Total Recall A product recall can be an ordeal. Businesses have to move fast or risk real damage, either in fees or litigation, or to their reputations and relationships with customers. And they are commonplace across almost every consumer product industry. Some, like Peloton’s recent recall of its Tread+ treadmill, even make the nightly news. But with the right groundwork in place and an honest communication strategy, a recall can be managed with minimum disruption to a business or its image. Recalls stem from design or manufacturing defects that could create a substantial or unreasonable risk of injury or death, or if a product fails to comply with mandatory regulatory requirements or standards, or bans. Of course, the best way to deal with a recall is to avoid it entirely. Suppliers, manufacturers and importers can take steps in the design, development and production of their product to eliminate the potential for design and manufacturing defects— which are what give rise to injuries and ultimately to recalls. Having the right product expertise, failure mode and effects analysis, testing, production oversight and quality management systems in place make for safer products. “That is the essence of product safety. Some level of oversight that you can trust,” says Rick Brenner, MAS+, president and CEO of Product Safety Advisors. “It makes Product recalls are often monumental challenges involving communication and logistics hurdles, potentially worldwide. Here’s how to prepare for the worst and and come out the other side. by James Khattak 80 | MARCH 2022 | THINK
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