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`Why ‘Made In China’ Still Delivers’

• By  Anthony Mellor, Chief Operating Officer, Onflair Group, UK
• February 01, 2026

During recent visits to apparel manufacturing facilities in China, one reality stood out clearly: much of what the global industry still assumes about Chinese production is outdated.

The factories I saw were not defined by low standards or cheap shortcuts, but by automation, disciplined quality control, and operational scale that few regions can match. Global brands continue to manufacture here not out of habit, but because China delivers speed, consistency, and execution at scale.

What often goes wrong is not geography, it is communication. Clear technical briefs and precise specifications consistently result in strong outcomes; vague inputs do not. Speed remains China’s strongest advantage, from rapid material sourcing to overnight sample revisions and fast production ramp-up.

Costs have undeniably risen, but what buyers receive in return is deep supply-chain integration, capacity reliability, and decades of manufacturing expertise. The real question today is no longer where a product is made, but how it is made, and how well the relationship is managed.

China is not the cheapest option anymore. But for buyers who understand the process, manage relationships deliberately, and value execution discipline, it remains one of the most capable manufacturing ecosystems in the world.

Costs have undeniably risen, but what buyers receive in return is deep supply-chain integration, capacity reliability, and decades of manufacturing expertise. The real question today is no longer where a product is made, but how it is made, and how well the relationship is managed.