Intertek, one of the leading multinational inspection, product testing, and certification companies, headquartered in London, has released the Trim Qualification program for children’s apparel companies, vendors, and suppliers to help them focus on product capability and quality control systems.
The Trim Qualification program helps facilitate the transparency and traceability necessary to rely on component testing under the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Testing and Certification Rule, and offers training for trim suppliers to build awareness of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act’s (CPSIA) regulations.
With built-in quality expectations in the manufacturing process, the program helps minimizing risks from product recalls and test failures. Onsite visits by trained Intertek auditors will assess measures and controls in place to support manufacturing of safe and high-quality products on a consistent basis, focusing on risk management, process control and product testing, the company said in a statement.
By creating a community of trim suppliers, evaluated under a single standard adopted by many customers, Intertek’ Trim Qualification Program facilitates benchmarking of supplier performance against country, industry or global results.
Using the program, trim suppliers can easily share audit reports among common customers, therefore, reducing audit fatigue and costs, because suppliers only have to complete a single audit for a number of buyers.
The senior director for Intertek’s Business Assurance Group, Simona Romanoschi said, “The Trim Qualification Program benefits our clients sourcing material around the world, by providing tools and a consistent framework to ensure traceability.”
“For trim suppliers, their qualification status under the program will help them recognize reliable business partners for producing safe, high quality products, which will further translate in increased business and cost benefits from working with global retailers supporting this program,” she added.
Intertek supports softlines retailers, manufacturers, distributors and suppliers in the testing of textiles and apparels. The company provides up-to-date technical training seminars sharing the latest information on regulations, product standards, basic textile fundamentals, textile testing, labeling, and more with clients both on-site and off-site. (GK)
