GS1, RQA join forces for risk management workshop

"Product recalls are not a question of 'if', but 'when'," Marcel Sieira, general manager – business development, GS1 Australia said.

"Poorly managed incidences and recalls can quickly become a crisis, the consequences of which can be devastating to a company, potentially impacting its reutation, operations and financial performancer."

Running in Melbourne on 19 April and Sydney on 30 May, the Effective Recall Management workshop will provide businesses with the practical skills, plans and processes to manage a recall situation and prevent it from escalating into a crisis.

In a half-day session, participants will learn strategies directly from the experts at GS1 Australia, a not-for-profit independent supply chain organisation, and the RQA Product Risk Institute, Asia Pacific's only specialist product recall and crisis management training company.

The workshops will also demonstrate a range of tools and resources proven to help manage a recall, including GS1 Australia's new online recall communication tool, GS1 Recallnet.

"Australian companies simply cannot afford to miss this workshop," Steve Hather, managing director of the RQA Product Risk Institute said.

"In our experience, companies that go through a recall for the first time are surprised by its intensity.

"Even if they get the mechanics of the recall right, they struggle with managing key stakeholders and communicating effectively. They wish they had a plan that provided more effective guidance, rather than having to find out where the gaps are in the middle of a recall."

The Effective Recall Management workshop is designed for businesses of all sizes and should be attended by anyone who has a role in managing recall situations, including quality and technical managers, corporate affairs managers, consumer contact managers and staff, risk managers, sales and key account executives, marketing managers and operations managers.

"Even if you have a recall process in place, our trainers will help you identify areas for improvement, to ensure your systems are working hard for the business," Hather said.

"Planning for a product recall is good business; all companies will have incidents and some of these incidents can lead to a product recall. We encourage all members to register for the workshops now and learn from the best in the industry," Sieira said.

Registrations are now open for the Effective Recall Management workshops. For more information and to register, visit www.gs1au.org/events.asp?e=178

Effective Recall Management workshop

• Melbourne, Thursday 19 April 2012, 9am – 1.30pm
• Sydney, Wednesday 30 May 2012, 9am – 1.30pm

Overview of content

• Preventative Systems – A review of quality management, traceability and risk management systems and how they prevent incidences from occurring
• Incident Identification – The processes for managing complaints and non-conformances
• Incident Assessment – Methods and tools for investigating incidents, assessing risk in its broadest sense and making decisions on appropriate actions to take
• Strategy – Developing an effective strategy for managing incidents and recalls and meeting expectations of key stakeholders
• Communication – establishing key messages, identifying audiences, and constructing and delivering clear, concise and timely information
• Implementation – ensuring you have the people, processes and systems to implement an effective recall