Both the ACCC and State regulators demand that all industries do everything possible to ensure consumer safety. As you might expect, penalties for those who breach safety standards are some of the most severe in the world, and continue to increase.
Penalties can include multi-million dollar fines, a requirement to recall product including national consumer advertising to publicise the recall, and in severe cases, imprisonment. The ongoing costs of a breach to a company could also include product reworking to fix a fault, severe internal disruption and long-term reputational damage to the brand.
CONSUMER SAFETY IS A TOP PRIORITY
The Australian Government ACCC is committed to ensuring the very best product safety standards for consumers. It’s one of the only governments in the world to introduce a ‘general safety’ provision into law. This makes Australia a region with one of the highest demands for product regulatory compliance.
COMPLIANCE IS DISRUPTIVE
How do you deal with it?
Some organisations are fortunate to have the resources to employ skilled internal teams to manage compliance. One of the most common problems with this approach is that there are often long periods of ‘down time’ when the team has little to do. Another issue is that there are many different categories of compliance (e.g. chemical, pharmaceutical, electrical etc.) and one individual or a small team can’t be across them all.
Other companies opt to assign the important responsibility for compliance to personnel already engaged in other departments, commonly the marketing or supply chain management teams. Diverting other parts of the workforce like this disrupts workflow and exposes the company to a high risk of noncompliance because it’s very easy for non-experts to make a mistake.
REFOCUS AND FREE UP RESOURCES
REDUCE COST
IMPROVE SPEED TO MARKET
PLAN WITH PEACE OF MIND
REFOCUS YOUR STAFF
With VCM you’ll enjoy the peace of mind that comes when you know the company’s compliance responsibilities are fully up to date. Any staff that were burdened with additional responsibility can be released to refocus on their core role. Things will move more freely and speed to market will improve. The overall cost of achieving and maintaining quality and compliance will reduce.
- The business carries less fixed overhead
- Communication of compliance issues is improved
- Communication is quick and easy via a dedicated Key Account Manger
- You benefit from BWES’ established relationships with regulators and the ACCC
Under VCM, BWES manages all of your company’s compliance matters
- Management and storage of all compliance folders
- Maintenance of all EESS and ERAC records
- Maintenance of MEPS, WELS and ACMA etc.
- New product approval
- Renewal of existing approvals
- New certification
- Renewal of existing certification
- Risk engine management
- All technical matters related to product compliance
- Involvement with suppliers or manufacturers regarding compliance requirements Liaison with State regulators and the ACCC
- Client training to increase awareness of compliance requirements that may affect the business
- Factory audits
- Product audits
- Quality systems audits
- Development and implementation of Quality Control documents
Enable VCM and get back to doing what your company does best
The engineering team at BWES Compliance and Consulting includes expert engineers with decades of experience in all categories of product compliance. And a director who sits on a working group of the IEC – a global organisation that develops international product standards.
With VCM enabled, your company can have the certainty that all of its product compliance is correct, continuously up to date and that the records are properly maintained through EESS, ERAC, MEPS, WELS and ACMA.
ARE YOU GOLD, SILVER OR BRONZE?
Recognising that companies come in all shapes and sizes, VCM is accessible at three levels: Gold, Silver and Bronze. Each VCM package is based on a retainer agreement over a period of 12 months. Here’s a comparison of the different VCM packages.
VCM BRONZE
From $1,750 per month
Allocated a KEY CONTACT PERSON
Management and soft copy storage of all client compliance folders
Maintaining EESS and ERAC records
Where requested, written communication to suppliers on behalf of the client
Any enquiry from State regulators
Documentation review – manuals, testing reports, artwork
Advice on all technical matters
VCM SILVER
From $2,500 per month
Allocated a KEY CONTACT PERSON
Management and soft copy storage of all client compliance folders
Maintaining EESS and ERAC records
Where requested, written communication to suppliers on behalf of the client
Any enquiry from State regulators
Documentation review – manuals, testing reports, artwork
Advice on all technical matters
Product Risk engine management
Management of suppliers/manufacturers regarding compliance requirements via Teams Video/Call/Wechat
Client training to increase awareness of compliance requirements that may affect the business
W.I.P. Document
VCM GOLD
From $5,000 per month
Allocated a KEY CONTACT PERSON
Management and soft copy storage of all client compliance folders
Maintaining EESS and ERAC records
Where requested, written communication to suppliers on behalf of the client
Any enquiry from State regulators
Documentation review – manuals, testing reports, artwork
Advice on all technical matters
Product Risk engine management
Management of suppliers/manufacturers regarding compliance requirements via Teams Video/Call/Wechat
Client training to increase awareness of compliance requirements that may affect the business
W.I.P. Document
Renewal of existing approbation
Renewal of existing certification
Involvement with suppliers/manufacturers regarding compliance requirements – coordinating projects
New product approbation
New certification
Recall
Regular audits of products
Represent supplier interests in AIG
AICIS chemical management
ACCC regulator management
Regular meetings
Project updates
Send us your details and we'll call you back to answer your questions about VCM
Or you can call or email us:
NSW, ACT, QLD, NT
Glenn Biggs: 0439 915 505
VIC, SA, WA, TAS
Martin Madej: 0459 073 689