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5 Reasons Why Your QA Procedures Are Not Implemented

Auteur de l’article Par Admin
Date de l’article 23 juin 2022

Is your retail buying office falling behind with quality assurance procedures that should be taken on as best practice?

In this part one blog post, we delve into the reasons why your retail buying office could be falling behind, and not adopting the best practice quality assurance procedures that will keep your brand competing in the global market place.

The goal of quality assurance (QA) used to be simple; make sure that a product performs the way it is supposed to.

Over time the goal has evolved, from simple post production judgments to a multi-step process that begins with management defining outcomes all the way to distribution. This evolution is ongoing, and it has seen the adoption of QA within modern companies become almost ubiquitous – from mortgage lenders to software developers, to engineering firms.

The reason, you ask?

QA is vital to success!

To keep your business competitive in a fast-paced world, you need to make sure that you’re keeping up with the best practices for QA. Best practices are clear processes integrated into every facet of product design, development, and implementation, which ensure the highest chance of achieving your objectives.

Now you know about QA, and you want the best practices. We’re here to help.

But first…

Acknowledge your weaknesses. While this may be difficult to do, there is immense value in spending the time analysing this.

Here are five reasons why your buying office could be falling behind, and not adopting the best practices for QA that will keep you competing in the global market:

1. Forgetting that it’s a team effort

With QA being an increasingly integrative process, as opposed to final product inspection, it has become important to realize that QA has become a team effort.

The responsibility here begins with senior management

The staff that management chooses to carry out QA reflects how seriously management considers that role. This choice is important because QA staff need to have relevant experience to meet the objectives and closely follow the processes required by management.

This part may seem obvious, but what is critical is that the staff need to be able to work with senior management.

Mutual respect is key

A fully functioning QA team needs an open, responsive channel with senior management in order to perform their jobs properly. You do not want to be put in a position where there is a lack of communication from management, and subsequently, have the QA team blamed for not having the perspective of what they are required to do.

Alternatively, you also do not want the QA team struggling to resolve an issue because they cannot communicate with senior management about it. The role of a QA team is critical for the product success, so make sure that it is staffed with respected people that can be approached and worked with.

Other than QA staff choice, it is also key to have early involvement of the suppliers, designers, developers, consumers, and any other party involved in the process.

The more interaction there is with suppliers, the more close monitoring there can be of the quality of the material and products.

Involvement of designers and developers will minimize later conflict on what is expected and what is possible. And the involvement of potential consumers is critical to assess the projected profitability of the product.

This will all allow an efficient QA process, which minimizes the need for final-stage inspections/testing that could be costly or find issues that are difficult to rectify at that late stage. It also allows for early termination of unprofitable enterprises, without the massive financial losses that would come from realizing that post production/purchase.

Figure 1. Involving all relevant parties in the process early on will allow for inspections of the design, production protocol, and consumer interest before the product is actually manufactured. This will allow for integrated QA, reducing the need for post-production and final stage inspection/testing, and in some cases for the timely shutdown of unprofitable projects (Adapted from Hinckley 1997).

2. Inadequately defining your QA objectives can create misaligned goals

Involving more people in the QA process from conceptualisation to purchase raises the next important step toward improving QA.

For QA to function properly it is critical to clearly define the objectives.

Remember that with any product there will be trade-offs between the target quality, release date, budget, and consumer satisfaction. The relative importance of each of these factors is situational and needs to be decided on and formalized in detail.

An overarching, vague goal for QA such as “Achieve greater QA” can be difficult to attain if the QA personnel are not provided with clear objectives that deal with trade-offs. If you’re prepared to sacrifice time for higher quality, make this clear in the objectives so that the QA inspectors know what to prioritize.

Clarity is paramount.

When defining objectives, remember not to assume. The more detailed the objectives are, the easier they are to follow. With that said, beware of removing all autonomy from the QA process, because this will undermine the role of those carrying it out. Strike a balance that is clearly understood, but leaves maneuverability for the staff to know that their experience and skill is valued. In the same vein, make sure that everyone is on the same page as far as your set standards/benchmarks for quality go.

Keep the quality checks consistent, with well-defined checklists for each team unit in the process, which are not open to differential interpretation by the QA staff, the producers, and the buyers.

QA as a procedure has changed over the years to ensure there is success from production to distribution.

This is part one of a two part series on QA best practices and how they can empower you to help your company achieve the goals and objectives you set out to achieve.

Help your buying office follow these best practices and more!
Simply click here to download your FREE copy!

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Blogs

A Look at Your Supply Chain in Times of COVID-19

Auteur de l’article Par Admin
Date de l’article 23 juin 2022

Despite significant efforts to contain the spread and global impact of COVID-19, the situation has worsened, affecting people and companies all around the globe. The full implications of COVID-19 on the supply chain remain difficult to predict, with some areas slowly returning to activity while others are now being adversely affected by the virus. It is, however, possible to see that, at this stage, the crisis is having a direct influence on the supply chain, from raw materials to finished products.

As a company with a strong presence on the ground, visiting factories every day, we at API have seen first-hand some of the challenges that brands and retailers are facing in their supply chain. We are helping our customers and their suppliers brace for the impact this extraordinary crisis has had, and continues to have, on their supply chain, providing them with short-term solutions that will help them maintain high quality in their processes and goods while ensuring that the people on the ground remain safe.

Supply Chain Challenges

We were confronted with the gravity of the crisis during the first peak of the virus in China, where some factories were unreachable, production stopped, goods were unable to be shipped, etc. Now that activity is resuming in this part of the world, the challenges have evolved, resulting in many companies putting the quality of their products at risk. It is important to bear in mind that these challenges will most likely be replicated in other manufacturing areas when activity resumes. Therefore, a sound understanding of those issues now might allow for quicker reactions in some of your other sourcing locations. Among them are:

Shortage in labor/workforce: factories are struggling to get 100% of their employees back on site due to health issues or travel restrictions. This might encourage factories to hire new people lacking experience, with no time for adequate training and with the risk of undeclared subcontracting.
Inadequate production planning and status: when resuming activities, some factories might not operate at their full capacity which will render it difficult to meet production targets. It is important to check your factory records in order to see actual people in the production line, daily output, and quality control reports.
Rush in production: when factories are able to resume activity, some might be in a rush to make up the time they lost and may be tempted to cut corners and speed up processes. Some steps are rushed leading to mistakes, and some steps are directly skipped such in some cases the quality control, which might put your entire production at risk.
Excessive stock: goods that were produced before the virus outbreak have likely been held in the warehouse while awaiting shipment. In warehouses where storage and conditions are not satisfactory, complications such as deterioration or the development of mold may have emerged.

