Keeping an eye on China

<p>A Sonoma company that has long outsourced its manufacturing to China has acquired a Hong Kong consulting business to ensure quality control and avoid the recalls that have plagued other industries.</p><p>Sonoma Promotional Solutions, with $6 million in annual revenues, announced last week that it had purchased China-based Golden Fortune. Terms were not disclosed.</p><p>The Sonoma company, which has 27 employees, makes pins, pens, bracelets and other advertising products for businesses and nonprofits.</p><p>The acquisition gives Sonoma Promotional an onsite team to quickly locate Chinese factories to produce special orders, allowing the company to expand its product line, said Bernie Friedman, founder and president.</p><p>Golden Fortune, which has 12 employees in four Chinese cities, will also perform unannounced inspections to ensure the products are free of contaminants -- a growing problem in China's Wild West business climate.</p><p>Friedman and other officers at Sonoma Promotional have been making multiple trips a year to China to monitor the factories they deal with, but the business is growing and more help is needed, Friedman said.</p><p>"We want to be sure the quality is there and the schedule is real. A real inspection is what we're after," Friedman said. "A lot of stuff has to happen to get something as simple as one of our orders through the system. We can't constantly travel back and forth."</p><p>Sonoma Promotional, which has been doing business in China for more than 20 years, is one of many U.S. companies that are taking new steps to safeguard the quality of products made in China.</p><p>Worried about a backlash from Western consumers, global corporations are upgrading their own inspections, particularly in the aftermath of the June recall by the RC2 Corp. of its popular Thomas &amp; Friends toy railway sets after they were found to have been coated with lead paint. Other recalls have targeted pet food, toothpaste and tires.</p><p>The Chinese government has also taken several well-publicized steps in recent months to show its determination to curb the production and export of unsafe or fraudulent products.</p><p>Officials dispatched more than 30,000 inspectors on a nationwide sweep to find substandard foods, drugs and consumer products. Inspections found nearly 20 percent of the nation's food and consumer products were substandard or tainted.</p><p>Some of Sonoma Promotional's customers initially attempted to buy direct from Chinese manufacturers, but had bad experiences, said Michael Chidlowsky, vice president of international relations for Sonoma Promotional.</p><p>"Our customers have told us they feel pressured to source overseas for the best bargains. Unfortunately, many of them have experienced defective products, delayed shipments, hidden costs, missed events and worse," Chidlowsky said.</p><p>Sonoma Promotional began negotiations with Golden Fortune months before the current spate of recalls.</p><p>Among other duties, Golden Fortune will monitor the factories to make certain they follow humane business practices, such as paying overtime, implementing worker safety programs and not using child or prison labor, Friedman said.</p><p>"We want to make sure we're dealing with reputable people. Our customers expect that of us," Friedman said. "We hope this acquisition gives our customers additional peace of mind."</p><p>Sonoma Promotional has two other divisions. Its SOS Alert Products division offers a computerized ID tag that allows a patient to carry a complete medical history on a thumb-size digitalized disk that can be read by any doctor's office computer.</p><p>Another division, Eco Greenware, produces biodegradable products, including dishes, tote bags and aprons.</p><p>The New York Times contributed to this story. You can reach Staff Writer Carol Benfell at 521-5259 or carol.benfell@pressdemocrat</p><p>.com.</p>