Build in China

If I were a hardware founder building a new electronics product today, in what country would I start mass production?

For prototyping, sure, it's generally easier to make it where your team is based. But for starting mass production, I'd still start in Mainland China.

Not because I am familiar with the country or speak Chinese (though it helps). But because China is still the fastest place on earth to turn a concept into a mass product. To move fast, stay on budget, and get a product into the hands of real users.

Speed matters more than anything at the early stage. When you're setting up production, every delay compounds. If you need a part for the next build and it takes two extra weeks to arrive, those two weeks quietly turn into two months. This is how teams "lose a season" without noticing.

China solves this because its infrastructure is built for scale and velocity.

Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Yiwu, and dozens of other hubs are not just cities. They are production ecosystems. They compress timelines in a way no other region can replicate.

At the center of this ecosystem are the physical markets. People outside China underestimate them completely. Huaqiangbei (華強北市場) in Shenzhen is the famous one, but there are markets for everything: fasteners, packaging, fixtures, accessories, sensors, you name it.

These are not just shops. They are offline showrooms for thousands of small factories. If you need something unusual, urgently, you walk in. You point at a part, explain a tweak, and someone will make it. Trying to source that same part on Alibaba or 1688 is wishful thinking.

And the best part is that you don't even need to go there. Your supplier will do it for you. This is already included in the service scope by default, and it is usually free of charge.

Outside of China, such infrastructure doesn't exist, and even local suppliers often source many small quantity orders in China.

This is why I'd start production in China every single time: you get to version 1.0 faster, you stabilize yield faster, you uncover real defects faster, and you reach predictable production faster. That speed is existential for a young hardware company.

But here's the important second step: once your production is stable, predictable, and documented, move it out — if tariffs, geopolitics, or long-term strategy require it.

You don't start in Vietnam, Malaysia, Mexico, or Thailand.

Start where speed is infinite. Move when predictability is earned.