AHFA Announces Compliance Software

June 21, 2011  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in Legal on June 22, 2011

The American Home Furnishings Alliance and Assured Products Group have teamed for software to help members manage environmental and safety laws.

APG gives regulators, vendors, retailers and consumers 24/7 access to compliance documentation, including chain of custody, general conformance certificates, Lacey Act documentation and more. All parties can verify product compliance on the web, via smart phone or in the store.

"Members will easily be able to produce certificates tied to specific products or production runs with supporting information for regulatory agencies and customers, while managing and archiving information in a secure-access, controlled environment," said AHFA Vice President Bill Perdue. "This industry first 'compliance advisor' program maintains up-to-date information on what needs to be done for compliance--and will save our members the time, expense and confusion of interpreting compliance requirements on their own."

Members will receive tailored solutions based on their size, business focus and supply chain challenges, all at significantly discounted annual rates.

"This partnership gives AHFA members, as well as their customers, piece of mind," said James Chester, CEO of APG.

APG's Assurance & Authentication program offers the following:
* General Certificates of Conformity (GCC) and Certificates of Conformity (CoC): A factory creates the certificate in the APG system, and it becomes available online to retailers, suppliers and regulators.
* CPSIA registration: The product registration page can be embedded in the manufacturer's Web site, simplifying the customer notification process in the event of a safety advisory or recall. 
* Simplified record-keeping: The Assurance & Authentication program keeps companies in compliance with the law at all points in the supply chain, from production to product registration. With all documents safely stored in the APG system, there is no need to worry about an audit--all documentation is in one place.
* Compliance advisor: The compliance advisor module tells companies which tests are needed for various products, according to the current law.
* Records management: All GCC, CoC and testing certificates are stored in one place for access by interested parties. This also simplifies long term record retention.
* 24/7 access, worldwide: Manufacturers, retailers and the end consumers can verify product authenticity, origin and compliance via a smart phone or text message. All relevant information is tied together.

"Assurance is much more than compliance," Chester said. "It provides a path to better business practices, satisfied investors and customers and, ultimately, more revenue and market share as you increase supplier and consumer confidence, transparency and predictability in your product and brand."