Global Sourcing Final Exam Study Guide Chapter 9 Global Sourcing Step 5 Pre Production Production Quality Assurance 1 Pre Production Approval a The objective of pre production approvals is to prepare all the necessary and correct components for garment production in a timely manner b Most sourcers in today s marketplace are heavily involved in pre production stages with extensive approval processes i The sourcer would arrange quality assurance and inspection procedures prior to any shipments c The supplier produces or obtains all necessary components and raw materials for garment production following the purchase order i The sourcer s team would approve all of these components from colors to size construction and qualities determining whether or not they are acceptable for actual production ii During the pre production approval stage many samples will be exchanged between the sourcer and the supplier including color lab dips patter strike offs fabric swatches representing the bulk production samples of necessary buttons shanks and so on d PPS Pre Production Samples are the samples made with all approved components by the supplier s sample department i Once all components are produced and PPSs are approved the entire garment production takes place 2 Label Preparation Approvals e Upon completion of production the supplier proceeds to packing floor ready packing a During the pre production stage or even before the sourcer also needs to provide correct label information to the supplier i It is the sourcer s responsibility to gather all of the necessary label information and placements of such labels and share them with the supplier ii The sourcer must be an expert in labeling rules and requirements and provide correct information to the supplier to avoid any problems b In the U S most textile and apparel products must display four key pieces of information at the point of sale i Fiber Content 1 FTC has 3 tolerance of fiber content for multi fiber fabrics 2 Any fibers making up less than 5 of the total weight can be listed as other fibers under the 5 rule a This 5 rule doesn t apply to wool or recycled wool fibers i All wool must be declared at the point of sale even if it s only used in a small amount allergy issues Wool Products Labeling Act of 1939 3 Dog or cat for are not allowed Dog and Cat Protection Act of 2000 ii Country of Origin 1 After WWI the US government required any products imported form Germany to carry the words Made in Germany in order to punish German industries 2 For natural fibers the country in which fibers are grown Is considered a country of 3 For synthetic fibers the country in which fiber extrusion was conducted is the place origin of origin 4 The location of knitting and weaving processes are important in determining country of origin for fabrics 5 For apparel significant apparel assembly processes sewing or manufacturing operations are conducted in the country of origin 6 Researchers have suggested declaring country of manufacturing COM country of parts COP country of design COD and or country of brand COB would help clarify true contributions of different countries for products 7 If products are made in the US with imported fabrics the country of origin must say Made in U S A of imported fabric or Assembled in U S A of imported components without much detail of the origin of the fabric or components 8 When products are advertised in catalogs mail order materials or on the Internet the description must include a Made in U S A if the products are made in the US with all US components and parts b Imported if the products are sourced from overseas c Made in U S A and or imported iii Identity of the Manufacturer or Responsible Party RN 1 All textile and apparel products must identify either the company name or the registered identification number RN of the manufacturer importer or another company responsible for the products 2 Any businesses that manufacture import market distribute or handle textile and apparel products in the US can register through the FTC and receive an RN 3 Consumers could use RNs to find contact information of any textile and apparel product about which they may have questions or complaints iv Care Instruction 1 Care Labeling Rule all textile and apparel products except shoes gloves hats handkerchiefs belts neckties and disposable items are subject to the Care Labeling Rule 2 For products requiring normal care care instructions must include five basic elements a Washing b Bleaching c Drying d Ironing e Other Warnings 3 Material 4 Placement a To be printed on the cotton woven label in the size of 1 width x 2 5 length a Center back under the waist seam must be sewn in c Some products such as upholstery stuffing materials linings backing bandages shoes headwear handbags and luggage are not covered by the current FTC label rules d The location of the labels must be easily found without jeopardizing the aesthetics of the finished goods and comfort of the wearers i Some retailers require particular label placements for aesthetic or handling issues e In addition to FTC s requirements the sourcer s company may also use the label to indicate the size of the garment fit or other information 3 Production Monitoring Through a Time and Action Calendar a Sourcing personnel should know the status of every purchase order and be responsible for on time delivery of each sourcing project b To help this process sourcing personnel may create a Time Action T A Calendar or a pre production and production monitoring plan i Once this calendar is issued for each purchase order all people involved in this particular purchase order must be aware of the deadlines for each step and sourcing personnel must ensure everybody else including the supplier follows this calendar 4 Apparel Quality Regulation a Five quality regulations that sourcers must consider before producing and importing goods for US consumers flammability regulations of toys and children s articles with small parts consumer product safety improvement act restricted substances and voluntary guide for drawstrings on children s apparel i Flammability 1 In the US the Consumer Product Safety Commission CPSC administers flammability related laws and standards according to the Flammable Fabric Act of 1953 2 The CPSC requires all textiles and apparel intended for the use of wearing must meet certain flammability requirements 3 There are three classes to classify the flammability of textiles i The only class