY Production Losses?
1. Ask Early: At the start of your cooperation with the factory, ask for the exact dates they plan to shut down for CNY. As a precaution, plan for production to end a week before their stated shutdown date.
2. Add Buffer Time: When calculating your production schedule, add at least one extra week. Not all workers leave at the same time, and production often slows as the holiday approaches.
What Happens Post-CNY?
You’re probably wondering what happened to our production. We lost 30% of the deposit and a great supplier.
CNY isn’t just the longest holiday in China; it’s also a massive disruption to the workforce. Workers return to their hometowns, and a significant percentage don’t come back to the same jobs. Even after the holiday, factories typically resume at reduced capacity, creating further delays. These disruptions make the months before and after CNY particularly chaotic.
How I Managed Production in My Second Year in China
In my second year in China, I moved away from the usual production timeline and focused on combining seasons, even though it made the process more complex. Different clients have varying production schedules—some produce once a year, others twice, monthly, or even different collections for markets like North and South America.
Typically, we ask clients when they need the garments in their warehouse and work backward to determine when to start production. However, I came to an important conclusion: if the requested delivery date is within three months or less after Chinese New Year (CNY), we adjust the timeline. At Shelly’s Way, we stand firm on this—no exceptions! In these cases, we shift the shipping date to before the final shipping window prior to CNY. This ensures we avoid risks and delays.
With good organization, this approach often means producing summer and winter collections together. While this method can be challenging for fast fashion, it significantly reduces costs, as 100% of the shipments can go by sea instead of air freight.
After CNY, we take advantage of the market to source ready-made designs, applying small changes to speed up production. This strategy helps us deliver faster while maintaining quality and efficiency.
Key Lessons from Experience
1. Verify Production Schedules: Always confirm the factory’s timeline and account for potential delays.
2. Understand Cultural Nuances: If you pressure the factory to meet an unrealistic delivery date, they might say “yes” out of politeness, even if it’s impossible. Remember, machines have a rhythm, and rushing doesn’t always yield results.
3. Plan for the Worst: Add extra time to your deadlines. If the new delivery date doesn’t suit your needs, decide whether to:
• Take the risk
• Cancel the order
Don’t let yourself get pushed into agreeing to unrealistic timelines.
Final Advice
As I’ve said, experience is the key to navigating these challenges. If you want to learn from my expertise and ensure a smooth production process in China, feel free to reach out for more information.
Have questions about navigating Chinese production schedules?
Contact me for a consultation!
