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I speak English, Cantonese
and Mandarin. I usually work
with overseas suppliers and fac-
tories, and I perform trou-
bleshooting in areas of sourcing,
technical specifications, testing,
packaging, quality control, social
compliance and product life
management. My goal is to make
sure our on-time, high-quality
deliveries meet safety and com-
pliance requirements.
What he loves about his
company
I enjoy working with the
people here. They are passionate
about the work and enjoy what
they are doing. Teamwork is
important, and I can see that
we are all working as a team.
To me, that is very important
in and for a company. Our
company culture is very open,
our management listens to all
suggestions (open-door policy)
and we keep improving the
environment to fit all of us. We
all enjoy the environment of
freedom and flexibility.
An inside look at the TPS
culture
It is warm and helpful; we
are all team players in this fast-
paced environment. We have 35
full-time staff to provide pro-
motional solutions for industry-
leading, progressive, brand-ori-
ented companies and marketing
firms. We are also actively
involved in the Heart & Stroke
Foundation Big Bike fundrais-
ing event, and we provide dona-
tions for Alliance Church of
Unionville.
A typical day for Ho
I look after all import-related
issues, including global sourcing,
price quotation, production run,
product safety testing, factory
audit compliance, QC inspection
and logistics arrangements. My
short-term projects include man-
agement and execution of our
sourcing strategy according to
cost, quality and innovation;
identifying and resourcing pro-
duction issues; and addressing
lower inventory level, on-time
delivery, shipping costs and lower
turnaround time.
Long term, I manage rela-
tionships with vendors, mer-
chants and our product develop-
ment team to build a partner-
ship environment. I also help
increase the awareness of prod-
uct safety and compliance. I
provide training to the internal
sales staff, particularly on the
importance of knowing safety
topics.
How he teams ups with
co-workers
I mostly collaborate with the
sales team for overseas sourcing,
price quotation, product safety
lab testing, factory audit, pro-
duction, QC inspection and
logistics arrangements.
Meetings, essential communica-
tions and training sessions with
co-workers are conducted to
ensure our objectives are being
met. We have a regular creative
meeting each week with the
sales team to share ideas, provide
feedback and share updates on
news on the market.
How the job challenges him
My job is not only about
vetting suppliers, overseeing
import-related issues, sourcing,
product testing and handling
logistics for customers’ orders,
but it also involves facilitating
our sales team to pass along the
product safety information so
that they can use it to stand
apart from their competition;
additionally, guiding the com-
pany’s compliance program and
maintaining documents such as
testing reports and compliance
certificates, and maintaining
on-time delivery coupled with
scheduling production planning,
product safety, quality inspec-
tion and freight arrangement.
What’s new on his
company’s dashboard
Recent changes include
improved sourcing channels and
streamlining overseas suppliers
with a scoring system; supplier
evaluation; updating and revising
our Quality Management Plan
with a detailed procedure guide-
line for sourcing, ordering, pro-
duction and shipping; and
arranging audits at overseas
manufacturing facilities.
We also conduct frequent
product-safety testing to miti-
gate the significant legal and
financial risks that can result
from non-compliance and unsafe
products. We have increased
compliance to ensure safe prod-
ucts are delivered, and we have
engaged a working relationship
with leading global third-party
independent testing and inspec-
tion agencies to monitor product
safety, production, quality con-
trol and brand integrity, and to
inspect overseas factories for
working conditions and social
compliance.
How TPS adds value to the
industry
It’s because of our vision,
our mission and our core values.
Our vision is to be the most
innovative, respected, client-
driven promotional solutions
provider for market leaders. Our
mission is to deliver innovative
promotional solutions and create
value by driving measurable
results. We foster a team envi-
ronment that encourages
employees to develop and excel.
Our core values are accountabil-
ity, respect, integrity, innovation,
drive, teamwork and quality.
Jen Alexander is associate editor
for
PPB.
JEFFREY HO, TPS PROMOTIONS & INCENTIVES
MARCH 2016 •
PPB
• 83
“We are all team players in this fast-paced
environment.
We have 35 full-time staff to
provide promotional solutions for industry-
leading, progressive, brand-oriented com-
panies and marketing firms.”