It’s not uncommon for us to receive calls and emails related to issues organizations are having with expediting orders, either from new or existing suppliers.

By expediting, the assumption is that a delivery date or other expectation has been provided, but is not being met. Reasons for delays in production might include:

• New sub supplier
• Equipment issues
• Key staff turnover or other lack of resources
• Packaging issues
• Larger orders from other clients taking a priority

Whatever the reason(s) might be, communication can quickly become an additional layer of complexity as the supplier continues to assure the buyer that all is well and on schedule.  No fun for anyone involved here.

A quality solutions company, such as Pro QC, can recognize when product quality control might not be the issue.  In some cases, the supplier just needs support to address the root cause issues.

Having a local quality professional assist in expediting adds value:

• Local follow-up can include regular calls and/or on-site visits as required. Accountability is increased. Any potential language and/or cultural issues are addressed.
• On-site evaluation of issues noted can be evaluated. Corrective actions are developed and implemented.
• If the supplier lacks internal resources, a company like Pro QC can allocate internal experts to the team to assist as necessary.
• Weekly reporting (or other frequency as needed) reports progress and provides advance notice of potential delays or new issues. No more surprises.
• Regular calls between the supplier, Pro QC and buyer presents opportunity for discussion of various perspectives and options as necessary or required.
• Professionals on-site are able to evaluate the issues and current situation. A non-biased recommendation can be made to identify new suppliers depending on the conditions or other at the supplier location.

Supplier development solutions are customized depending on needs and the priority of those needs.  Development activities can incorporate a range of services and resources, from product testing to compliance auditing. Whether it’s expediting, inspecting, auditing or testing, an organization with experience and a global presence can find the right mix of resources to address and solve problems. Contact us for additional information.

Written by: Alexander Parker, Account Manager (Tampa, FL)

Pro QC International works with businesses to develop and maintain their quality programs. Many of these clients have their primary suppliers based in China. Due to recent trade escalations between the world’s two largest economies, the United States and China, U.S. corporations are finding ways to adapt and avoid extra costs as the tensions continue to escalate.

Some prominent U.S. companies have already directly indicated that the U.S.-implemented tariffs will force them to pass down higher costs to customers and revise their earnings forecast downward. However, there is an alternate solution to pushing costs onto customers.

Large U.S. companies, like Honeywell, Hasbro, and Boston Scientific, have indicated that they will increase the use of supply chain sources from non-China countries to counter growing costs related to the rising tariffs. Compal, a Taiwanese contract manufacturer of electronics, has mentioned that while “assembling notebooks outside of China could cost at least 3 percent more per unit, the possibility of U.S. tariffs could wipe out its gross profit margin of slightly above 3 percent last quarter.” (Wu, 2018) (“Factbox – Impact of U.S.-China trade tariffs on U.S. companies”, 2018).

This is in fact one of the purposes of these U.S.-tariffs, to protect domestic industries and to make goods produced in an outside country less enticing. The goal is to eliminate the cost benefit that leads to companies purchasing from a country in the first place.

Despite some larger companies having opportunities to appeal to the U.S. government for exemptions from tariffs that would directly affect them, most companies do not have the resources or power to make such an impact on the U.S. movement. Being that these tariffs are out of their control, many companies, some of which include Pro QC’s own partners, have begun to diversify their supply chains to prevent and avoid major business disruptions. With tensions escalating and potentially further tariffs to be added in the upcoming months, companies are rapidly looking into this option before costs in China become too high.

For example, we have had clients cancel Initial Supplier Evaluations in fear that the tariffs will no longer make the potential new Chinese supplier a more affordable option than suppliers elsewhere. This uncertainty leads to a risk that is not worth taking.

Diversification to suppliers from various countries will lead to a more robust supply chain that allows for resilience in times of uncertainty like now. However, companies that have limited resources or time to find new suppliers may find it very difficult to locate and transition to these new facilities.

Pro QC can assist during this time with services like supplier selection and identification, supplier development, and inspection services to get new suppliers up to speed and ensure their products are meeting a company’s quality standards. If it is desired to replace an existing supplier, we provide help in identifying or transitioning to suppliers in countries that will not be affected in these trade disputes.

As written about in a separate Pro QC blog post “China Sourcing Alternatives: Thailand,” other reliable manufacturing nations, notably Thailand, as well as Vietnam, India, and Mexico, also offer affordable costs and business environments. With local Pro QC teams in each of these locations and services in a total of 88 countries, our quality professionals will assist in executing any range of solutions required.

It is important to remember that despite China potentially losing some market share to other countries, they will still account for a major portion of trade in the world. For example, China still accounted for 35 percent of global clothing exports last year. Rather than China backing down during this time of intense pressure, the Chinese government and factories are going to respond by searching for methods to increase competitiveness by finding alternative markets, increasing factory automation, and creating more value-added products. Factory owners are not going to be willing to give up and shut down their businesses, but will become increasingly more innovative. (McDonald, 2018)

This trade war will ultimately resolve itself, but when this will happen is unknown. China will remain a prominent player in the manufacturing arena, and removing all connection to the country may be impossible or too inconvenient for many companies. However, diversifying a supply chain can help create a buffer during times like these. Whether it’s needed to maintain relationships within China, or find a way to diversify, Pro QC is here to assist you create dynamic and innovative solutions.

