Seville Corp. and Sun Coast Merchandise Begin QCA Certification Process

Two more suppliers have begun taking these necessary, proactive steps to provide safe and compliant products. McFarland, Wisconsin-based Seville Corporation and Commerce, California-based Sun Coast Merchandise (dba Sunscope USA) have applied to participate in the comprehensive compliance program developed by the Quality Certification Alliance (QCA), located in Chicago, the promotional product industry's only independent, not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping companies provide safe products.

"Our industry is doing many things right to prepare for the future—one of the most important is ensuring the products that are so vital to the overall value we offer are being sourced and produced to standards the whole world will recognize, accept and take pride in," said Mike Jarrett, president of Seville Corporation. "We feel that QCA Certification will help us meet this goal. It not only complements the steps we have already taken in managing our supply chain but will also provide us the support and professional guidance to meet the future requirements of the constantly changing compliance environment."

Dilip K. Bhavnani, COO of Sunscope Group of Companies, agrees. "Sunscope recognizes the importance of managing the supply chain and ensuring product quality, safety and social compliance," he said. "With state and federal regulations being updated as well as higher standards being demanded by our client base, we are looking forward to going through the QCA Accreditation program and joining the industry's pioneer in comprehensive compliance programs."

Both Seville and Sunscope have begun the initial self-certification phase, which is followed by a rigorous self-assessment. Once these are complete, the companies then submit their headquarters and supply base to multiple third-party audits. Finally, the QCA board uses a scorecard representing the performance of each applicant and its supply chain on the third-party audits as the foundation for granting accreditation.

Brent Stone, QCA executive director - operations, said, "With each passing month, QCA is pulled into more interactions with distributors and their Fortune 1000 clients. There is no question that the demand for compliance is growing, and those companies that can deliver it are adding value and strengthening their relationships because of it."