Factory Visit

good stuff cheers for the update DB, look forward to Ads full pitch report on his return

Howdy all, I made it home, almost intact.

That little "niggle" in my ankle, before I left, turned out to be a full blown case of gout.

"Have you been drinking beer, walking a lot and having irregular sleep?"

Yes. Yes. Yes.

Attachment 13851

Fricken painful, but I didn't let it stop me.


Updates from the factory visit to follow in the next few days.

Sorry to hear about the gout - good to hear that it didn't stop you.

Welcome home Ads. Hope you get over the gout your feet look well swollen

Attachment 13852

Here's a great shot of all the key players in the production of our kits.

On the far left (of the photo) is Mr Chien, Production Manager for the factory. We got on really well and he listened to all the issues I brought up. We had a tea ceremony when I arrived, had a full tour of the factory and then went out to a fantastic lunch, where much alcohol was consumed (hence the gout).

The guy on my left is Tom who was the driver for the whole of my visit.

The woman in red is Amanda, our primary contact. We've been communicating for 4 years and have become good friends; I'd like to think genuinely. She is a real sweetie and just as I had imagined.

On Amanda's left is Jenny, who is Amanda's boss. She is always introduced as "the wife of the Manager", but she is also a Manager. This only makes sense in China.

And the woman on the end was clearly not important (/s) because no one ever introduced us... I assume it's Mr Chien's wife.

These two guys are their "Guard Dogs".

Attachment 13853

Nope, not joking. Seems they spend their days in these cages and are let out at night to guard the factory. I assume the smaller one on the right guards with his adorableness and reminds the potential robber of all that is good with the world, so the robber immediately gives up, goes home, and takes stock of his life.

And, you know I'm a dog guy, but after the whole 10 days in China, everything I experienced, the one thought that is with me now is that the dog on the left didn't have any water in his bowl and it was stinkin' hot. And I didn't say anything.

Photos and vids of the inside of the factory to follow.

Nice intro to the key staff Ads.
Look forward to videos and more pics

@ Adam Thank goodness you got back home to Oz safely, sorry to hear about the gout, hope you get well soon mate.

Dayum, sorry to hear about the foot, I bet its fricken painful.

Great update, thanks for that.

Welcome back, glad it was a successful trip, and gout sucks, get well

oooh gout sucks badly! Glad you could still soldier on and enjoy the visit.