Relief Food Found To Be Of Poor Quality

A lot of food products shipped from India, Bangladesh and the UK in aid for earthquake victims have been found to be deficient. Similarly, a number of food outlets were caught selling shoddy products, the Department of Food Technology and Quality Control (DFTQC) said in a report.

The DFTQC discovered these irregularities after conducting an inspection of one month from May 5 to June 1 During this period, the DFTQC tested a number of dry ports, relief collection centers and shops selling food products.

 

The department has destroyed 120 kilos of food aid received poor of India in Birgunj Dry Port. They are including 30 kg of homemade bread, packaged bread 10 kg, 30 kg and 50 kg of sweets Expired snacks, flour, legumes and oats.

Similarly, the department found 107 sacks (5.35 tons) of rice sent by the government of Bangladesh that were covered with mold and unfit for consumption.

The rice had been sent by the customs point Kakkarbhitta and stored in the warehouse of the Development Board of Nepal Intermodal Transport.

Purna Chandra Wasti DFTQC spokesman said the department had approached the authorities to clean the product before use.

The department has also banned the distribution of noodles shipped from India. According Wasti, a ban has been issued as noodles sent by Ex-NCC Kolkata NGO Code and Black Alpha Squad has no expiration date. Similarly, 25 cans of processed food sent from the United Kingdom were banned as were beyond their expiration dates.

The DFTQC has also banned Ruhil dry food brand in India destined for distribution in Kavrepalanchok. Wasti said the department had doubted the quality of the products because they do not have appropriate labeling.

"The products are in the packets were different from the labels on the outside, and the expiration date was not mentioned correctly," Wasti said, adding that samples taken for testing.

Similarly, Lemon Puff and biscuits brand D-Elite Youth Club sent by Kamala Bagan, India were found to be unfit for consumption during testing by the DFTQC.

The department has banned the distribution of flour suji four boxes manufactured by GHA Food Products, New Delhi and stored in the District Administration Office and warehouse of the Armed Police Force, Lalitpur.

Meanwhile, he sealed the Tandoori Personal DFTQC Hotel and Lodge, Hetauda for the crime of selling stale food to their customers.

According Wasti, the department has initiated legal action against the store under the Food Act 1967.

He also seized 18 cans of coconut milk Bhatbhateni Superstore, Koteshwor as they were beyond the expiration dates.

Similarly, the department has taken action against Thakur Agro Industries, Dhangadhi for the distribution of poor quality rice with support from the World Food Programme (WFP).

Earlier, WFP had directed DFTQC to return the rice for the distribution of aid in the Kavrepalanchok district. The products supplied by the international organization did not meet government standards.

Exporters Oppose Pvt Quality Control Centre For RMG Items

The garment exporters have strongly opposed the decision of the National Board of Revenue allowing a private organization to establish a quality control center for quality inspection before shipment clothing products.

The Ministry of Revenue on April 5th Summit Ispahani enabled Terminals Partnership Ltd to establish a repository and special customs quality.

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association in a letter to the NBR demanded the withdrawal of the authorization for the good of the export of RMG products.

Exporters also blamed the General Tax Bureau decided to facilitate fourth monopoly created to run the business in the sector. 

 

A senior official of the Directorate General of Taxation, however, told New Age on Tuesday that the authorization was granted on the basis of the requirement of buyers, and they were reluctant to send its quality control team in Bangladesh safety reasons and to reduce costs.

Some international buyers named the ISATL, a joint venture of Alliance Holdings Ltd, MM Ispahani Ltd and Summit Group for the conduct of the inspection and quality control for other activities, including packaging for shipping, he said.

The joint venture is supported by the highest levels of government of the Awami League-led, according to sources.

He also said that the control system as a third party was not new than 20 other private organizations doing the same since 1998.

Exporters are generally not required to inspect their products at the center. They must send their products to the center if their buyers want, he said.

Contractors Alliance Group Holdings Ltd and the Summit have influential relatives in the government led by the Awami League, sources said.

BGMEA leaders, however, said that there was no control agencies, such as third in the country.
In a letter to the Department of Revenue, April 13, President of the BGMEA Atiqul Islam said the decision would increase the cost of transportation and the safety of products intended for export if the quality control activities were conducted outside the plant by a third party.

It will also take longer to complete export procedures to reduce the waiting time for export, he said.
"The Ministry of Revenue has no view of the BGMEA, the largest association of exporters of RMG products, which is unfortunate," he said.

The officials responsible for quality control assigned by international buyers consider the quality of products in the factory before shipment, then the products, after packaging, buyers representatives gave for sending he said.

Currently, exporters are getting the scope to amend the articles if the buyers of quality control equipment to find fault with any set of products during the inspection inside the factory, the BGMEA leaders said.

But if the quality control activities are performed by third parties in private Inland Container Depot or containers stations located near ports, disrupts any product will be expensive and slow because the products must be returned to the factory, they said.

President of Exporters Association of Bangladesh, also a former president of the BGMEA, Abdus Salam Murshedy, said the decision was totally unacceptable as severely hamper export business.
"The decision was taken to give a special privilege of the monopoly business at a given quarter," he said.

He also said that only C & A, an international buyer based in the UK, performed their tasks in quality control for your organization nominated in Chittagong before shipment.

Quality Control Services in Bangladesh

• On-site inspectors provide assessments and troubleshooting as needed throughout the manufacturing process.