Written by: Stephen Moglia, Business Development Manager

Sustainability, green fashion, circular economy: we hear and see those words almost everywhere now. They multiply with the growing interest of consumers and companies for the environmental impacts of the industry. In fact, the textile industry has become the second most polluting industry in the world, right after oil, as stated at the sixth edition of the Copenhagen Fashion Summit last May. Globalised, complex, including a wide range of techniques, the textile industry affects the planet on many different levels, including very sensitive areas such as water, air pollution, chemicals, electricity consumption or waste. Being aware of the impacts of production processes has now become essential.

Moreover, damaging the environment also has an impact on humans, whether it is the workers, the consumers or people leaving nearby a factory. Cotton illustrates this in a tragic way. It is a very affordable fabric, widely used to make inexpensive clothes. To boost the production and fight the worms that attack the plants, a lot of farmers worldwide use pesticides. Those pesticides contain extremely toxic substances such as metals (aluminium, nickel, lead), barium or ethion that was banned in Europe. Farmers, in contact with those chemicals can get more cancer, liver and kidney diseases. The chemicals also cause freshwater pollution affecting a wider range of people. Hopefully more and more farmers are turning to organic cotton that is more respectful of the environment and uses no such pesticides. (Article Reference)

Another example is chrome tanning that was also banned from Europe for being too toxic. This tanning is faster, easier than other techniques. However, the leather is weaker and doesn’t last as long, thus creating more waste. Chrome is a heavy metal and damages the environment in the same kind of way pesticides do. It infiltrates the water and in contact with the skin can also have an impact on the consumer’s health. (Article Reference)

Brands, then, have a responsibility: choosing well where they source their materials and where they out-source the production. The consumer, getting information easily on internet is more and more aware of those issues, which reflects in its purchasing choices. Sustainability concerns have only been increasing since the 1990s and in 2015, 66% of global consumers were willing to pay more for environmentally sustainable products. It damages the image of brands to be involved in environmental or social scandals. On the contrary, sustainability can be a real marketing opportunity. Showing concern, sharing the origin of the materials, revealing « who made [the] clothes » attracts customers, reassured that the product they are buying is safe for themselves and the planet. It is part of the « look good, feel good » trend when buyers don’t want to feel guilty wearing their favourite sweater. (Article Reference)

Transparency is trendy, however it is not always easy for brands to control their supply chain. How can a company based in Europe, or North America be sure of the quality of the products they buy in Asia? How can it know in which conditions clothes were made and with which means? The information given by the factories can be altered or fake, a website, mails, phone calls, those are only words and chosen images. It is also tricky for brands to plan a visit of the factories of their suppliers and manufacturers. When knowing someone is coming to check on the working conditions or on quality, it happens often that companies adjust their installations only for a day, adding fake security signs, changing displayed products or hiring more people to show wealth.

This is when audits can be extremely useful. The information obtained is more accurate and real. For environmental responsibilities, audits are made according to the ISO 14000 environmental standard, covering energy usage, renewable energy, greenhouse gas emissions, materials and waste reduction, life cycle management, supplier’s supply chain activities and more. ISO 14000 audits can be combined with SA8000 for social responsibility for a more thorough inspection, helping brands to have a better control on their supply chain and with time, to select their most reliable partners.

These audits can be applied to various fields such as footwear, garments, accessories, textiles, bags, soft toys, electrical & lighting, gifts, home & garden, hardware, furniture, industrial & construction, sporting equipment & fitness, toys, assemblies & molds, maintenance solutions, automotive parts, and medical devices.

Review an example report ISO 14001 here.

How does your organization ensure sustainability and environmental stewardship?

(Image Source)

Written by: Yingchao Siu, Business Development Manager

I recently had the privilege of joining the annual ASQ World Conference on Quality and Improvement held in Seattle, Washington. It is the world’s largest quality conference bringing together a wealth of quality professionals from all over the world to exchange ideas and interact with other leaders within a variety of industries.

The theme this year was “The Innovation of You.” Sessions focused on topics ranging from Quality Fundamentals, Risk and Change, Building and Sustaining a Culture of Quality, to Future of Quality. I had the opportunity to experience great knowledge first hand from quality experts and also to meet and network with other quality professionals from across the globe.

Initially, my primary goal was to improve my own knowledge base. I wanted to increase my proficiency in communicating on a technical level with potential clients. In the end, I came away with a lot more. I realized that for quality professionals, quality begins at home. Continuous education is vital for all staff to ensure each and every one of us is able to play our role in strengthening and maintaining a culture of quality within the company. We don’t just sell quality services, Pro QC aims to exude quality and show clients that we practice what we preach.

Secondly, and perhaps most striking, was the feeling that quality is a thriving organism, changing, growing and developing. The significance of this for us as a company is in understanding the potential we have as we navigate the blue oceans opening up in the sea of disruptive technologies and disrupted markets. In this blog post “Reflecting on the Advantages of Technology on QC.” we reflected on just how much our operational environment has changed over the years.

Pro QC is not just a company which endeavours to provide inspection services or quality audits. Pro QC strives to stand out as a provider of solutions drawing on our extensive experience in quality, going above and beyond the traditional roles of quality engineers to fulfil the role of problem solver and adviser to our clients.

Overall, the ASQ World Conference of Quality and Improvement was educational and professionally inspiring. In addition to my participation as an attendee of the conference, our U.S. team was exhibiting. This year marks the 7^th consecutive year Pro QC has exhibited at the event. Involvement in events such as this one is both indicative of our professionalism and the direction of the company within the future of quality.