Norwex in China: Part 4

Norwex in China: Part 4

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Visiting the factory, taking a tour and meeting the staff was certainly the highlight of my entire trip.  As I toured through the factory I gave the staff Canadian ceramic mugs as thank you gifts.  My amazing husband thought I was crazy to pack half of my suitcase filled with heavy cups, but when their eyes lit up with joy to receive a mug, not made in China, covered in red maple leafs… it made it all worth it.  Plus, I was strategic, I had room to bring some specials items back home from China!

2015-06-25 14.24.16Norwex certainly has changed a lot in the past 15 years.  A questions I am regularly asked, “why are your cloths made in China?”

The answer is:

  • Norwex owns their own manufacturing equipment and technology in China where the microfiber is made.
  • Norwex has a close relationship with all of their supplying factories and it is a small group to ensure quality.
  • Norwex has employees on site with our most important suppliers.
  • Norwex owns their own cut and sew factory, which we visited.
  • In 1999, the Norwex cloths were made in Sweden.  At that time, our cloths contained 1.5 million meters of fiber.  This was the highest quality that Sweden could produce. China with their elite training, education and degrees in textiles was able to help Norwex develop a cutting edge cloth with 2.9 million meters of fiber per Enviro Cloth.  That is a lot more “micro”fiber per cloth!
  • This area of China is famous for their textiles, knitting and dying.
  • It is a good location for transportation.
  • The city is clean.
  • It is a global economic development zone.

Factory Tour 1

How does Norwex treat their employees?
  • Norwex is voluntarily apart of the UN Global Compact, that has a commitment to quality working conditions.  There are less than 300 companies operating in China who adhere to all of these standards.
  • Norwex only deals with other factories who comply to all of the UN Global Compact regulation.
  • The factory was air conditioned  – thank goodness – because it was warm and humid!
  • The factory was brightly lit with big windows.
  • The factory was extremely clean, with one employee assigned to dusting the floors constantly.
  • Wages are at least 50% higher than the average factory worker in the area.
    • Employees were offered the option to either earn overtime or for Norwex to hire a second shift.  All of the existing employees choose to work the overtime.
    • They are paid 1.5 times over 8 hours on week days, double time on Saturdays and triple time if they work on Sunday.  Currently the factory is running Monday through Saturday.
    • Employees currently average 2-3 hours overtime per day plus an 8 hour shift on Saturday.
  • Vacation pay starts immediately with 6-10 days per year.
  • Family Day: Norwex takes all of the employees out for a day of fun and team building.
  • A complementary dormitory is available for employees and many go home on the weekend.
  • A catering company provides lunch and dinner with five food groups per meal.
  • Safety Bonuses:  For every 25 work days, a safety bonus is given.  Once an employee reaches 250 days, the bonus is then given in 250-day increments.
  • Employees receive a 15-minute break every 2 hours with no limits on drink or bathroom breaks.  They also receive 30-minute lunch and dinner breaks.
  • The factory runs 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Factory Tour 2

Three managers for the Norwex China Factory: David, Albert and May.
China #4 4
 Norwex has their own team for Research & Development to maintain their high quality control standards.
China #4 5
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Delores VandenBoogaard is an Independent Norwex Sales Consultant from Edmonton, Alberta Canada with customers and consultants throughout Canada and the United States including; New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Quebec, British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Prince Edward Island, North West Territories and Ontario. She also has customers and team members in; Michigan, Texas, California, Massachusetts, Florida, Arizona, Missouri, Colorado, North Carolina, South Carolina, Idaho, Washington, New Hampshire, Iowa and Maine.

 

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