Raw materials shortage: resumption of activity leads to an increased demand for raw materials and components, thus resulting in a shortage. Brands and retailers can shift their production to areas that are less impacted, such as other SEA countries, which involves a risk if the new suppliers and factories are not adequate.

Lack of quality control to ensure safety: at the height of the epidemic in China, factories and third-parties reduced the movement of people in and out the premises to avoid putting employees at risk. This meant a decrease in the level of quality control, which put the production quality at risk.

7 Tips to Help Alleviate Disruptions in the Supply Chain

This crisis may be the catalyst to revisit the global supply chain strategy and accelerate the adoption of new models and capabilities, but in the meantime short-term actions are needed to respond to the challenge.

Here are some tips from a manufacturing perspective to help with the continuity of your supply chain while maintaining quality products:

Care about your people and your supplier’s teams

Educate employees on COVID-19 symptoms and prevention
Ensure your factory has screening protocols

Training and specific audits that focus on the measures to be adopted during this crisis are a good tool to ensure the health and safety of the teams.

Increase your visibility on workforce/labor planning

Check actual capacity of your factories
Assess impact on production times
Pay additional attention to product quality as plants run with fewer workers and some might hire temporary/new staff who might be unqualified

Data collection here is key: from gathering the records of the factories for a quick screening, to implementing more in-depth measures such as technical audits, in-line inspections or in-production assessment, having greater visibility of the real situation of your factories is vital at this stage to not only ensure the completion of your production on time but also the quality of the goods delivered.

Understand your key suppliers and increase the transparency of all your supply chain

Understand the impact your orders have on one’s factory production lines
Understand the flexibility one factory has in regard to production / purchase shifts

Whether your orders only represent a small portion of one factory’s production lines or you are flooding these same production lines with your goods makes a huge difference as to how to interact with this factory. If you are not a key customer, you need to make sure you understand how the factory will be dealing with your order when/if they face a shortage of staff or inventory.

Carefully select the suppliers you’ll work with if you are shifting countries

Ensure you’re working with the right suppliers for your productions

The concept of shifting production to other areas was already on the table before the virus appeared, with a trend among many companies toward considering moving ‘out of China’. Diversifying areas of production and looking for alternative locations can help secure additional inventory and capacity. However, launching production in a new area can be challenging if you don’t have the experience or the right teams in that specific area. A third-party company can support you with adapted solutions to facilitate the transition and ensure the quality of your production through a dedicated technician program.

Update inventory policy and stock management

Before = as little stock as possible
Now = need to anticipate and increase safety stock

This might lead to associated risks such as product deterioration or mold development which can be identified via a final inspection and tackled with a warehouse condition audit or a more elaborate mold prevention program.

Align IT systems and support evolving work requirements

Manage quality remotely
Use new IT tools and solutions

We are being forced to shift from a culture of ‘on-site’ work to ‘remote work’. Be ready to embrace change and to consider possibilities that were not even contemplated a few months ago, such as video-monitored inspections.

For brands, retailers and importers’ quality management teams, online quality management solutions can help manage your goods’ quality even when working from home. With a simple click of the mouse, it is now possible to keep track of your quality actions, read reports and make decisions on whether or not the goods should be shipped. Expert technicians are also one video/phone call away, offering their support in these difficult times and finding the best possible solutions to cope with the crisis.

Prepare for the rebound

Be ready to move quickly

We are, without doubt, facing exceptional times and although it is impossible to anticipate when and how this epidemic will pass, we need to remain confident, align our efforts and prepare for a brighter future. Stay alert and ready for change: those that are able to adjust quickly will have a higher chance of rebounding and adapting to the times ahead.

At API we are putting our manufacturing experience and product expertise at the disposal of our clients to help them adjust during this difficult time. Thanks to the agility and flexibility of our teams and our local infrastructure we are able to quickly implement on-site and remote solutions to respond to our clients’ needs.

Do not hesitate to get in touch with us to discuss your supply chain challenges.

Blogs

7 Tips to Manage Supply Chain in times of COVID-19

Auteur de l’article Par Admin
Date de l’article 23 juin 2022

Here are some tips from a manufacturing perspective to help with the continuity of your supply chain while maintaining quality products:

Care about your people and your supplier’s teams

Educate employees on COVID-19 symptoms and prevention
Ensure your factory has screening protocols

Training and specific audits that focus on the measures to be adopted during this crisis are a good tool to ensure the health and safety of the teams.

Increase your visibility over workforce/labor planning

Check actual capacity of your factories
Assess impact on production times
Pay additional attention to product quality as plants run with fewer workers and some might hire temporary/new staff who might be unqualified

Understand your key suppliers and increase the transparency of all your supply chain

Understand the impact your orders have on one’s factory production lines
Understand the flexibility one factory has in regard to production / purchase shifts

If you are not a key customer, you need to make sure you understand how the factory will be dealing with your order when/if they face a shortage of staff or inventory. What flexibility do they have to shift production and purchase order fulfilment to other locations if their supplier of raw materials / components is out of stock?

Carefully select the suppliers you’ll work with if you are shifting countries

Ensure you’re working with the right suppliers for your productions

Update inventory policy and stock management

Before = as little stock as possible
Now = need to anticipate and increase safety stock

Align IT systems and support evolving work requirements

Manage quality remotely
Use new IT tools and solutions

For brands, retailers and importers’ quality management teams, online quality management solutions can help manage your goods’ quality even when working from home. With a simple click of the mouse, it is now possible to keep track of your quality actions, read reports and make decisions on whether or not the goods should be shipped. Expert technicians can also be one video/phone call away, offering their support in these difficult times and finding the best possible solutions to cope with the crisis.

