Just wanted to say kudos for all the patience you've exhibited DIY'ing this.
I agree that this process should in be a lot simpler but I wonder what the outcome would've been if you were willing to hire a broker and pay some bribes to get it done. Of course for you the actual manufacturing might be a secondary goal with the primary one being changing the process itself, but if someone just wants to start doing business, do you know how much it'd cost in terms of broker fees, bribes etc. to get everything setup?