• All manufacturing checks (MA) in Bangladesh conforms to the internationally recognized ISO 9000 standards for quality management systems

• Asia Inspection offers the highest caliber inspectors in Bangladesh. Our highly qualified and competent inspector network in their areas of expertise.

• Customers are allowed to modify or cancel orders until 13:00 (time Bangladesh) the day before the inspection provided in an institution based in Bangladesh.

 Obstacles Doing Business in Bangladesh:

The 21st century has great things in store for Bangladesh, which was named one of the following eleven countries. This designation indicates that due to significant investments, Bangladesh has the potential to become one of the largest economies in the years of the world to come. This has come as a boon to the country, which has benefited from the participation in the international business community.

This trend of investment has led Western countries based to relocate their production facilities in border Bangladesh. As a result, American, European, and Australian business leaders must be able to rely on inspectors on ethical and reliable place throughout the production process. Finding the right people for this critical task can be difficult. Quality assurance is critical to a company's reputation. Companies must be able to trust that their Bangladesh-based systems work properly and effectively in order to maintain their position and rise above their competition.

Inspection agencies in Bangladesh:
 
Companies based in Bangladesh can trust that our regional agents based on-site inspection are achieving and maintaining appropriate levels of quality control. Each stage of production can be controlled by the use of a reliable inspection service. Our inspection services in Bangladesh include assessment schedules and plans to ensure timely results and appropriate hardware pre-production.

As production comes to an end, pre-shipment inspection will be a test of the inspector's products for the proper functioning and quality requirements, send the product does not meet customer specifications into production before being shipped off site . After the manufactured product was confirmed, inspectors can make a container loading control to ensure that the product and the proper amount are packed and safely loaded before final payment and the product delivered. All inspection results and customer specifications are confirmed in the detailed reports and substantiated by photographs delivered the same day as the inspection.

The reports are compiled and provided to our clients to keep them informed of the development and problem solving in production facilities based in Bangladesh. The methods of our quality assurance inspectors and reporting to ensure satisfaction, enabling our clients to focus on other aspects, pressing multinational companies. Consistent communication from the production site to the company's seat is designed to put clients at ease with the international manufacturing process.

Our quality control measures in Bangladesh so that your products meet all industry and international standards and requirements. The reports are filed in a timely manner to keep our clients updated on issues that may affect the company's production.

How To Control Color Fastness On Garment

Are the properties of the fabric a factor on the strength of textile color?

Joanna asked this question in the Quality Control blog a few days ago. The answer may interest some readers, therefore, this article will answer and provide more information about controlling color fastness garments.
Factors affecting color fastness

Factors affecting the color fastness of clothing are:

•     Fiber quality and type
•     Fabric construction
•     Kind of dye used
•     Process for dyeing and printing used
•     Finishing treatment used
•     Final consumption practices

The first five factors stem from the production process. They can be controlled by the manufacturer and the importer in the country of origin: unlike the latter factor, which depends on actual consumption habits in terms of selection of detergent and washing techniques.
How to control color fastness on clothing
approval sample

It is mandatory to identify potential risks for colorfastness before production. For this, the buyer should check the received samples for approval. Here are some useful examples on how to check the robustness of the colors in clothing.
Physical verification before Production

Before the start of production, the material (in this case fabric) for the manufacture of clothing should be checked. The provider will only need to order new material that costs less than reproducing the entire order.

A third party inspection company usually performs the test color fastness to ISO 105 in all dyed fabrics, artwork printed logo printing or tissue (including brushed fabric, suede fabric, fabric cotton, etc).

    Only very few buyers regularly check the material before production, however, is of vital importance in the manufacture of clothing. Such critical issues affecting the whole order (such as color fastness) can be identified.

Check material during production and before shipment

During an inspection of the production of clothing or piece of preshipment inspection, the material is found only in the finished products. However, in these steps, the color fastness of garments cannot be corrected. Alternatives buyer is to put the payment on hold until re-manufacture the goods or send the defective goods.

Laboratory Tests

The laboratory is able to perform more accurate tests and identify risks color fastness under different conditions cannot be created during an inspection of product: wet, dry, heat, gas from the atmosphere, frost, perspiration, light etc.

China Quality Watchdog Tells Alibaba Fakes Threaten China's Reputation

SHANGHAI / BEIJING - Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. should pay more attention to product quality and strengthen the fight against counterfeit products are sold online, branch manager of quality products from China, said company CEO Jack Ma said in a statement Tuesday.



The proliferation of shoddy products online was a threat to the reputation of China and the Communist Party in power and the government took the issue seriously, Zhi Shuping, director general of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ), told the meeting Monday.

The comments follow a flap last month when the issue of counterfeiting and other illegal business titan Alibaba e-commerce platforms came under scrutiny at critical reports of another government regulator, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC).

"Quality is the lifeline of the healthy development of e-commerce," a statement posted on the Chinese website AQSIQ Zhi quoted saying at the meeting.

"As for the image of Chinese enterprises, Chinese products and made-in-China, Alibaba - as a leading global brand eCommerce - must take itself more seriously, put more emphasis on quality, vista quality as its lifeline, create a good image and make great contributions. "

Zhi also approved Alibaba's efforts in seeking support from various parties to combat counterfeiting, the statement said.

Meanwhile, Ma Zhi said that problems with counterfeit and shoddy products still existed despite efforts to end the problem, and said it will work with business, government and society to combat counterfeiting, according the statement.

Alibaba spokeswoman said the company was aware of the report and declined further comment.