Prepare for the rebound

Be ready to move quickly

we are in this together, and at API we are putting our manufacturing experience and product expertise at the disposal of our clients to help them adjust during this difficult time. Thanks to the agility and flexibility of our teams and our local infrastructure, we are able to quickly implement on-site and remote solutions to respond to our clients’ needs.

Do not hesitate to get in touch with us to discuss your supply chain challenges.

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Blogs

Video-Monitored Self-Inspections in COVID-19 Affected Areas

Auteur de l’article Par Admin
Date de l’article 23 juin 2022

The exceptional situation currently facing the household goods and toys supply chain is forcing companies around the globe to adapt to a reality that is changing by the day.
At API, we’re continuously looking for new technical solutions to support our clients, adopting all necessary measures to help minimize the impact on your shipments while keeping our employees, your teams, and those of your suppliers safe.
While some areas are returning to activity, others remain unreachable and access to many factories is still limited for safety reasons. However, this doesn’t mean that we cannot support you in monitoring the quality of your goods. Traditional inspections may for now be limited in some areas, but we can bring you our support and expertise via video-monitored self-inspections.

Video-monitored self-inspections

Video-monitored self-inspection can easily be put in place for your reliable factories, with monitoring via a video call with one of our technicians who will provide guidance throughout the process.
This solution brings additional support to your brand to help control the quality of your goods in these extraordinary times. Some of the main benefits include:

Support in ensuring self-inspection controls are made thoroughly
Verification of the proper methods of implementation and efforts put in place to conduct an adequate inspection and truthful declaration

While this tool can help confirm the correct self-inspection is carried out, the absence of our technicians on-site brings certain limitations:

Some verifications may not be fully under the control of API (Ex. counting of quantities, random carton selection…)
Some points cannot be validated remotely, or on-site verifications reported accurately (Ex. bulk shading or humidity/moisture level, appearance checks, assembly, function checks…)
The factory/vendor’s history with the brand is essential to determine the feasibility of this solution – not advised for one-off / short-term suppliers

At API, the health, safety, and security of our teams, customers, partners, and factories is key. We remain at your disposal and continue to look for risk-free solutions, and we thank you once again for your support during this crisis.

Interested in knowing more about our video-monitored self-inspections?

Actualités

COVID-19 : Nos « mesures de prévention des épidémies »

Auteur de l’article Par Admin
Date de l’article 23 juin 2022

We have implemented extraordinary “Epidemic Prevention Measures” with the 10 following steps (*This does not concern China where we already have a clear plan communicated and where the situation is improving):

We follow the local authorities’ recommendations in terms of health and safety and travel bans or limitations
Appointment of one Chief Hygiene Safety Officer per office
Self-temperature checks on a daily basis – above 37.5 degrees, the person must report to the Chief Hygiene and Safety officer and their N+1, and consult a doctor
Recommendations on hygiene rules
Guidelines for employees who exhibit flu-like symptoms to stay home and seek immediate medical advice
Any employee whose family or household member is a suspected case or has travelled to known contaminated clusters shall immediately notify the Chief Hygiene and Safety Officer and: – Refrain from working from the office or travelling to factories until a decision is made by the Chief Hygiene and Safety Officer and their N+1 – If the risk is confirmed – 14 days self-isolation and work from home
Visitors to our offices for face-to-face meetings are not authorised. If face-to-face meetings are necessary, guests must be registered and determined as healthy by the Chief Hygiene and Safety Officer
Employees to minimize social contact, with a limit on the number of teams at the office at the same time and 1m safety distance followed
Everyone wears mask in office or while travelling to factories
A questionnaire for each factory is implemented with each booking to ensure conditions are suitable for inspection and rules of hygiene and safety are also followed by factories

For more information, consult your usual contacts.

Blogs

How Lego improved CSR with toy quality management system?

Auteur de l’article Par Admin
Date de l’article 23 juin 2022

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a must for any toy brand that wants to achieve growth and avoid the costly implications of non compliance. A company that is testament to this fact is Lego. Last year the toy giant reported its highest revenue yet in its 85 year history, their profits rising 1.7% to 12.2bn kroner. This growth showcases the heights you can achieve through organizational commitment. Global retail brands are increasingly wanting to partner with suppliers of children’s toys who can provide them with the appropriate environmental and social compliance. Lego has been able to achieve their CSR goals through going above and beyond what any toy quality management system requires. How have they done this? Renewable energy. In 2012 the toy company began investing in wind turbines to power their operations globally. As a result, in 2016 more than 360 gigawatt hours of energy was used by the LEGO Group to produce the more than 75 billion LEGO bricks sold around the world during the year.

Toy quality management systems - renewable energy

They initially had committed to making this transition by 2020, but they ended up meeting their target 3 years early! This is one great commitment to the realm of renewable energy. Apart from this they are currently investing loads of money and time into finding alternatives to plastic for their famous building blocks. As consumers increasingly dictate how manufacturers design and make toys, the power of adopting CSR and green initiatives as a part of your competitive strategy will have global results for your brand. What do I mean by this? The toy quality management system you choose to adopt will provide a framework for which CSR is able to be strategically implemented for your brand. Lego is a prime example of this. Whilst they are a children’s toy brand, they have committed fully to sourcing a more environmentally friendly plastic for their iconic plastic blocks. Even though they have not yet found a suitable alternative, their commitment and investment in trying to, puts them at the forefront of an initiative consumers the world over want to see and be a part of. So I put the question to you…

How can your QMS leverage CSR for a globally competitive position?

Let’s take a bit of a deeper dive in… A QMS framework is just that: A framework that has been created to ensure quality in all areas from management to products, to customers, to factory processes and environmental impact. The ISO 14001:15 is the international standard used to navigate environmental impact and innovations. What are the key benefits of complying with ISO 14001:15?

It demonstrates compliance with current regulatory requirements.
It increases leadership involvement and engagement of employees.
Amélioration de la réputation de l’entreprise et de la confiance des parties prenantes grâce à une communication stratégique
It achieves strategic business aims by incorporating environmental issues into its business management.
It provides a competitive and financial advantage through improved efficiencies and reduced costs.
It encourages better environmental performance of suppliers by integrating them into the organization’s business systems.

