This was because during this period the company had used a yellow pigment paint which contained high levels of lead. Another product that was discovered to contain high levels of lead was the Sarge cars paint. The product was manufactured by Early Light Industrial Company for Mattel. The company was based in Hong Kong, but the products were manufactured in China. Initially it was estimated the company had manufactured around 250,000 Sarge cars.
Solutions to the problems
To ensure that the magnets used on the Polly Pocket play sets did not come loose, Mattel had to reinforce the magnets instead of gluing them. The reinforcement involved locking the magnets in the toys. By locking the magnets in the toys, Mattel ensured that the magnets will not come loose when the children are playing with the toys. To ensure this rule is enforced always Mattel will have to come up with strict manufacturing processes, which will test all the products manufactured by it vendors before the products are released for sale. Recall of the play sets might have sorted out the initial problem, but there have been other reports of loose magnets on products sold before the recall dates. These shows there were major failures in the manufacturing process from the start. Correcting this manufacturing process by laying down strict guidelines will ensure products manufactured for the U.S. market meet the necessary standards of the market.
The lead paint that was used by Lee Der had been sourced from a company that was not approved by Mattel, which required Lee Der to test each batch of paint before it was used on the products. Lee Der failed to perform this test, and this resulted in its use though it had high levels...
Mattel Toy Recall In 2007, Mattel was dealing with a number of challenges surrounding the quality of toys that were manufactured at their plants China. This is because lead paint was found in a number of toys which were produced in the country. These problems raised concerns about if enough was being done to test merchandise and the kinds of procedures that were place. However, after an extensive investigation, is when
Last year, China also was the source of 81% of the counterfeit goods seized by Customs officials at ports of entry in the United States -- products that typically are not made according to the standards on the labels they are copying (Lipton 3). In September of 2007, Mr. Stone, a wildlife pathologist, and his daughter discovered the hazardous levels of lead in dozens of children's necklaces and bracelets sold
Mattel understands that for its customers and retailers, there is nothing worse, ethically, than putting profit over the health of children. It would appear that Lee Der did not share these values. Thus, part of the problem lies with communication of values between Mattel and its suppliers. The suppliers need to understand that they need to work to the same ethical standards as Mattel, since it is Mattel's name
Products Liability Research: Mattel Inc. is a company that was founded in 1944 by Elliot and Ruth Handler that designs, manufactures, and markets a huge range of toy products. The firm is headquartered in California with its core product lines including Hot Wheels die-cast vehicles, Barbie fashion dolls, Disney toys, Fisher-Price preschool toys, and games like Scrabble. While Mattel also manufactures its toy products based on license agreements with movie makers,
Mattel Manufacturers of products that are aimed at children do have a special obligation with respect to their products and the marketing thereof. Considerable controversy has erupted as the result of advertising to children. Children are impressionable, and while they are not the gatekeepers who control spending in the family, it is worth considering that products marketed to children are not detrimental. As Clay (2000) notes, a key source of controversy
Product Recalls: Reaction Every now and then, I will turn on the morning news and hear that there has been a product recall for something I consider vaguely absurd, such as a product that can possibly cause harm if it is misused in some extraordinary fashion. However, I have also heard about product recalls in which there are serious questions about the safety of the product. An excellent example of this
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