In response to the SAIC report last month, Ma and the head of that body later met to discuss the fight against counterfeiting, adopting a conciliatory tone after a public dispute between Alibaba and the regulator. The SAIC also retracted his earlier "white paper" that condemns the business practices of Alibaba.

However, several law firms have said they will take action against Alibaba after SAIC published information that could refer to a possible lack of communication of the risk factors for its investors before his bumper ready in September.

FileMaker Solution For iPad Helps Auditors Conduct Safety Inspections In 1,000 Garment Factories In Bangladesh

Inspection Solution Built In Just Three Weeks Using The FileMaker Platform

. SANTA CLARA, California, December 17, 2014 / PRNewswire / - inspections of the workplace conduct independent safety of FileMaker software has helped nearly 1,000 garment factories in Bangladesh in just six months. A customized FileMaker solution for iOS - created in just three weeks - reduced the time of reporting up to 50 percent, allowing the organization to meet its mandatory inspection schedule. The aim was to identify the most severe threats to fire and security so they can be quickly corrected, it can save lives.



Hughes Associates of Baltimore, Maryland, conducted inspections of factories under contract with the Agreement on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh. Hughes is a leader in fire protection and life safety, risk analysis and risk, and evaluation of code compliance.

Said Brian Rhodes, director of Hughes for codes and standards: "We had no time to report the use of handwritten notes and disjointed pictures needed more efficiency and consistency to handle such a large task within such a short time that Don  ...’t believe we could have completed this critical project on time and within budget without our FileMaker solution. "

FileMaker Developer Anvil Dataworks worked with Hughes to develop a custom solution that allowed inspectors to collect data, including photos, transmit the data to offices worldwide, and generate reports - all from a single mobile tool. Detailed inspection reports are used to alert the owners of factories deficiencies in building safety and fire protection and provide guidance on corrective action plans. The solution was created using FileMaker Pro 13, FileMaker Server 13 and FileMaker Go for iPad.

SSA Signs Major Contract For Independent Inspection And Quality Assurance Services

Service Alliance (NDA) Sharing of Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (SSA) has signed a contract for the inspection and independent assurance.

The contract with Bureau Veritas UK, which can last up to four years, cover all Magnox and RSRL, Sellafield and other members of the SSA sites.



The work will cover a number of key areas, including:

- Inspections of plants in situ
- Audit of supplier management systems
- Quality and Environmental Audits
- Metal and weld inspections and NDT Specialist.

Helen Perthen, Commercial Director of Magnox and Chairman of the SSA, said: "This contract provides a range of services that are essential to ensure quality in all our operations across all of the assets of the NDA.

"This shared service gives the potential provide about 1 million pounds worth of savings through efficiency and innovation -. Which represents a greater value for the NDA and the UK taxpayer"

Paul Barry, Executive Director of Bureau Veritas northwestern Europe, he said. "I am delighted that Bureau Veritas has been awarded this very important service delivery inspection and quality control for nuclear finca the NDA 's contract This award is the result of a strong partnership approach taken in recent years and look forward to working closely with all stakeholders to deepen our relationship by delivering greater value and outstanding customer service ".

Safety Problems Found In 19 Bangladesh Garment Factories

Bangladesh Alliance for Worker Safety group says it has now closed or partially closed 19 factories due to safety concerns.



"The worst buildings that pose the greatest risk are not so bad on the outside," says Ian Spaulding, Senior Advisor Alliance led by North American group Bangladesh Worker Safety.

The Alliance led by North America to Bangladesh Worker Safety, including Hudson's Bay Company and Canadian Tire, says that now is closed or partially closed 19 factories in the country due to security concerns.

The Alliance, which represents 27 major brands operating in Bangladesh, was formed after the devastating disaster Rana Factory Square, which killed nearly 1,129 people on April 24, 2013, and wounded thousands more.

He began an inspection program in garment factories in which they operate 600 major brands, for structural or electrical faults and fire safety concerns. The results of the inspection reports are published on the website of the Alliance.

Rana Plaza was originally built to be a complex six-story shopping center, but was later turned into clothing factories multistory loaded with heavy machinery on the upper floors of the building structurally unsound. Bangladesh has filed charges against 17 people in connection with the illegal conversion of the building.

After the fall, the practice of fashion houses that use cheap labor in dangerous buildings came under intense international scrutiny and the pressure was on the part of consumers to improve conditions.

Ian Spaulding, the consultant and public speaker Alliance, said the most disturbing discovery was buildings that do not meet the standards of the code in the load levels per floor.

"The worst buildings that pose the greatest risk are not so bad on the outside," said Spaulding, who was in Toronto to participate in the Global Round Table Ethical Apparel takes place two days in the brickwork.

When the inspectors take a closer look, however, problems as "highly stressed columns" and "cracks in beams and beam joints," are.

Last April, the Alliance recommends RSI Garments Ltd. in Chittagong immediately closed due to structural problems. RSI was closed and all 340 workers were paid 50 percent of their salary for two months, or $ 26.220 (US) in total, according to the inspection report.

Safety concerns found in other buildings include the lack of sprinklers and fire doors and faulty wiring. The Alliance has also launched a helpline for workers, by a third party, so that garment workers can anonymously report concerns.

As a result of the 19 closures or partial closures, the Alliance has offset 2,500 garment workers, while repairs are carried out, to the tune of $ 200,000 (US).

The Alliance, which has agreed to operate in Bangladesh for five years, lends money to factories to carry out security updates. If construction risks are not fixed, the big brands will not do business with factories.