This system provides accountability and creates a platform for building sustainable relationships with your suppliers, as you work together to meet a set of global standards for your toy production.

How can your toy brand go about implementing ISO today?

We have outlined a stepped process which will help you prepare for compliance according to the environmental ISO 14001 framework for your brand;

You will need to identify all aspects and environmental impacts of your organization’s activities
If you have not established an environmental policy for your organization, you will need to go ahead and do this.
You will need to formalize your environmental procedures and publish them in company manuals and company policy.
You will need to bring the company into compliance with all legal requirements and mandatory regulations.
You will need to get the confirmation of compliance by all stakeholders such as clients and legal authorities.
Lastly, you will need to obtain a certification of your environmental management system by a registered third party.

ISO developed these frameworks in which brands are able to optimize their quality systems according to a set of international standards, by international standards it means that consumers can have confidence that their products are safe, reliable and of good quality. The ISO’s standards on road safety and toy safety regulations are just a few of those that help make the world a safer place. As consumers today become increasingly aware of how their favorite brands are attaining goals that closely align with a global value system, it will be important to adopt a toy quality management system that increases your competitive position in the market place. Do you have any questions around environmental auditing solutions? We will be pleased to answer them and help where we can.

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Furniture Inspection Best Practices For Importers

Auteur de l’article Par Admin
Date de l’article 23 juin 2022

How does one go about skipping on lengthy delays, dodging product recalls and potentially damaging brand reputation that is brought on by furniture quality issues before it’s too late? Importing furniture from South-East Asia is as attractive, if not more, than any other market in the world, but the logistics, compliance, and potential communication challenges it presents does little to guarantee that the standards of quality for your destination market will be met. In this blog post, we seek to outline what you can do to ensure that your furniture reaches you at its highest level of quality, ultimately, to give your brand the competitive advantage it deserves.

Have you determined your DCL (defect classification list)?

This is often a step that is an afterthought, but classifying this, in the beginning, will help to clarify the meaning of your furniture inspection report. This is the most widely used defect category;

Critical defect Un défaut critique est un défaut qui, selon le jugement et l’expérience, est susceptible de :
- entraîner des conditions dangereuses ou non sûres pour les utilisateurs, lors de l’utilisation, de l’entretien ou selon l’usage prévu des produits ; ou
- empêcher la fonction essentielle d’un élément majeur. Un défaut critique est une unité de produit contenant un ou plusieurs défauts critiques.

Major defect – A major defect is one, that is likely to result in failure, or to reduce the usability of the product for its intended purpose.

Minor defect – A minor defect is one that is not likely to reduce the usability of the product for its intended purpose, or is a departure from established standards having little bearing on the effective or operation of the product.

If there is no established DCL, API has a detailed inspection checklist which will be made available so as to proceed with the inspection.

DUPRO (During Production Inspection) to help resolve your furniture quality issues early on

This is often a critical stage in ensuring that your final piece of furniture will reach its expected level of quality. Referring to the below, 2700 chairs were recalled because of fall hazards that were due to the breaking or bending of the leg. The CPSC found that structural frame of the upholstery chairs was missing a support block to the leg this was against original design.

Such as this upholstery chair, you would never check the structure frame inside visually after it is wrapped by fabric when the production was completed.

A DUPRO inspection could assess some of these critical points at the right moment before the production was completed. DUPRO could focus on finished products, evaluate production status and quality system implemented on the production line. In many cases, a couch or piece of furniture is inspected before the entire purchase order has been completed. This type of inspection means that any problem that has come about should be identified early on and will, therefore, be addressed on site. Your DUPRO inspection report needs to be inclusive of any and all quality issues that were found during the production process. No issue is too small to include.

Update your furniture specifications, based on the DUPRO feedback

Upon receiving your DUPRO furniture inspection report, you will need to go through every step of the report thoroughly. Look at what “pending” results there may be. You should have a strategy in place on how you address these “pending” quality issues.

Furniture inspection - redefining product specifications

It is at this point that you will need to re-communicate your products specifications to begin addressing those furniture items with “pending” status. Sourcing in Asia is not without communication and language barriers. You can look to overcome these barriers by using a neutral third party quality provider who has the expertise in your sourcing area. Having boots on the ground will ensure that your product specifications are communicated correctly and clearly.

Do a root cause analysis as a preventative measure going forward

It is important to note that a root cause analysis should not be a once off thing that you implement in the odd major defective production case. You should have an RCA strategy of exactly how you will handle defective furniture products with your supplier. Don’t have an RCA strategy? Follow the steps I’ve outline below to help you;

Problem Recognition and Definition – Acknowledge and define what your furniture’s production problem is.

Identify the causes – Go through the process of cause identification. The trick here is to not spend too much time brainstorming or mind mapping. This needn’t be a time-consuming aspect of the RCA.

Identify solutions – Based on your cause identification you will need to identify the best possible solutions to addressing the problem so that it does not happen again.

Implement the solutions – If your furniture’s quality was compromised on the production line, you would need to begin implementing the solutions that you were able to identify to prevent any future occurrences of this. The solution needs to be one that optimizes and betters your operational processes. If the proposed solution does not accomplish this, you may need to repeat the above steps to ensure you come up with something that will.

An RCA does not have to be a time-consuming strategy. What it does need to do is highlight the problems and make room for process optimization.

A FRI (Final Random Inspection) is based on sampling inspections

An FRI is a pre-shipment inspection of a small sample of your furniture. This inspection type is used to determine any quality defects that may have come from the production process.

preventing product defects - Sample test.jpg

A random furniture sample will be selected at this point, where they will each be checked one by one to inspect whether or not they meet the following;

Does it meet all of the product specifications as laid out by you?
How many visual defects are there?
What onsite tests need to be done?

Key Takeaways

The steps as laid out above should be planned and strategized over for each product category that you source. The benefits of the above inspection types;

They allow you to detect quality issues early on.
A step-by-step analysis of the root cause of the problem which allows you to make sure this problem doesn’t recur.
They allow room for re-communication of product specifications.

Analyse every report from every inspection type. If you are not happy to communicate this and communicate what needs to be done differently to meet your required specification. This kind of planning and strategy will see you through the production of high-quality furniture that will positively position your brand in the market place. Have you endeavoured to optimize or customize your inspection solutions? Let us know in the comments section how any of these solutions have been of benefit to your organization. If you have any inspection related questions, please feel free to get in touch with us.

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Toy Testing: How To Comply With En 71 & ASTM F963

Auteur de l’article Par Admin
Date de l’article 23 juin 2022

With the strict safety and quality standards of children’s toys, there is absolutely no room for non-compliance. Compliance issues can cause potential health hazards and in some cases fatalities. Here we discuss the importance of toy testing and provide you with an exact outline of toy safety regulations and all of the most recent updates to help you avoid compliance issues, so that you can continue to produce toys of the highest quality. The toy industry is a lucrative one with “toy sales in 2015 increasing by 4% over 2014 to $87.4billion…with estimated growth expected to exceed $90 billion in sales in 2016.”

There is surely continued opportunities for economic growth and sustainable innovation in this massive industry going into 2017 and beyond.

But, the toy market, and product safety specifically, makes it a volatile one.

What happens when due diligence is left by the wayside?

41% of toys that were recalled in the EU alone were due to choking hazards, whilst chemical compositions makes the second largest recall between January 2016 and July 2017.

By looking at the graph below, you will see the breakdown of recalls over this period of time:

The stats above paint a clear picture for importers to abide by toy safety compliance standards, for it is not only in your best economic interest, but also for your brand’s protection and growth.

Today, children’s toys are subject to some of the strictest safety and quality standards in the retail marketplace due to the sensitive nature of their consumer base.

The question is…

How do importers keep up with the latest news in toy safety regulations to avoid potential disasters and recalls as reflected above?

In this blog post, I seek to highlight the EU EN71 safety standards that your imported toys need to comply with. I will also highlight the latest updates of this standard, to ensure you are up to date with the latest in toy compliance.

We also look at the US standard, ASTM F963, where we will highlight the latest updates to ensure that your products are in compliance. Lastly, I seek to provide you with actionable steps to achieving compliance according to these standards and what you can do to continue producing children’s toys of the highest quality.

EN 71

The EN71 is a set of European Product Safety standards that apply to all toys, sold in the European Union. The EN 71 also forms a part of the CE directive. As an importer of children’s toys you will need to ensure that the toys you are importing into Europe are labelled with this CE mark.

This mark basically stipulates that a particular toy is compliant with the safety regulations as laid out by the European Union and its safety standard.

Here is a table of what this standard is inclusive of, but I will also highlight the ones that have been updated recently so that you, know exactly what your products need to be compliant with;

TABLE of EN71

The latest EN71 update includes

The latest children’s toy update and revision of the above table is as follows;
The CEN has published Toy safety standard EN 71-12:2016 for n-nitrosamines and n-nitrosatable substances. This standard is expected to be harmonized under Toy Safety Directive 2009/48/EC by publication in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU).
Major change of the new version includes this;

More stringent limits of n-nitrosamines and n-nitrosatable substances for toys intended for use by children under 36 months and intended or likely to be placed into the mouth of the child.
a modified definition for ‘elastomer’ from ISO 472:2013 (Plastics – Vocabulary, for better clarity)
a new procedure for the extraction process for toys and parts of toys other than balloons
use of porous graphitic carbon (PGC) reversed phase (C18) high performance liquid chromatography (HLPC) columns as an additional option for analysis
an additional set of multiple reaction monitoring-transitions (MRM-transitions) for quantification and identification

What this revision should mean for your sourcing and production strategies

This standard is applicable to the following products;

Toys and parts of toys made from elastomers and intended for use by children under 36 months
Toys and parts of toys made from elastomers and intended to be placed in the mouth
Finger paints for children under 36 months

Manufacturers will need to provide evidence of compliance from the supplier of these materials, before the manufacturing of these items can proceed. There may also be a random sampling after mass production for post production testing to ensure you are not in violation of the above safety regulations.

ASTM F963-16

The ASTM F 963-16, The Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Toy Safety, is a comprehensive standard that addresses numerous hazards that have been identified with toys.

The latest ASTM F963 update includes

Among the changes, the 2016 revision addresses ride-on toys with: a new curb impact requirement, a clarification of overload and stability requirements, and a strap exemption.
new labelling requirements for toys that have certain small coins or button batteries,
temperature and current-limiting requirements for lithium-ion batteries, and
new requirements for materials and toys that could expand if accidentally swallowed.
Other revisions include:

– new soaking and compression tests for magnets

– new requirements and clarifications related to microbiological safety;

– clarifications to heavy elements requirements for toy substrate materials

– revised requirements for toys involving projectiles; and,

– clarification of requirements and supplemental guidance for impact hazards.

What this revision should mean for your sourcing and production strategies

You will have noticed that all children’s toys that have been produced after 30 April 2017 needed to be tested according to ASTM F963-16.

According to ASTM F963-16 all toys that are intended for children of 12 years old and under need to be tested by a registered CPC third party testing and quality provider, who will then furnish you with the appropriate product specific CPC which declares that your product complies with the federal toy safety standard.

Suggestions for complying with these toy testing regulations

As an importer you may be feeling overwhelmed about adhering to the regulations as laid out above and while you should be doing everything you can to adhere to them, here we lay out a few suggestions of how to go about doing this;

You need to work towards improving quality control procedures by strictly monitoring the quality of raw materials. Do not fall into the trap of using cheaper, substandard materials. Whilst this may be appealing for cost reduction, you will be putting your brand at unnecessary risks.
Improving your products quality always needs to be a primary goal. Many of the new updates in regulation also stipulate the use of a third party quality provider as mandatory for your products compliance.
Ensure you use a third party company that is up to date with the latest in toy testing and safety regulations. This will reduce the risks of potential product recalls resulting in a bad image for your brand, but also a loss in revenue.
Seek new non-toxic environmentally-friendly raw materials. How do you go about sourcing your raw materials? This may step may be a little more difficult to pursue, but let’s take a look at Lego. Their blocks are made of plastic, but currently, they are investing loads of money and time into finding alternatives to plastic for their famous building blocks. It’s this kind of commitment that ensures a positive and innovative position in the market place.

