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DECEMBER 2016
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THINK
A
recent invitation to a panel
discussion, which included
four top industry suppliers
discussing the “State of the
Industry” in front of more than
800 key distributors and suppliers,
was a terrific opportunity to review
key challenges and opportunities
we will all face in the future.
Initially, the panel participants
covered a number of typical
subjects such as describing the
industry, the greatest challenges,
technology needs, etc.Then
the discussion touched on
compliance and product safety,
and it becamemuchmore
passionate—which probably
surprisedmany in the audience.
One fairly straightforward
comment that sparked a strong
response from a founding
member of the Quality
Certification Alliance (QCA) was
mine: “Long term there is little
positive outcome for any industry
to find it acceptable or be satisfied
with self-regulation.”
Using the pharmacy industry
as an example, I continued with
a question: “Would we feel safe
if Pfizer, Squibb and Johnson
& Johnson decided drug safety
standards instead of a legitimate,
independent third party? It’s not
likely any of us believe this is a
good idea for the health care of
our families and friends. Recent
examples of themortgage industry
policing itself, or Volkswagen
leadership deciding that EPA
regulations were not necessary for
their vehicles, shows how these
misadventures can change an
industry or brand quickly.”
After the session, numerous
distributors and suppliers
connected with me to gain
more understanding on my
comments and the subject of
compliance. I don’t pretend to be
an expert in product safety and
compliance since there are too
many moving parts, from state
guidelines and laws to national
and international regulations,
for any of us to fully understand
everything. This subject is so
vast, changing and complicated
that it makes more sense to
focus on fundamentals, establish
agreed-upon processes and
work to do the right things every
day to make our industry more
compliant and disciplined.
My business background has
been in industries including
consumer products, health
care, professional sports and
nonprofits. Like everyone, our
past experiences and learning
opportunities help shape our
thinking and perspective on
certain subjects like compliance
and product safety. While at
Procter & Gamble, it became
engrained in my thought process
that following regulations
and laws, and making sure
every product met top-level
performance and quality
standards, was a required
outcome. At ADG Promotional
Products we have developed
similarly solid processes
for compliance as part of a
much larger multi billion-
Taking The Long View Of Compliance Programs
Why Our Industry
Shouldn’t Be
Satis edWith
Self-Regulation
by
Bill Mahre
Would we feel safe
if Pfizer, Squibb
and Johnson&
Johnson decided
drug safety
standards instead
of a legitimate,
independent
third party?