Last September, VF Corporation - owner of popular brands The North Face, Wrangler, Vans and Nautica - started a (US) $ 10 million fund in partnership with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group to provide up to $ 10 million in funding for improvements Bangladeshi factories.

"The loans are fully guaranteed by VF - if a factory does not pay back, VF is on the hook," Spaulding said.

Last month, the Agreement on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh - an effort led by European group of 189 major brands including Primark and Loblaw - 80,000 reported finding safety hazards in factories in 1106 it inspected.

In 17 building inspections, the inspections Accord discovered the structural integrity of the building was below safety standards, the group said in a statement.

Fast And Flawed Inspections Of Factories Abroad

Zaichun Ye, right, Verité consultant in China, seeing if a worker wears chainmail gloves in a textile factory in Yuhang in Zhejiang Province.

Inspectors came and went from a certified Walmart in the province of Guangdong in China factory production approval of more than $ 2 million in specialty items that land on Walmart shelves in time for Christmas.


 
 But unknown to the inspectors, none of the playful elements, including costumes reindeer and Mrs. Claus costumes for dogs, which were supplied to Walmart was manufactured at the factory. However, Chinese workers sewed goods - who had been ordained by the Quaker Pet Group, a company based in New Jersey - in a factory rogue who had not gone through the certification process established by Walmart labor, safety or quality of workers, according to documents and interviews with officials involved.

To be approved for shipment to Walmart a subcontractor Quaker just moved items to the factory approved, where they were presented to the inspectors as if they had been sewn together there and never left the premises.

Shortly after the goods arrived at Walmart stores, which began to fall apart.

Thousand miles westward factory knitwear Rosita in northwestern Bangladesh - who made sweaters for businesses throughout Europe - adopted an audit inspection with high marks. A team of four monitors gave hundreds of factories approve checkmarks. In the 12 major categories, including hours of work, remuneration, management practices and health and safety, the factory received the top rating of "working conditions" good. "- No complaints from workers," the auditors wrote.

In February 2012, 10 months after the inspection, Rosita workers razed the factory, destroying machinery and accusing the management of failing the promised raises, bonuses and overtime pay. Some said they had been harassed or beaten by guards sexual. Not a hint of those complaints were reported in the audit.

As Western companies rely mainly on low-wage countries far from the headquarters of producing cheap electronic clothing and other goods, factory inspections have become a vital link in the supply chain of production abroad.

A comprehensive review by The New York Times reveals how the inspection system designed to protect workers and ensure quality manufacturing is riddled with flaws. Inspections are often so shallow that omit the most basic labor protections such as fire escapes. And even when inspectors are tough, factory managers to find ways to trick them and hide serious violations, such as child labor or locked exit doors. Hazardous conditions cited in audits often take months to correct, often with little enforcement or monitoring to ensure compliance.

Dara O'Rourke, an expert in global supply chain from the University of California, Berkeley, said that little had improved in 20 years of monitoring of factories, especially with increased use of the "check" inspections at thousands cheaper factories. "Auditors are under increased pressure to speed, and are not able to keep up with what's really happening in the apparel industry," he said. "We see the factories and passing audits brands, but not factory workers."

However, major companies like Walmart, Apple, Gap and Nike turn to surveillance not only to verify that production is on time and of adequate quality, but also to project a corporate image that aims to ensure consumers not using sweatshops Dickens. Moreover, Western companies now rely on inspectors to detect hazardous working conditions, such as faulty wiring or blocked stairs, which some corporations have exposed to accusations of irresponsibility and exploitation of the factory after disasters that killed hundreds of workers.

The collapse of the Rana Square factory in Bangladesh, which killed 1,129 workers in April, international scrutiny on the monitoring of the factory has intensified and pressured the world's largest retailers to sign agreements to strengthen inspection standards and improve security measures. While many groups consider agreements a breakthrough, some auditors lifetime and working groups voice skepticism inspection systems alone can assure a safe workplace. After all, they say, the number of audits in factories in Bangladesh has increased steadily since the country has become one of the largest garment exporters in the world, and there are still 1,800 workers have died in disasters workplace in the last 10 years.

"We have been auditing factories in Bangladesh for 20 years, and I wonder '? Why are not these things change Why are not things getting better,'" said Rachelle Jackson, Director of Sustainability and innovation in Arche Advisors, a monitoring group based in California.

Even with American and European companies executives are appointed this summer to put a stricter regime of controls and safeguards under the new arrangements in place, these efforts are limited to Bangladesh. Other nations leading apparel producers such as China, Honduras, Indonesia, Pakistan and Vietnam, are not getting much attention intensified or expanded inspections. Thousands of factories in these countries will undoubtedly continue to be reviewed through the superficial "check" audits.

Problem with Audits

Companies monitoring factories have established a booming business in the two decades from Gap, Nike, Wal-Mart and others were tarnished by revelations that its overseas factories employing underage workers and engage in other abusive practices I work. Each year, these monitoring companies evaluated over 50,000 factories around the world that employ millions of workers. Only Walmart commissioned over 11,500 inspections last year. Spurred by the increased demand for monitoring, stock prices of three of the companies listed on surveillance larger bag, SGS, Intertek and Bureau Veritas, have risen by 50 percent two years ago.

Inspections carried great weight with factory owners, who stand to gain or lose millions of dollars in orders according to their qualifications. With such high stakes, factory managers have been known to attempt to deceive or mislead the auditors. Offers unprecedented bribery. Often notified in advance about the visit of an inspector, factory managers, unlocked doors fire exit stairs unlock disordered or telling children underage workers did not show up to work that week.

