by Jeff Leake
Logistics professionals, importers and retailers are continuously navigating a maze of challenges in bringing imported goods to U.S. markets.
There are regulations for filing appropriate paperwork and meeting product safety or regulatory requirements. Goods need to be packaged, handled and shipped properly to protect the product integrity or quality. Importers and retailers also need to rely heavily on overseas manufacturers to make and ship the product according to specifications.
If they can get past these hurdles, they must still contend with “mother nature” which may cause supply chain problems as well. When goods are coming from Asia or other regions with hot, high-humidity climates and traveling for weeks to a U.S. port for example, additional problems can surface. These include mold, odor and mildew.
So, when an unfortunate problem is discovered, who can logistics professionals, importers and retailers turn to when those “uh-oh” emails and calls come in regarding less than first quality product arriving at U.S. distribution centers?
Fortunately, right here in Nevada is one of the nation’s most established product inspections and rework company serving the U.S., Quality Corrections & Inspections.
Established on the east coast in 1986, Quality Corrections & Inspections is a U.S. based high-volume post-production rework company that specializes in footwear, apparel, accessories, and consumer goods. In 2003, the company expanded and selected a location in the city of Henderson to serve as their west coast base of operations.
The company services a unique function in supply chain management and logistics. Basically, companies turn to Quality Corrections & Inspections to solve a variety of challenges that they may face when product issues are discovered upon arrival to the U.S. Logistics professionals, importers and retailers generally ship and receive first quality goods about 99% of the time. However, problems still arise requiring immediate attention for corrections, repairs, cleaning or repackaging for example.
Week-to-week, the company’s production is regularly changing. Projects run the gamut and the company is very flexible in handling multiple production lines operating simultaneously. Reworks in any given week might include: a leather footwear refinishing project, a mold remediation project, product label changes on apparel or footwear, laundering and spot cleaning services on a shipment of garments, a sewing project that corrects issues discovered on thousands of pants pockets sewn improperly at an overseas factory, an odor removal project, multiple ticketing and tagging projects, and a high-volume product inspection, grading and sortation project, just to name a few.
According to recent reports by the American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA), approximately 98% of the clothing and shoes bought in the U.S. is imported. Considering the time it takes to design a product, source key materials, identify a manufacturer abroad, produce the product and the shipping time from overseas to U.S. retailers and distribution centers, there is little room for errors in bringing goods to market. As a result, there are often critical needs for Quality Corrections & Inspections to perform inspection and rework services in a timely manner and cost-effectively when the need arises.
In selecting Nevada for their west coast operations, the company carefully analyzed the business climate, logistics infrastructure, proximity to potential west coast customers and other key factors for locations in Southern California and Nevada. Nevada met these requirements and more, including an outstanding quality of life.
This year, the company will celebrate their 17th year in Nevada and sees more opportunities on the horizon. While the company has an international reach, the emergence and growth of Nevada as a key logistics hub is attracting a diverse array of new businesses to the state. Companies in e-commerce, distribution and light manufacturing arriving in the Las Vegas region, Reno-Sparks, and Fernley may need to rely on companies such as Quality Corrections & Inspections to serve as a resource partner in managing the success of their supply chains.
“Due to the nature of our business, our production is always changing. We never know what is going to come our way; however, we welcome all the unusual projects that require us to think outside of the box”, said Randy Burk, Executive Vice President.
“With over 30 years of creative problem-solving expertise, companies have come to rely on us to solve their dilemmas. California may have been our destination, but thanks to the Nevada’s economic development team, the “Silver State” has become our home”.
For more information, please visit their website or follow them on social media (Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter).