Ho..ho..hoo… The holiday is upon us. Do you know what does it mean? Yes! It is the time for selling Christmas stuff. However, some importers are tempted to put pressure on their suppliers to fill the order and ship the goods as soon as possible before the holidays. This is actually not a good idea, because when in a rush, the suppliers usually don’t care about the quality of the products and that can threaten your business image.
Regardless of how busy you are, there are some quality issues that you should not accept in your holiday orders. Critical defects that cause your products to unsellable and could endanger your customers’ safety, especially around the holidays, can badly bring your brand’s reputation down.
Shipping defective products just before the holidays can be disastrous for both your company and your customers. So, let’s take a look at how to inspect your holiday products for some of the most critical issues and keep your company away from the poor product quality in this article.
Children’s Toys That Don’t Comply With Legal Regulations
The most exciting part of Christmas for many people is seeing their child’s eyes light up when they see a pile of gifts under the Christmas tree in the morning. However, there is an additional challenge for manufacturers of children’s toys: making products that are both safe and fun for the children as well as complying with government regulations of the target country. A missing label for compliance with legal regulations is one of the most common critical quality defects for children’s toys.
The fact that there is no importer, no matter how big or small, is immune to the safety concerns. For instance, Mattel, the manufacturer of popular toys such as Barbie dolls and Hot Wheels cars, was forced to recall nearly one million lead-painted products from their Chinese suppliers in 2007.
To avoid this kind of issue, conducting a product inspection can help you to check and ensure compliance with legal regulations for children’s toys before it shipped.
How to ensure compliance with legal regulations for children’s toys?
Many Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) regulations require testing by a certified laboratory for children’s toy products, such as checking for certain chemicals and heavy metals like lead and phthalates. However, you can still check for several labeling compliances on-site at your factory, such as:
- Tracking label on both the product and the packaging
- Labeling of small parts that fit within a standard “small parts cylinder,” or the circumference of a child’s esophagus
- Labeling of any accessible sharp points or edges
Furthermore, the other ways you can do to ensure your supplier meet your specifications and standards are
- Request the previous test reports and certifications from the suppliers to ensure they are capable of complying with regulations.
- Testing a product sample in a lab before selecting a supplier,
Moldy Winter Cloth
Winter clothes frequently have more complex specifications than a simple t-shirt. Sweaters and winter accessories are frequently woven or knitted, which can result in unique defects due to fabric and manufacturing processes. Fur and wool garments are also subject to additional labeling requirements. Furthermore, the mold in the garments or packaging is one of the most common critical quality defects found in the textile and apparel industry.
How to avoid this defect?
What does the weather mean for your garments? A lot, actually.
Winter clothes are usually packed in cardboard. This packaging can easily become moldy and wet in a humid warehouse, losing structural integrity and putting your products at risk of damage during transit. Mold growth can even infect your products with dangerous mold species that risk your customers’ health.
During an inspection, some common checks for mold and humidity issues include:
- A “smell check” for any unpleasant odors in garments or packaging that do not dissipate after opening.
- Visual checks for any abnormal discoloration or spotting in fabric.
- Packaging check including the labeling.
It is important to inform your supplier, specifying the proper storage and packaging of your products to protect them from a high humidity level. In addition, your inspector can photograph storage sites to show raw materials, finished goods, and packaging, ensuring that your products are not susceptible to mold or water damage.
Excellencial independent third-party inspection services in Indonesia will provide you with confidence that your products comply with both your standards and government regulations. For more information about product inspection and audit in Indonesia, you can find it here.
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