Unauthorized subcontracting, or agriculture work at a factory unapproved (as was the case of the order of Quaker Group of pets in China), is "very, very common," said Gary Peck, founder and CEO of S Group a design and sourcing company based in Portland, Oregon.

Although almost all retailers banning the practice in their contracts, providers still do to save money, speed of production and meet large volume orders.

And even inspections authorized factories may be deeply flawed. When NTD Apparel, a contractor from Walmart which is based in Montreal, hired a company to inspect the Tazreen factory in Bangladesh before 112 workers died in a fire in November, survey monitors asked if the factory had the right number fire extinguishers and smoke detectors on each floor. But he did not call to see if the factory had closed or fire escapes, fireproof stairs, which security experts say could have saved lives.

"If this is a preflight inspection of the box, you better have the right boxes in sight," said Daniel Viederman, CEO of Verité, a monitoring group nonprofit.

Sajeev Jesudas, president of UL Verification Services, which conducted the audit Tazreen said the inspection of fire escapes and fireproof stairs was "the responsibility of the local building inspectors." Bangladesh has been criticized for having too few officials to inspect factories.

Greg Gardner, executive director of Arche Advisors, said retailers and Western brands often seek different levels of audits. Some, like Levi and Patagonia want rigorous - and expensive - audits, while others prefer limited, low-cost audits not jeopardize relationships with favored suppliers.

Audits can be very brief. One inspector may visit a factory of 1,000 employees for six to eight hours to review all types of manufacturing problems, such as wages, child labor or toxic chemicals. Some auditors are only five days of training, while the Administration Occupational Safety and Health requires three years of training and experience in helping inspectors before employees can conduct an inspection of a factory of considerable size in the United States.

For Rosita, after the workers went on his fury, Western companies who bought knitwear factory was alarmed. So Rosita owner, Ocean Sur, a conglomerate based in Hong Kong, commissioned a new inspection.

The inspection, conducted by Verité, based in Massachusetts, was a scathing broadside. Verité monitors found "continuous physical abuse" and "verbal and psychological harassment" with managers forcing workers who arrived late to stand for "many hours without a break."

Inspection three days Verité found errors in the calculation of wages, chemical containers labeled only in English and unreasonably high production quota for which they were disciplined or fired for not complying with the workers. The inspectors noted that workers "often face abuse," including teasing administrators if they requested sick leave or annual leave. The monitors also found that managers had fired employees for missing work due to a death in the family and that the security guards had beaten workers involved in union activities and protest.

Mr. Viederman Verité said the previous inspection, conducted by an important monitoring firm, SGS, showed deficiencies audit checklist. SGS inspection involved a one-day visit, looking largely yes-no answers, probably for a modest fee.

He noted that SGS had interviewed employees only inside the factory, where they were often unlikely to speak frankly, and not outside workers - for example, at stops or at home, where workers open.

Charles Kernaghan, executive director of the Institute for Global Labor and Human Rights, was surprised when he read the inspection report for SGS Rosita. "The auditors said that everything was in perfect order," he said. "This demonstrates the ineffectiveness of these monitoring bodies can be."

Effie Marinos, manager of sustainability at SGS, defended the results of your company. She said she had followed the SGS inspection protocol developed by the Business Social Compliance Initiative, a group of factory certification for European companies.

Ms. Marine said the protocol for not interviewing Rosita required outside the factory, a practice that workers warned could undermine a relationship between a Western company and its suppliers.

"You do not want to start the whole approach to the lack of trust, they are trying to fool you, they are behaving unethically," he said. "You can sour a whole relationship."

Investigating Water Quality And Arsenic In Bangladesh

PVC pipe joints during installation also in Bangladesh, which is part of a drilling technique of Indian hand percussion. Photo: Rajib Mozumder



Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory graduate student Rajib Mozumder, scientists working with Lex van Geen Lamont and Ben Bostick, has spent part of their water wells summer drilling and sampling in Bangladesh.

Rajib writes: "On this trip we drilled to assess the vulnerability of an intermediate depth (about 30 to 80 meters deep) aquifer Araihazar, Bangladesh Overall, groundwater pumped from the middle Pleistocene (12,000 years ago) of sand. Orange is low in arsenic, while shallow, or less than 30 meters deep gray Holocene (less than 5,000 years ago) sediments derived water is highly contaminated by arsenic.

We have recently sediment orange, which is certain observed, which means that it contains less than 10 parts per billion (ppb) of arsenic, it may become gray. In general, a low arsenic aquifer can be converted into a high arsenic aquifer over time in a dynamic hydrogeological system, which can be disturbed by large-scale pumping city.

This research is important because millions of people around the world, especially in South and Southeast Asia who are drinking arsenic-contaminated water need a strategy for sustainable mitigation. If intermediate depth aquifers are not sustainable, then rural Bangladeshis have to install deep wells, which is neither cost effective nor easy to achieve with the art of hand drill percussion local drillers. "

His research is in collaboration with the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh, and is funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. The results of a similar study in Vietnam, co-written by Bostick, van Geen, were published last year in the journal Nature.

Accord Response To Reuters’ Article June 24, 2014 “Insight – Inspection Tensions Add To Bangladesh Garment Industry’s Woes”

The Agreement on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh (the Agreement) has noted the Reuters article June 24, 2014 entitled "Insight - inspection tensions add to the problems of the garment industry in Bangladesh." The agreement would like to correct two totally inaccurate representations made in the article about the quality of inspections and the obligation of the Accord signatories brands to financially support remediation.