Understanding the regulations and what they mean for your current sourcing strategy for children’s toys will help give appropriate direction and guidelines to your current competitive positioning in the market place.

By understanding these regulations and ensuring compliance according to them, you are able to guard yourself against potential product recalls and even potential lawsuits that could come from health and safety violations that are sadly too often found within children’s toys.

“API is equipped to meet the above product testing and safety requirements accordingly to ensure your brand’s safety and protection.”

Étiquettes Compliance, Testing, Jouets

Blogs

Social Compliance Audit For Consumer Electronics

Auteur de l’article Par Admin
Date de l’article 23 juin 2022

How should importers of consumer electronics avoid a supply chain which includes suppliers who use child labour, have dirty and unsafe conditions, or who don’t follow labour rules? Here we endeavour to outline how a social compliance audit for consumer electronics can positively position your brand in the market place. Conditions as mentioned above have made themselves all too familiar within the retail supply chain, and the worst part is that many retailers claim that they didn’t even know about this right up until before these tragedies became global news. So how can we prevent this? A social compliance audit. This audit can go a long way in preventing some of the damaging issues many brands of consumer electronic products, and indeed other items, are all too familiar with.

Social Compliance Audit For Consumer Electronics

A social compliance audit can be difficult to attain, but is an absolute necessity for that transparent supply chain your consumers today are demanding. A social compliance audit ensures that a factory and its practices are abiding by all local laws and that you meet all of the social obligations as set out by the guidelines of the audit, from fair wages to no instances of child labor in a factory. In this blog post, I will outline the exact procedure of this audit, the benefits it offers to your consumer electronics brand and how you can go about conducting this audit for yourself. So, let’s dive in…

What can consumer electronic importers can expect from a social compliance audit?

Consumer electronic brands endeavour toward social compliance for these main reasons;

Brand protection
To ensure your factory is clean and meets high levels of standards

I have gone on to create a list of what can be expected of a social compliance audit of your electronics factory, to help you better prepare for this; Onsite inspection – The auditors go around and inspect your factory for health and safety violations, this can also be inclusive of any sleeping quarters that may be on site, which will be relevant to the factory being audited. In the case of consumer electronics, which is less labour intensive, but has more machinery which may cause potential mechanical and electrical hazards. Therefore your auditor will spend more time assessing the safety and working environment, from sufficient fire exits to clear instructions of how to exit the building in the case of an emergency. They will also spend time assessing whether sufficient personal protective equipment (PPE) has been made available to each worker.

Social Compliance Audit For Consumer Electronics - Document review

Document reviews – Auditors will check all the documentation of the supplier to determine the presence of any possible child labour, an all too common violation within the consumer electronics industry. They also assess whether there are any violations of extended working hours and wages. They will also look into what types of social insurance are available to workers and review any fire and safety documentation, which will help to determine whether or not any safety precautions or plans are in place. They will also inspect whether or not there is any environmental monitoring being done and, if so, how it is conducted. Employee interviews – The auditors conduct interviews with the factory in question staff, where they ask them about their working hours, overtime, and about their holiday/leave time. Auditors also like to cross check these statements by interviewing factory management to ensure there are no discrepancies. This helps to clarify whether there are any instances of abuse or misconduct between staff and management. In the case of a re-audit these interviews will then be conducted again to ensure improvement plans are being implemented properly. Closing meeting with audit status – This meeting reveals the audit results of your CE factory and also makes suggestion for improvements. If you use a qualified third party quality management provider to conduct this audit, they will provide you with an improvement plan and customize it according to your needs. Continuous improvement – A reputable third party quality assurance solution provider will provide you with a plan of execution to rectify the shortcomings of a factory. To ensure the factory is executing the suggested improvements there are also unannounced visits by auditors to evaluate the factory’s improvement progress. Factories that attain a clean audit, will only be audited on an annual basis. In factories that achieve marginal results, they are often dropped in on unannounced and also receive audits on an annual basis. Factories that fail will then have a follow up audit again in a few months.

Protecting your electronics brand through a social compliance audit

Attaining a pass on your social compliance audit report is a commitment that your organization makes to ensuring that you are socially responsible and that you are committed to treating your factory’s staff ethically and in compliance with global ethical standards. So the question is… Is your consumer electronics brand committed to achieving an ethically responsible supply chain? Let’s take a look at the standards as laid out by SA8000: The 9 SA8000 social compliance requirements are:

Child labour – No children younger than 15 years of age may be employed by any factory.
Forced labour – No person may be employed by a factory if they haven’t offered to do so voluntarily or be forced to work under the threat of punishment or retaliation.
Health and safety – A safe and healthy workplace environment must be provided by the factory, who should also prevent any potential health and safety incidents and work related injury or illness from occurring. In the case of consumer electronics you would need to ensure that there is sufficient personal protective equipment within factories.
Freedom of association and collective bargaining – All staff have the right to form, join and organize trade unions and to bargain collectively on their behalf.
Discrimination – A factory is prohibited from engaging in discrimination in hiring, remuneration, access to training, promotion, termination or retirement.
Disciplinary practices – A factory is prohibited from engaging in or tolerating the use of corporal punishment, mental or physical coercion or verbal abuse of employees.
Working hours – A factory must comply with applicable laws, collective bargaining agreements and industry standards on working hours, breaks and public holidays.
Remuneration – The right of staff to a living wage must be respected by the factory.
Management systems – Compliance must be reviewed and implemented to the SA8000 standard through developed policies and procedures.

Social Compliance Audit For Consumer Electronics - SA8000

In understanding the ethical compliance standards as laid out above, you are able to make informed decisions about the suppliers you choose to use in the manufacturing of your electrical products. Panasonic and Sony have been caught in supply chain scandals, that have created immense amounts of bad media coverage for the global electronic brands. Accused of unfair labor practices in factories, with vastly underpaid staff and electrical components that are said to be sourced from parts of the world known to be inclusive of child slave labour. With this in the media, consumers will begin to think twice about purchasing your product as they do not want to be affiliated with brands who are not achieving progress toward a transparent, sustainable retail supply chain as laid out by SA8000 guideline. Can your consumer electronics brand afford publicity like this? Achieving your social compliance audit will reduce any potential risks relating to the violations of global ethical standards, which puts your brand in a risky position and can cost your organization public shaming and embarrassment, scarring your brand. Dependent on the severity of the violation it could also cost you millions in lawsuits too. This type of audit provides the desired transparency many consumers are looking for within the retail supply chain. Today’s consumers are becoming more concerned with the way in which products are sourced and manufactured, and rightly so. So what are you doing to maintain consumer trust in your brand?

