Matell Recall – Cheap not always cheerful

15 August 2007.

Matell Recall – Cheap may not always be cheerful.

The New Zealand Manufacturers and Exporters Association (MEA) says that the recall of Matell’s Chinese made products worldwide shows the wider risks of failing to monitor the quality and safety requirements on imported goods.

“The Matell recall raises the issue of fairness and safety”, says Chief Executive John Walley. “On the one hand, the fact that safety standards are enforced on local companies but not their offshore competitors raises the issue of fairness and the rush to import low cost products brings with it public safety – where does the duty of care reside?”

Mr. Walley says that quality has stopped being a competitive dimension as supply chains adopted rigorous quality assurance. With (low) imported price being such a major factor on buying decisions, people are taking risks that they may not have an instinct to deal with – “the days of “Monday and Friday” cars may well be back with us”

“Unfortunately, it appears that it will take an accident or a major health scare before people start to question the risks associated with low cost country supply chains and poor quality goods in the market that do not have to jump over the same regulatory hurdles as New Zealand made products”, says Mr. Walley.

“We have refrigerators coming into New Zealand that are not temperature tested to the same standard as the ones made here, along with hot water cylinders that arrive without pressure safety valves. This is reality. They might be cheaper but they are not up to New Zealand safety standards and Matell’s recall is the tip of the iceberg”.

“This issue of bad quality imports impacts everyone, importers, consumers, manufacturers and exporters. As more inferior products enter the environment they bring risks both obvious and subtle – we need to pin down where the duty of care resides and hold them accountable”.

ENDS

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