Inspection teams consist of highly Accord professional engineers internationally recognized conducting their work very seriously. The Agreement states that Reuters was given the opportunity to accompany an inspection visit and see how the inspection teams work. The Reuters reporter confirmed refused to appear.

Recommendations to temporarily suspend production and disposal of a factory building inspected are not taken lightly, however, the agreement is committed to ensuring that workers are out of unsafe, as soon as possible buildings. If through a safety inspection professional Security Chief Inspector considers a factory to be structurally unsafe, you should make an immediate effort to evacuate the building, in the interest of worker safety.

When presented credible information that can change the initial assessment of the structural integrity of a building, the Security Chief Inspector Accord has been willing to reconsider the recommendations of the Accord. The suggestions in the Reuters article that this process is "irregular" and inspectors are "trigger happy" in no way do justice to making thoughtful decisions by the Chief Inspector of Security Accord, which is constantly evaluating the interest of safety of workers while recognizing the consequences of temporary suspension of production.

A second misinterpretation Article is related to the obligation of the Accord brands to ensure sufficient funds available for remediation. This affects both necessary to comply with health and safety requirements (Article 22) improvements and continuous payment of wages during renovations (Article 13). Article 22 of the Agreement explains that the remediation support obligation can be met through the negotiation of commercial terms that make it economically viable or through other measures (such as loans) to ensure the factory has the capacity to meet the requirements. The article also erroneously suggests that the primary requirement of the Agreement signatory’s brands is only participate in a discussion. As noted above, the requirement is much larger

The Accord will investigate the allegations made in the article concerning the forgoing its signatories to meet their obligations to financially support remediation companies. The Agreement also continues to monitor the implementation of corrective action plans and all other commitments under the agreement.

Quality Assurance Vital For Exploring Export Potentials

Intertek launches largest laboratory tests Asia in Dhaka today:

Bangladesh has a huge potential for export and the country can explore the opportunity through quality assurance by obtaining certification tests recognized worldwide for its exports.

In addition to producing high quality products, obtaining certification of world-class products can help increase exports tremendously and Intertek Bangladesh can play a vital role in this regard. 

 

Intertek Bangladesh has created a testing world class in Tejgaon area of ​​the capital to local exporters and global retail services guarantee world-class quality that would help boost the country's export to high magnification.

Dr Karthik ND, Director, Intertek Bangladesh shared this while talking to the sun every day in an exclusive.

With its promise of providing assurance extensive quality manufacturers of Bangladesh and global retailers, Intertek Bangladesh will launch the largest Softlines (including RMG, Textile, Footwear and Leather) laboratory testing of Asia in Bangladesh, reported.

Tofail Ahmed, Bangladesh Commerce Minister is expected to inaugurate the laboratory has been established in an area of ​​100,000 square meters under one roof, the largest in Asia, at a ceremony here today  Karthik said.

"We were earlier in Kawran Bazar here and move on in a wider area with greater capacity to meet growing customer demand," said Dr. Karthik.

In response to a question, he said, "Certifications are giving are product certification basically exports. This is largely compulsory measure to ensure the quality of products from Bangladesh. We cover the certification of quality in general. We are providing services in Bangladesh for the last 14 years. "

Most of our services cover the area such as textiles, clothing, and among them we focus more on the physical evidence, he said, adding: "Today, in the food sector, provide only audit services, no product testing.”

Intertek is here for 14 years and started our textile testing laboratory, ten years ago, in 2004, where we cover the physical and RSL testing. However, at present, we are expanding the capabilities of our operations and increasing the test parameters of our test RSL said Director Intertek Bangladesh operation.

"We are increasing these capabilities addition to shoes are beginning lab, water testing and support testability of zero discharge of hazardous chemicals (ZDHC)," Dr Karthik said, adding: "This is mainly environmental approach in which we can test the water effluent and waste to identify the presence of harmful substances. "

Expressing concern that the effluents are drained contain a certain amount of dangerous substances, said "The product being tested is exported to another country and thus leave the country and the effluent treated water is going to stay in the land.'s Important ensure that no harmful substances are running to waste. "

"So we focus on supporting the growth of exports, ensuring the quality of products that are outside the country and also the effluent to remain on earth," said Dr. Karthik.

"To do this, we test these and observe the test solutions for effluent water to help improve the process technology for the disposal of hazardous chemicals could be reduced," he added.

Through testing, we can identify the amount of hazardous chemicals in the effluent. If diagnosised his presence, then we will minimize premiums and stage of process materials, and so the end result does not become harmful described.

The new laboratory in Tejgaon area is about 100,000 square meters, one of the largest laboratories in Asia for Softlines under one roof. We are serving approximately more than 900 national and international brands, retailers and importers, Karthik produced the operational size of the laboratory.

"Out of all our services takers, 25 percent above includes all the best global brands. At the same time, we are supporting manufacturers and exporters of Bangladesh too, which is approximately 2,000. There are about 5,000 manufacturers in Bangladesh, of they are more active and 3,000 of them we are serving 2,000, "said chief operating officer of Intertek in Bangladesh.

As for the quality assurance services to the national market, we currently have facilities waterproof. We can analyze drinking water and effluent water, he added.

Whatever the quality of the parameters required for the export products, it will also test for national products. I have the necessary infrastructure, technology and capacity, said.