Who should conduct your factory’s social audit?

Many suppliers choose to conduct their own audits with in house teams, this method is untrustworthy which can produce bias results of the supplier.

Unless you have an extremely good relationship with the supplier in question and know for a fact that they are not going to lie on your audit report, then this way of passing a factory social audit is not our recommendation. Hiring an impartial third party quality management provider may be the answer They are viewed as independent parties with all the technical expertise to be able to produce unbiased reports and provide you with actionable improvement plans for you to progress forward in achieving your factory’s social compliance.

Independent audits are also taken into higher consideration by NGO’s and the media to be a truer and an honest reflection of the findings within the factory.

By outsourcing this service you not only are able to protect your brand’s image, but you minimize any potential risks you might face by not having a social audit, that can prove to be costly for your brand in many more ways than just revenue loss. Many consumer electronic factories are still found in violation of unfair labor practices or extensive work hours. This doesn’t have to be… Let’s take a look at what Apple has implemented when underage labor is found within their factories; “If we find underage workers in our suppliers’ factories, we make the suppliers return the children to their homes, pay for their education at a school of their family’s choice, and continue to provide income for basic needs until they reach the legal working age. We also enlist a third-party organization to monitor the children’s progress and report back to us. After they complete their education, suppliers must offer them reemployment. In 2015, we found three cases of underage labor — and we will continue to look for it.” Apple has shown that ethical and fair practice within your factory is not impossible to attain. It will be up to you to implement an appropriate strategy to deal with the social challenges felt within consumer electronic factories. Apple is a global leader for consumer electronics, but is also innovating in the way that they say no to injustices in a supply chain and go above and beyond to achieve an ethical and fair supply chain to produce the high quality electronics that they offer. Are you willing to do what it takes to achieve that transparent supply chain? API can help you attain this goal as your third party auditing partner. Have you undertaken SC audits across your CE supply chain? If you have any question about factory social audits, feel free to nous contacter and we will be pleased to answer them and help where we can.

Étiquettes Compliance, consumer electronics, social compliance

Blogs

Compliance Issues & Product recalls: 4 Lessons To Learn From!

Auteur de l’article Par Admin
Date de l’article 23 juin 2022

Product recalls are a veritable nightmare! There is no other way to express the dread and that sinking feeling when the customer complaints start rolling in, and you begin considering whether or not to announce a recall. A recall will spell significant damage to your brand image, and thousands, if not millions of loss in revenue. Yes, you may argue that retailers are insured against recalls, but building trust with your customers is a difficult task at the best of times. The digital age has also made it more difficult to hide the smallest of quality problems from your customers, and rebuilding trust from slip-ups that could have been prevented just adds fuel to a fire that won’t stop burning. But it’s not all doom and gloom… Product recalls can be prevented through best practice QC procedures, through due diligence, through strategic planning and implementation, through proper inspection reports and appropriate product testing to ensure that your compliance issues are a thing of the past. In this blog post, we take a look at four product recalls from household goods and electronic giants in recent history, that could have been prevented through a bit of due diligence, through proper testing procedures and reliable quality management service providers.

1. Keurig Coffee Makers To Pay $5.8 Million In Civil Penalties

Keurig is a well-known coffee machine brand in the United States, with many corporate offices around the country being dotted with these machines, where it fast became an office staple. But, imagine this. Waking up to make that quick cup of coffee before work, or even offering an important investor a cup of coffee before heading into a meeting, and your machine begins to steam and spit out boiling water, causing a potential burn injury. Not an ideal situation… This left Keurig in some seriously ‘hot water’!

On 23rd December 2014, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced the recall of over 7 million coffee machines.Between 2010-2014, there were over 200 complaints of boiling water spraying out of the machine and approximately 90 burn injuries reported.It has been recently announced that Keurig has agreed to pay over $5.8 million in civil penalties to the government. This penalty is to settle the charges against Keurig as they knew about the product’s defect, but failed to report it and continued to export the product despite the fact that it can and did cause major injuries. What should have been done differently? Keurig appealed to consumers to request a repair kit that was able to fit onto the product free of charge. In reviewing the repair kit installation guidelines, it consisted of a new basket with a rubber seal to ensure that no hot water or steam would escape during use causing potential for burn injuries. There was also an extra handle that slides over the original one to avoid direct contact with the hot water or steam that may be released when the handle is in position, or if hot water or steam is released during use, it would be pushed in the downward or upward position. This kind of repair kit tells us that problem was related to product design more than any manufacturing or quality control issues. This story also tells us how that at times it may not be enough to be in compliance with just the testing regulation. There may be times when specific tests need to be developed to beyond the standard testing criteria, simulation tests are often a good example here; where a quality control team can simulate the kind of tough operating environment that a specific product may need. This can often be done through a thorough risk assessment that should be completed during the product design stage. The CPSC has not been able to disclose any more information as to what caused the defects, but that Keurig has agreed to build and implement a compliance program to ensure that they comply with the Consumer Product Safety Act. Adopting a compliance program stands as the rules, standards, regulations and requirements your organization sets for its suppliers, as this will grant you full transparency into supply chain operations. A compliance program should not just be another program that importers tick off on an annual basis. It should become a key outcome and a reflection of an effective and efficient organization. The key to a successful compliance program will be how well you can integrate compliance procedures into every facet of your brand.

2. Hasbro Recalls 1 Million Easy Bake Ovens

You have found that perfect Christmas gift for your little ones. One that will create all those cute little memories that you will hold onto for a lifetime. Then, a cry for help as their hand is stuck inside the toy under the element, causing some serious injury. Quite far from a ‘Merry’ Christmas… Hasbro was in deep with over 1 million easy bake ovens that were recalled and over 77 reports of injury, and a report of one five year old being burnt so terribly that a partial finger amputation was needed.

