While you are tucking into turkey or taking a well-earned break over Christmas, it is easy to forget: In China, it is business as usual! Christmas is not a public holiday on the Chinese mainland. While your office is closed and your emails are set to “Out of Office,” your suppliers are still on the factory floor.
If no one is watching the line during this window, you risk returning in January to a New Year hangover of shipping delays or quality defects.
While You’re Winding Down, China Is Speeding Up
Late December and January are the peak of the Chinese manufacturing calendar. Every factory is rushing to finish orders before the Chinese New Year shutdown, which usually sees the entire country close for almost a month.
Most factories see a massive spike in output in the 45 days leading up to Chinese New Year. When volume goes up this fast, quality control is often the first thing to be sacrificed to meet deadlines.
However, if you find a defect on Jan. 20, the factory may physically be open, but the people who actually know how to fix the problem (the skilled QC staff and line managers) are already on a train back to their home provinces. Your stock isn’t going anywhere until March.
Worse still, shipping rates can spike by 20–50% in the three weeks before Chinese New Year. If your production is delayed by just three days while you’re opening presents, it could cost you thousands in additional freight “rush” fees.
Why Eyes on the Ground Are Your Best Holiday Insurance
Having a dedicated team in China during the Christmas production peak is an effective way to keep your supply chain running smoothly.
Avoiding Quality Fade
The primary risk during the rush is “Quality Fade.” To speed up production, factories may compromise on materials or skip vital assembly steps. When overbooked, factories may also farm out orders to unvetted, lower-quality workshops. An on-site team ensures your product is actually made where you agreed, under the correct protocols.
Getting to the Front of the Queue
Factories are operating at 100% capacity over the holiday, and suppliers will prioritise the buyers who are visible and persistent. If you are just a name in an inbox, you are very easy to ignore when a larger, louder client comes knocking. A local team member can lobby for your production slots in person, ensuring your order isn’t pushed back.
Ensuring Your Goods Actually Leave the Port
Your logistics chain is at its most fragile when volume is highest. On-the-ground management is the only way to ensure your goods make it onto the plane or ship. Local teams work directly with truckers and forwarders to navigate local port bottlenecks that don’t show up on a remote dashboard.
How to Get On-the-Ground Support
Getting eyes on the factory floor in China doesn’t have to involve the bureaucratic nightmare of setting up a legal entity.
The China Desk offers a faster, smarter route that doesn’t involve losing your Christmas spirit to a mountain of red tape.
As an Employer of Record (EOR), we act as the legal employer for your staff in China. This means you can hire full-time or part-time experts without needing your own company on the ground.
You manage the strategy and the daily tasks; we handle the contracts, the complex local HR compliance, and the payroll. It’s like having a local office, but without the headache of actually building one.
Book a call with our team today to discuss how flexible, on-the-ground support can safeguard your 2026 supply chain! Merry Christmas!
