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BIZCHINA / Center
Toy exports face closer scrutiny
By Zhang Lisheng (China Daily)
Updated: 2007-08-23 09:02
Inspection and quarantine authorities in South China's Guangdong Province
have bolstered efforts to further scrutinize the quality of toys exported
overseas.
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A new product quality licensing system was launched this week, and toy
exporters have been ordered to have their products assessed locally for
official inspection.
All toymakers that manufacture products for foreign markets will need to
apply for "quality licensing" within a month, according to an official
with Guangdong Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau, who declined
to be identified.
"We will keep a closer watch on not only finished products but also on
potentially dangerous chemicals and paints," she said.
"And we will keep records concerning suppliers of potentially dangerous
chemicals for toys and toy subcontractors."
The move follows two recent massive toy recalls in the United States.
US toy giant Mattel requested in early August that Foshan-based Lee Der
Industrial Co Ltd recall 967,000 plastic toys containing excessive
amounts of lead in the paint.
And RC2, a toy company in the US, requested Dongguan-based Hansheng
Wooden Products Factory recall 1.5 million wooden toys for a similar
reason in June.
The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and
Quarantine, the nation's top quality control watchdog, has since banned
both toy factories from exporting.
An official with Dongguan Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau,
who asked for anonymity, said toys made in his city were "generally good".
However, he suggested that toy manufacturers should pay more attention to
issues such as substandard small components, improper warning messages,
improper magnetic toy design and hazardous paints.
Li Zhuoming, vice-chairman of Guangdong Toy Industry Association, also
attempted to tamp down fears of Made-in-China toys
"What I can assure you is that Guangdong's toy production technologies
and capabilities are up to world standards," Li said. "Generally
speaking, the quality of our toy products is trustworthy."
The vice-chairman said Guangdong exported more than 300,000 batches of
toys to the United States in 2006, and only 29 were recalled.
Simon Yip, the head of a toy firm in Guangzhou, said the recalls were a
wake-up call for toy manufacturers in China.
"We can spare no efforts to guarantee the product quality from raw
material purchase to production," Yip said.
However, he urged foreign toy importers not to demand the lowest price
for the manufacture of their products.
"Toymakers have to be extremely economical in every way in order to
survive when the profit is so limited," Yip said.
(For more biz stories, please visit Industry Updates)
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