Opportunities

January 13, 2009

There are two big opportunities for those who are savvy about the new CPSIA regulations and about costing.

Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act

While in Hong Kong I attended a meeting held by the Toy Industry Association to review the current situation regarding the new CPSIA safety regulations. As I listened, I was struck by how immensely complicated and important an issue this is and particularly for new and smaller manufacturers.

There are two ways that this opportunity can be approached.

1. If you are a rep who has an in depth understanding of the new CPSIA regulations you should use this as an inducement to acquire new clients and to maintain existing ones. It is a big value added.

2. If you are a rep or anyone who is knowledgeable in this area you should consider offering your knowledge on a consulting basis. There is a great need for the service and your efforts will be rewarded.

Costing

I was meeting with a senior exective of a major toy company when the topic of costing came up. I was struck by the depth of knowledge this person had and just how complex and challenging it is to predict where prices are going to be over the next six months. I asked him how he got all of his information and he said that his company had people dedicated to doing the research.

Most companies do not have that kind of organizational support so I believe there is a big opportunity here for individuals or organizations that have in depth knowledge of costing and how to predict pricing trends. If you do, you should be marketing your service to medium and smaller retailers and manufacturers who would be able to buy more sharply if they had the additional information.

If you would like to offer a service as described above, please feel free to send your information in to our comment section or to contact me directly by clicking here. We will post it as a free public service.

Posted by Richard Gottlieb on January 13, 2009 | Comments (3)

January 28, 2009

In response to: Opportunities
DOHERTY, Greg commented:

My company sources Offshore Manufacturing for over $50 million in COGS for a wide variety of clients annually. As such, we are constantly quoting items and stay on top of costing on a discrete basis. One of our services is to support clients with COST ENGINEERING models. This provides clients with an accurate picture of what a product should cost prior to soliciting quotes. Having done this for over 45 years, we’re very accurate and help clients save money. Interested parties can contact us at INVECTRA Product Development Systems. 513-922-1202 or www.invectra.net.

January 28, 2009

In response to: Opportunities
DOHERTY, Greg commented:

January 15, 2009

In response to: Opportunities
Lynn commented:

Section 104 of the CPSIA requires "durable infant or toddler products" to include consumer registration forms. This section defines a "durable infant or toddler product" to be "a durable product intended for use or that may be reasonably expected to be used by children under the age of 5 years" and includes a list of products. That list of products includes: full-size cribs and non-full size cribs, toddler beds, high chairs, booster chairs, hook-on chairs, bath seats, gates and other enclosures for confining a child, play yards, stationary activity centers, infant carriers, strollers, walkers, swings, basinets and cradles. The section says "includes" indicating that other products may be covered. But, how does one go about determining whether a product not on the list is covered by this section? The legislative history of the statute provides some guidance to answer this question. Based upon our review of the legislative history we have advised our client concerning the applicability of that section and the entire statute to their products. I am available to provide similar guidance to others. Lynn Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney P. C. 301 Grant Street Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15219-1410 Phone: 412-562-1632 Fax: 412-562-1041