What should have been done differently?

There was a finger entrapment test that was developed under the ASTM F963 as an industrial standard, but which only came into regulation in 2013 under the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA). Currently, all toys and children’s products need to be designed to comply with this ASTM F963 standard. Retailers should be requesting that their manufacturers and suppliers need to be testing in compliance with this regulation, and have to be passed through an accredited third party lab before mass production can begin. In meeting this criteria, there will also have to be a double check; either during inspection or through the lab with a random sample that is picked during the inspection process. Procedures like this help to minimize potential risk and recall of a noncompliant product.

3. Sony To Pay $19 Million Dollars in Battery Recall

Exploding Dell notebooks with non-compliant Sony batteries. A match made in retail hell. 4.1 million batteries in Dell notebooks needed to be recalled for overheating and potentially catching fire. Research says that this was due to metallic particles being present in the critical parts of the batteries, at certain times causing instability in the battery. These batteries were not only used in Dell computers, but other brands like Apple as well, so they recalled over 10 million batteries in total. Sony has recently agreed to pay $19 million dollars as settlements to this ongoing lawsuit.

What could have been done differently?

It has been said that the reason for this potential hazard was due to the presence of metallic particles, in the battery, in particular; nickel was found in these batteries. It unexpectedly got into the battery during the manufacturing process during two stages of the production process. Here we can assess that the factory’s quality systems should have been reviewed and as to whether or not their QC team followed best practice in identifying potential defects. There may have been bad storage practices causing a mix up between defective products and good one’s.

A root-cause analysis would have been needed to adjust the production line to fix the problem. Once this analysis is completed and amendments made by the retailer, a third party representative would need to validate the preventative and corrective action for the defect. Factory audits can be an essential to safeguarding against product defects and recalls. Practice due diligence here, ensure your quality control team is on top form and up to date with the latest in testing and regulation.

4. Fidget Spinners – Over 200 000 Have Been Recalled!

The latest craze amongst children all over the world. The invention was originally intended to improve fine motor skills in children with learning disabilities, but grew in its popularity faster than what one could even blink.

In fact, the inventor today does not get a dime out of the sales of this popular children’s toy, as she was told her idea was not good enough and wouldn’t sell. Needless to say, millions of these toys are sold the world over. But, she could count that as somewhat of a blessing… Recently, over 200, 000 of them had to be recalled as they caused major harm to many children, with fingers getting stuck in the outer bearings to smaller parts being swallowed, where surgery was needed.

What could have been done differently?

This toy is specific in the types of international regulation and compliance that it needs to meet, but not many retailers can provide the necessary compliance documentation for this product. It has been urged to rather seek out the compliant toys with all the necessary risk and warning labels on them. As per international standard for general toys, it is required to drop this toy a few times only. This dropping of the toy often does not take into consideration just how often children drop these spinners. These spinners are dropped multiple times a day by end users, so this test in fact may not represent an adequate simulation. A factory should be creating tough testing procedures to simulate the type of environment this toy will likely be exposed to. These tests need to go beyond the standard testing criteria to ensure a durable, safe spinner is found in your children’s hands. Apart from the strict QC procedures that should have been conducted, the correct lab tests should have been followed, as some spinners (the ones with batteries) were found to have high levels of lead present, posing a threat to its end consumers. The appropriate chemical tests should have been performed to identify these chemical risks early on, giving your supplier time to rework the product to meet its compliance standards.

Conclusion

Strict quality control procedures need to be followed. By ensuring you follow QC best practices for your product you begin to safeguard your brand, your product and even your end-consumer from a potentially bad quality product that can injure them, and cost you millions in revenue. If you are not using a third party quality provider for all your testing and compliance procedures conducting things like; pre-purchase testing and inline inspections can be key to identifying these defects early on. A bit of due diligence and strict QC procedures can go a long way in saving you the terrifying reality of product recalls and persistant compliance issues.

There are More Lessons To Be Learnt In This Case Study!

Are you ready to begin optimizing your processes?

Simply click here to get your case study today!

Étiquettes Compliance, Testing

AUDIT D'USINE

LE CONTRÔLE DE LA QUALITÉ

DES SOLUTIONS INNOVANTES

EXPERTISE EN LABORATOIRE

ESG ET SOLUTIONS DE DÉVELOPPEMENT DURABLE

CONSEIL TECHNIQUE

5 Reasons Why Your QA Procedures Are Not Implemented

The reason, you ask?

But first…

1. Forgetting that it’s a team effort

2. Inadequately defining your QA objectives can create misaligned goals

Help your buying office follow these best practices and more! Simply click here to download your FREE copy!

7 Tips to Help Alleviate Disruptions in the Supply Chain

Video-monitored self-inspections

How can your QMS leverage CSR for a globally competitive position?

How can your toy brand go about implementing ISO today?

IS COMPLIANCE A CHALLENGE FOR YOU?

Have you determined your DCL (defect classification list)?

DUPRO (During Production Inspection) to help resolve your furniture quality issues early on

Update your furniture specifications, based on the DUPRO feedback

Do a root cause analysis as a preventative measure going forward

A FRI (Final Random Inspection) is based on sampling inspections

Key Takeaways

IS COMPLIANCE A CHALLENGE FOR YOU?

EN 71

TABLE of EN71

The latest EN71 update includes

What this revision should mean for your sourcing and production strategies

ASTM F963-16

The latest ASTM F963 update includes

What this revision should mean for your sourcing and production strategies

Suggestions for complying with these toy testing regulations

What can consumer electronic importers can expect from a social compliance audit?

Protecting your electronics brand through a social compliance audit

Who should conduct your factory’s social audit?

1. Keurig Coffee Makers To Pay $5.8 Million In Civil Penalties

2. Hasbro Recalls 1 Million Easy Bake Ovens

What should have been done differently?

3. Sony To Pay $19 Million Dollars in Battery Recall

What could have been done differently?

4. Fidget Spinners – Over 200 000 Have Been Recalled!

What could have been done differently?

Conclusion

There are More Lessons To Be Learnt In This Case Study!

Are you ready to begin optimizing your processes?

Demande de devis

Help your buying office follow these best practices and more!
Simply click here to download your FREE copy!