Give details of facilities Intertek house at the new facility, Dr. Karthik said the new laboratory has wiring 1100 KW with 4 levels of self synchronized backup power, 700 + tons of AC supply with Natural fresh air and 50 tons of air conditioning units.

In addition, more than 300 seating capacity at a time in 20 training cum meeting and conference rooms, five inputs and outputs with three exits and three lifts, and the laboratory is fully compatible preventing fire protection equipment fire and accessories, he explained while showing the facilities on site laboratory.

The laboratory house fire rated walls has a "Tested & Building Certificate" for structural safety and legal regulations, provided with "energy saving" Occupancy sensors for AC, lighting and water control for automatic shutdown.

It has system and communication network based on IP with the latest data center infrastructure that has the fully centralized monitoring and control features advanced IT enabled innovative "Building Management System".

The laboratory is environmentally friendly for its "green" features, including the most energy efficient lighting, water recycling and effluent treatment plant, said Dr. Karthik.

The laboratory, with seating capacity of more than 750 employees has the ability to issue more than 1,000 reports a day at first. It offers one-stop service for all solutions of quality assurance and safety of textiles, analytical, shoes, water, packaging, calibration laboratories.

Headquartered in London and listed on the London Stock Exchange, Intertek is a leading provider of quality to industries around the world, from auditing and inspection, to testing, training, consulting, quality assurance and certification provider, Intertek provides added value for its customers, helping to improve the quality and safety of their products, goods and processes narrated.

With a network of more than 1,000 laboratories and offices and over 36,000 people in more than 100 countries, Intertek supports 'success in the global market, helping customers meet end users' business expectations for safety, sustainability, performance, integrity and convenience of virtually any market in the world.

Some of Intertek main customers are Marks & Spencer, Tesco, Unilever, Chevron, Conoco Phillips, Auchan, BOC Edwards, BP, Canon, Ericsson, ExxonMobil, IKEA, JVC, McDonalds Corporation, Nikon, Petrobras, Samsung, Sanyo, Shell, Siemens and Toshiba, Karthik said. - Read more at: http://www.daily-sun.com/index.php?view=details&archiev=yes&arch_date=25-06-2014&type=Quality-assurance-vital-for-exploring-export.

Official CE Logo And Fake Laboratory CE Certificate

The CE mark on the European Union is often modified, rumors even say that there are two similar logos; one means "China Export". Also some "smart" Labs are experts in providing "special" CE certifications. Let's see how to differentiate real and fake a CE logo and a testimony to the sad reality of fake CE certified laboratory.
About the CE mark in the European Union


The "European Conformity" means or "European Conformity" CE. Declares that the product complies with EU safety, health and the requirements of environmental protection. At the site of the European Commission, all buyers can get information about the process of affixing the CE marking on a product works.
How to recognize the official logo of the EC of the European Union

Recognize the CE logo of the European Union, we must look carefully:

•       The three branches of the letter E: the plant should be shorter.
•       The space between the C and E: should be large enough.

      The rumor saying that there are two CE logos, one for EU and one for "China Export" is wrong. There is only one CE logo.

Laboratory false testimony CE Certificate
Recent testimony surprised the AQF team and confirmed some of the fraudulent methods used by Chinese local laboratories. During an interview with the director of the technical laboratory of a renowned Chinese accredited laboratory used by many factories, confirmed the existence of a real business around fake CE certification lab:

      "It is a 100% Chinese, no bonus, and not a serious work. We do almost only CE certified false when factories ask CE certificates for some electrical appliances, the laboratory provides them without even seeing the sample a report made without any pictures, but with all references related to the product to make it look real. Course, the price is much lower than with the famous lab ... this type of CE certificates usually cost 9,000 rmb or 12,000 yuan, but sells for 3,000 RMB. "

AsiaInspection Q1 Barometer: China - This Dragon Isn’t Sleeping

Shenzhen, China, April 08, 2014 - AsiaInspection, a leading provider of quality control services for businesses importing from Asia, Africa, Southern Europe and Latin America, today announced its Q1 2014 Barometer, a quarterly synopsis of manufacturing outsourced services and quality control industry.



China exports reach all time high

Due to the seasonality of Chinese New Year, February export figures plummeted 18% compared to 2013. The media has been reporting that the Chinese economy is on the brink of recession.

What is not mentioned is that China remains the dominant region sourcing huge volume. December and January set new records for total exports, exceeding $ 207 billion as months.1 Fit for Chinese New Year holiday, comparing November to January 2013/2014, the total Chinese exports rose 9% compared with the same period in 2012/2013.

ChinaInspection figures topped this with a growth of 12% for ordered inspections in China. More revealing perhaps a leading indicator of export figures of wine, advancing 26.2% in March compared to the previous year.

Why the increase? In Q1 the Chinese Yuan was the first big break of currencies since 2005, depreciation of 2.7%. For companies looking to emerging markets for manufacturing, this has been little more than a "China plus One" strategy: manufacturing has remained behind in China. China has continued to maintain a healthy balance of wages, a developed infrastructure and the world's largest labor force.
China and One More

The countries of South and Southeast Asia have offered opportunities to reduce labor costs. Although their economies are much smaller, emerging markets were the clear winners in percentage growth. Inspections ordered in Bangladesh increased 70% compared to 57% and Vietnam. Cambodia increased 32% despite the unrest in the garment industry, which has led to protests across the country, climbing in January, when police fired on demonstrators, killing at least four people and wounding 38 more.2 in Indonesia, where the textile industry is set to become the largest segment of the country's exports, inspections increased 22%.
Brands and retailers take control of their supply chains

there has been a growing awareness and consumer demand, not only for high quality product, but a supply chain of high quality.



