/ News & Articles
Field
notes.
Perspectives on global trade, sourcing strategy and the moving parts behind every supply chain we run. Written by Chris Perfetti, Director, Perfetti Engineering / Global Supply Network.
/ About these notes
Written from
the shop floor.
Field notes is the in-house publication of Global Supply Network. It is written by Chris Perfetti, Director of Perfetti Engineering, and by the engineers who run our briefs day to day. Every article comes from real programs we are running for Australian manufacturers, not desk research.
We publish when we have something genuinely useful to share. Topics range from raw material sourcing economics to offshore CNC trade-offs, China sourcing logistics, design-for-manufacturing checklists and the four prototype types we use with product teams. The goal is to save you a costly mistake on the next part you buy or build.
Through our sister business McIver Engineering, established in Sydney in 1947, we also run prototyping and short runs onshore. That hands-on context shapes everything we write.
Topics we cover
- • Raw material sourcing for Australian manufacturers
- • Overseas manufacturing programs
- • CNC offshore vs local economics
- • China sourcing agents and procurement
- • Design for Manufacturing (DFM)
- • Prototyping types and stage-gating
· 8 min
Multi-axis CNC machining, Australia vs Malaysia vs China, 2026 cost and quality guide
Indicative landed costs, quality and lead time for complex multi-axis CNC parts sourced from Australia, Malaysia and China.
By Chris Perfetti, Read →
· 10 min
Prototyping and manufacturing: the four prototype types and how we deliver them
The four prototype types, when to use each, and how GSN and McIver Engineering keep your IP onshore while scaling production globally.
By Chris Perfetti, Read →
· 9 min
Design for Manufacturing (DFM) for Australian mechanical production
A practical DFM guide. CNC, laser cutting, materials, tolerances, batch size economics and a 12-point engineering checklist.
By Chris Perfetti, Read →
· 8 min
Understanding the global supply network dynamics
How Australia's exports, imports from China and the USA, trade agreements and emerging technology shape the global supply network.
By Chris Perfetti, Read →
· 6 min
What a China sourcing agent actually does for Australian buyers
Sourcing agent vs trading company vs in-country procurement team. What you pay for, what you do not, and how to spot a good one.
By Chris Perfetti, Read →
· 7 min
Offshore vs local CNC: when overseas machining wins (and when it does not)
A practical breakdown of the cost, lead time and quality trade-offs between offshore CNC machining and local Australian production.
By Chris Perfetti, Read →