Survive & Thrive
Band Together
Early this year, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) passed a stay of enforcement for certain requirements of the CPSIA, and another bill just recently went to Congress that will attempt to refine and amend CPSIA (see sidebar). However, even with these measures in place, suppliers and distributors must prepare themselves for some turbulence ahead. “It is going to be a process for any company, but for some it will be particularly difficult,” said Jonathan Isaacson, president of Gemline, Lawrence, Mass. He added: “Beyond the problem of defining what exactly ‘compliance’ means in a very vaguely defined law, companies [need] to have a strong process in place to be able to respond to the requirements.”
But it’s not all bad. Though it might require some front-end investment and a little more homework, contrary to some opinions, there are ways the industry can work within the system to maintain profit margins.