Closeness Despite Distance
Working closely together across continents
The Nine United family is home to STUDIO 9’s dedicated buying offices strategically located around the world to support connections between suppliers and markets. Among these offices is the Shanghai location, with Division Manager Susan Sheng and her experienced team. The Shanghai office bridges our customers with the complexities of sourcing and production in China. Together with other buying offices across Asia and Europe, STUDIO 9 ensures tailored solutions and strong, efficient supply chain operations through Nine United’s global presence.
How does the Shanghai office support STUDIO 9’s global operations, and what is a typical day like for your team?
Our responsibilities span multiple functions as a one-stop-shop, from supply chain sourcing and customer service to IT and general administration. The sourcing team focuses on product development and pricing negotiations, ensuring competitive terms by working closely with trusted suppliers. Instead of frequently adding new suppliers, we prioritise strengthening partnerships with established ones, fostering trust and leveraging mutual cost advantages. Meanwhile, our sales support team manages product confirmations, order processing, and real-time communication with customers.
How does being a one-stop-shop benefit our clients, and how do we simplify their business?
Acting as a one-stop solution means we handle everything – from design, compliance advice, sourcing and product development to quality control and final delivery – reducing the decision-making burden on clients. This complete setup ensures clients don’t need to coordinate across multiple teams or navigate complex supply chain logistics, freeing up their time to focus on their core business.
How does the Shanghai team collaborate with other STUDIO 9 offices worldwide to create seamless customer journeys?
Over the years, we’ve built a close relationship with our other offices, which fosters a seamless workflow even across continents. For instance, we collaborated with the Danish team on an RFID project, where Denmark provided the customer’s specifications, China managed initial testing, and Bangladesh handled additional assessments. Each team contributes their local expertise, allowing us to work efficiently from start to finish, despite the geographical distances.
What are some challenges of cross-continental coordination, and how do the teams overcome them?
Cross-border coordination often brings challenges like differing work standards, time zones, and communication limitations. For example, in China, WeChat is a primary communication tool, which isn’t universally accessible. We sometimes encounter urgent situations requiring swift cross-office cooperation, which demands a lot from each team in terms of deadline flexibility. We’ve also encountered occasional miscommunications in the past due to cultural differences. Learning from these moments has allowed us to establish clear communication loops and feedback routines, enabling smoother interactions and avoiding misunderstandings.
How do our local offices ensure quality and consistency in deliverables, particularly for international clients?
Quality is central to our operations. We follow standard operating procedures (SOPs) and conduct rigorous quality checks to meet global standards. Our quality control team in the warehouse has expertise in specific categories, supported by training on sustainability and compliance. We also engage in continuous learning through feedback loops and annual seminars, sharing insights across offices to align on quality expectations. This commitment helps us meet international clients’ needs consistently, ensuring reliable standards regardless of the project’s origin.
A final word on our focus: Closeness Despite Distance
Our goal is to build trusted, long-lasting relationships with clients through honesty and a commitment to continuous improvement. We know that trust, once earned, is the foundation of loyalty, and that’s why we avoid overpromising. Instead, we prioritise transparency, always working to make our clients’ lives a little easier. While we recognise that it is a cultural norm for some to avoid saying “no,” we have learned to overcome this with our internal company culture, which fosters open communication and ensures clarity. Through our collaboration, STUDIO 9’s global network truly embodies the spirit of ‘Closeness Despite Distance.’
