Have you ever considered how Chinese holidays impact US business and manufacturing?
Since 2002, several worker holidays have been added to the Chinese work calendar. As China does so much business with the US and Europe, the country has added a one to two-day holiday over Christmas.
In addition, China also has national holidays that do not occur in the US. Two examples are China’s May Day on May 1 and the Dragon Boat Festival on June 20-22, 2015.
Chinese holidays impact US manufacturing because of the large amount of trade between the two countries, which is growing in the area of manufacturing. For this reason, US manufacturers doing business in China need to be aware of the holidays there.
US manufacturers can be most efficient by planning their work schedules around Chinese holidays when the overseas businesses will not be open. American manufacturers also need to keep in mind that holidays sometimes change. An example is Chinese New Year (CNY), which is based on the Lunar Calendar so exact dates change year to year.
Whether you are a customer or vendor, take note of Chinese New Year. It is part of the Chinese celebration that extends from February 18 to 24 this year. The Chinese New Year is traditionally a family time similar to US Christmas. A worker usually requires 2-3 days of travel time to get home; expect many Chinese workers to take extended February leave of 7-8 days.
Due to Chinese New Year closures, your US business will not receive its usual number of shipments from China. Plan at least two months ahead for any orders you need to fill in February and March. Shipping ports will close beginning February 18 and usually reopen within 5-7 days.
Also, prepare for delayed or potentially lower-quality shipments than you normally receive from China following CNY. Workers may take longer leave than expected, decide to quit or operate at reduced capacity when they return to the manufacturing plant as they are still in holiday mode.