Behind every smart home is a smart project manager; in China, that means boots on the ground to get the job done right.
This case study explains how a multinational telecommunications firm used The China Desk, Kinyu’s supply chain-focused Employer of Record service, to hire and manage key personnel on the ground. The result: improved cooperation on firmware development.
Snapshot
| Industry & Product Category | Smart cameras, doorbells, sensors |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Team Size | 20,000+ employees |
| Annual Turnover | More than $10 billion |
| Hiring Location in China | Tianjin |
Challenges Faced
The client encountered several key issues before engaging The China Desk, including:
- The U.K. team struggled to cooperate with the firmware team at the Chinese supplier.
- Time zone and language barriers meant that important information was not being shared or communicated correctly.
- Product development processes were costly and inefficient.
- The Chinese supplier failed to raise issues in a timely manner, resulting in expensive reworking.
Positions Hired & Responsibilities
Kinyu’s China Desk helped the client build a dedicated local team:
- Technical Project Manager
A well-organised and technically capable professional with experience in firmware development and manufacturing for major Western companies operating in China. The hired manager effectively oversees the supplier’s firmware team and communicates with all relevant stakeholders in the U.K. office. This team member understands the U.K. requirements, communicates them to the supplier, and acts as a vital bridge for key product development projects.
Bespoke Advisory and Support
Beyond recruitment, the client also gained direct access to the Kinyu GM Function — a local management team offering strategic advice and practical solutions for supply chain challenges.
- Hiring solution: Kinyu proposed hiring a local manager as part of a strategic plan to improve cooperation with the Chinese supplier.
- Supply chain support: In addition to the full-time employee in Tianjin, Kinyu assisted the U.K. team in managing QC inspections and communicating with the supplier’s supply chain team.
- Team building and engagement: Organised quarterly events for team collaboration and hosted annual trips for the employee to the UK for team building.
- Supplier relationship management: The Kinyu senior team visits the supplier quarterly on behalf of UK senior management to maintain high-level relations.
Results & Impact
By hiring through The China Desk, the client achieved:
- Improved project delivery: The technical project manager coordinated supplier activities, ensured proper task prioritisation and delivered key project components in the correct order and on time.
- Strengthened supplier relationships: Clearer communication improved the working relationship, even during challenging times.
- Enhanced functional testing: On-site presence at the factory allowed functional testing with the client’s app before shipment.
- Business continuity: Having key personnel on-site ensured projects could move forward. Without this support, the client would have struggled to deliver products according to business needs.
What Our Client Says
Without Kinyu’s support our project simply would not have progressed this far. There is a significant gap between our expectations of a supplier and the level of service received by the hardware supplier for this project that Kinyu successfully bridged for us.
Kinyu have enabled us to keep our programmes moving by acting as our representative on the ground in China, facilitating conversations with our suppliers and subcontractors. The situation has been very fluid but Ben and the team have always gone above and beyond.
With the help of the Kinyu team, we have been able to hire a technical project manager based in China who has had an extremely positive impact on our technical deliveries, improving communication and efficiency.
Improve Your Supply Chain Operation in China
Whether you want to boost product quality, streamline supplier management, or reduce operational costs, building the right team on the ground can make all the difference.
