Anisa reflects on a decade of manufacturing in China

The Atlanta-headquartered firm has a 600-employee factory in Tianjin, China, and Anisa Telwar says that the decision to base production here is much more than a way to keep costs down.

The make-up brush manufacturer's boss says that whilst some people view manufacturing in China as a way to cut corners at the expense of quality, her company sees it as the exact opposite.

“China is going through many changes and it is great for us that we are still there. They have welcomed us as a wholly foreign-owned company,”​ she said in an interview with Manufacturing Revival Radio.

“The thing for​ [Anisa] is that it’s a handmade product, so we had to find the right labour pool. If it had been an automated process it may have been easier, as consistency is key. So we had to learn how to educate our workers and commit to efficiency.”​

Pressure​

Despite pressure to leave China, and although Telwar has not ruled it out completely, she says that the production will remain in China for now as it maintains consistency and product quality.

The raw materials used to manufacture the make-up brushes and Anisa’s other products all come from China, making it difficult for the company to move in order to ensure the quality remains.

“If we could move we would but the quality of the brush is the most important and we haven’t been able to find the same quality material as in China,”​ says Telwar, who reiterates that the quality of the product is of the utmost importance for the consumer.

Due to the manufacturing process being hand-made rather than automated it is difficult for the company to up and leave as they will have to educate and train new staff to keep consistency with product quality. This would be an easier option if it was an automated process where they could just move the machines.

Despite cost increases, Anisa is still keeping faith in China as Telwar believes that the company can absorb these costs with its efficiency and the situation will slowly improve.

Factory life​

Videos of the China plant on Anisa's website give an insight of the daily processes at the China factory as workers operate machines and assemble products by hand.

Telwar says that these workers are put through intense training and systems to maintain efficiency.

Anisa's plant also supports an army of supplier factories enabling the company to assemble millions of brushes per year.