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As these develop, there are huge opportunities for improving transnational trade. For example, I am interested in using this to monitor a Chinese manufacturing

As these develop, there are huge opportunities for improving transnational trade. For example, I am interested in using this to monitor a Chinese manufacturing facility for QA of product before containers are shipped stateside. That reduces huge amounts of money and opportunity cost spent on cross-Pacific travel.

felipe 16y ago
QA in Chinese manufacturing is much more complicated than that. Look at this example that I just got from an excellent blog I normally follow: http://silkroadintl.net/blog/2010/09/01/%e2%80%9cdoing-business-in-china-you-always-play-the-games-or-they-will-eat-your-weakness-%e2%80%9d/ http://silkroadintl.net/blog/2010/09/01/%e2%80%9cdoing-busin... Note the amount of local knowledge required to make things happen. One cannot acquire that much knowledge with a webcam attached to a machine. My point it that it's not just a matter of being physically somewhere, but also the context knowledge that matters.
- mediaman 16y ago
  The article you linked was not about QA, it was about contract negotiations for one-off projects. I source thousands of tons of material from Chinese factories, and the QA challenge is different. My option is to station Chinese employees (who are trustworthy) at multiple factories overseas to verify product quantities and quality prior to sailing the can. Or I could have my Chinese-American staff in the US office monitor shipments via remote robotics. Certainly telepresence does not replace international trips to build and maintain the relationship, but it can greatly assist in monitoring QA processes after the initial setup has been completed.
  - felipe 16y ago
    So how that would be different from someone local holding a webcam? (or a cell phone) My point is that maybe there is an opportunity for such solution today. Instead of an expensive robot, one could hire a trusted person to hold a camera, so someone else could do the inspection remotely. Would that be useful for your job?

felipe 16y ago

QA in Chinese manufacturing is much more complicated than that. Look at this example that I just got from an excellent blog I normally follow: http://silkroadintl.net/blog/2010/09/01/%e2%80%9cdoing-business-in-china-you-always-play-the-games-or-they-will-eat-your-weakness-%e2%80%9d/ http://silkroadintl.net/blog/2010/09/01/%e2%80%9cdoing-busin... Note the amount of local knowledge required to make things happen. One cannot acquire that much knowledge with a webcam attached to a machine. My point it that it's not just a matter of being physically somewhere, but also the context knowledge that matters.

mediaman 16y ago
The article you linked was not about QA, it was about contract negotiations for one-off projects. I source thousands of tons of material from Chinese factories, and the QA challenge is different. My option is to station Chinese employees (who are trustworthy) at multiple factories overseas to verify product quantities and quality prior to sailing the can. Or I could have my Chinese-American staff in the US office monitor shipments via remote robotics. Certainly telepresence does not replace international trips to build and maintain the relationship, but it can greatly assist in monitoring QA processes after the initial setup has been completed.
- felipe 16y ago
  So how that would be different from someone local holding a webcam? (or a cell phone) My point is that maybe there is an opportunity for such solution today. Instead of an expensive robot, one could hire a trusted person to hold a camera, so someone else could do the inspection remotely. Would that be useful for your job?