AsiaInspection Q1 2014 data shows an increase by 156% yoy in ethical audits and manufacturing in Asia. Rana Square highlighted how factories often illegally sub contract out the orders after major retailers reported that their products were never allowed to manufacture there. An increasingly common practice is to weave ethical audits programs with on-site product inspections to ensure manufacturing actually takes place in a factory approved.

"There are remarkable traction grip to supply chains around the world: corporations who put their money where their mouths are and governments to advance the legislation," said Sebastien Breteau, CEO of AsiaInspection.

The American Chamber of Commerce surveyed 400 member companies that buy in China and found that 40% plan to spend considerably more ethnically based companies compliance.3 EU face more stringent guidelines that require them to report on their policies regarding ethical issues, corruption and the risks they pose to human rights throughout its supply chains.4

China has not been without problems of ethical compliance. In Q1 16 workers died in a fire at the factory Hangzhou5 and 11 died in a factory fire off Shantou in Guangdong Province province.6
Africa, a region Electronic Up-and-coming



Labor intensive manufacturing low cost is increasing in Africa. ChinaInspection ordered inspections increased 65% year over year. The American Apparel and Footwear Association reports that companies are choosing to invest in manufacturing for markets like South Africa closer to the intended consumer market, rather than Asia.7 Africa also represents the greatest potential for population growth in the next 20 years, providing both business and end customers to companies that think in the long run. Ethiopia, a leader in terms of foreign investment, is targeting a goal of U.S. export $ 1 billion in 2014, as part of a four-year growth and transformation Plan.8

About AsiaInspection - Your Eyes in the Factory ™
AsiaInspection is a provider of quality control that is associated with leading international brands, retailers and importers to secure and manage their global supply chain. With a unique quality control management web based, AI provides Product Inspection, Factory Audit and laboratory services to over 3,000 clients worldwide.

7 Mistakes Chinese Factories Make In Production Planning

Anyone who has imported products from China can attest that the planning process of most manufacturers is not exactly under control. The sad reality is that buyers are usually happy when a shipment is "only" 10 days after the promised date.

But where does this lack of precision is? Is it the result of over-enthusiastic salespeople? Not only.

In this article I listed the 7 most serious issues that I have noticed in many Chinese factories.

1. The lack of stability

there are always emergencies - customers who shout louder than the other, that is. So the boss puts his orders at the top of the priority list. As a result, the production people are constantly telling them to "streamline it" and then "oh really this is even more urgent," and so on.

Why is it a problem? Since it causes a serious loss of production efficiency.

A long term planning, by contrast, allows the factory to minimize the number of changes to keep staff fully utilized, to minimize confusion, etc. In the end, this means lower costs.

2. No standard timing for recurring operations

how can a serious manufacturer quote a new product? In reviewing the cost of the BOM, and estimating the time spent on one piece each process. This process can be relatively accurately by monitoring the time it takes to make samples and by applying some rules of thumb.

Once production runs regularly, it is also good to have an industrial engineer perform time studies, simple movement. The main goal should not be to refine the number of workers should get paid, but to allow finer planning process. (And also allows the department to calculate production efficiency.)

But what about the vast majority of Chinese factories that make the effort to provide the processing times in a scientific way? They are easily 20% discount on any given operation - and sometimes more than 100% off! (Ever wonder why prices go up so often after it has begun production?)

3. Excessive batch sizes

Owners of Chinese factories are obsessed with paying low price all they can to components, and often are pushed to buy large quantities at a time - sometimes we see 6 or 8 months of inventory for certain components or accessories.

Unfortunately, these large lots often take longer to do. So a couple of days (or weeks) are lost here. And then what happens internally after the components are in stock? The factory is to gain efficiency in production, doing lots are larger than the orders on hand. Same logic.

Not only saves money, but means the production takes even longer.

4. Without understanding the whole system

If you want to see if a production manager is smart, ask him if he has identified bottlenecks (there is always at least one), and what actions it has taken to increase its capacity.

Similarly, production managers usually have no knowledge of the effects of WIP (work in process) inventory on the production schedule. A mathematical relationship dictates most WIP means longer delivery times.

Finally, sometimes there is no buffer. Many factories added 4-8 days in the planning, because they know that "shit happens", but some manufacturers unsophisticated even think about this.

5. Lack of monitoring

Good factories operates, at least, a weekly review of all orders for delivery in the coming days. The idea is to review the situation and take appropriate action if delays are likely. But many factories have no regular meeting. That's a mistake.

In fact, I've found that people love meetings. Meetings called unstructured ad hoc to discuss a hot topic, that is. But regular meetings to discuss the situation on the database? That's another story. It is often necessary for the CEO to force your personal schedule.

6. Sequential preparation by different individuals / departments

I recently reviewed the planning process of a factory have 7 days from receipt of order and confirmation of the order by a customer providers. The sales team needs a day to prepare the information in the correct format, then planning and buying the equipment needed several days to prepare the list of materials, check the stock, inform providers, etc.



Not only their internal processes need a strong dose of simplification and standardization, but each service waits until the previous one has finished his work. Part of concurrent processing solution is as shown below.


 
7. Neither coordination with the director of human resources

If orders to collect significantly, it is good to start hiring more production operators a few weeks before. This is common sense, but common sense, apparently not found in many organizations. The HR manager should receive a summary of upcoming orders at least once a week to adjust the template.