The production department is on the frontline of product recall management. Responsible for maintaining a series of workflows, these employees — mechanics, maintenance personnel, machine operators, etc. — need to remove faulty products and materials from production processes. Failing to do so could cause disastrous consequences for the entire organization, such as public health risks and lawsuits.
Recently, we’ve been looking at the responsibilities of various business departments for product recall management. In this post, we examine the production department and explain how a good product recall management system streamlines workflows.
What Does the Production Department Do?
The production department serves many functions, including converting raw materials into products for distribution. This department is a crucial component of an organization’s supply chain, producing physical goods for retail. One of the key responsibilities of production is identifying “bottlenecks” in day-to-day production processes. By closely monitoring raw materials and physical goods, the department minimizes public safety risks and complies with internal guidelines and government regulations.
When the government issues a product recall request, the production department has to act quickly. Here are some of the steps they might take:
- Removing faulty materials, components, and physical goods from production processes.
- Managing product recalls without limiting production.
- Working with other departments on product recall management.
To communicate with other departments and supply chain partners (including suppliers and retailers) effectively, the production department requires the right recall training. This includes a product mock recall.
Note: Although the production team shares tasks with the operations team, these are two separate departments. We covered the recall management obligations of the operations department in a previous post.
Optimize product mock recall planning, training, and testing in your production department with MockRecalls. Click here to schedule a call to find out about our mock recall training program.
Why is the Production Department So Important for Mock Recall Planning?
The production department is essential for keeping product recall response times to a minimum. Although there are other aspects of product recall management (such as communicating recall messages to customers), removing faulty materials and components from production processes saves lives.
The problem is, many production departments don’t act quickly enough after the government issues a recall notice. Some departments don’t communicate important messages with other teams effectively, which results in poor recall responses.
In these scenarios, slow response times can have a significant impact on an organization. Federal government agencies like the FDA impose strict civil penalties (and, in some cases, start criminal proceedings) on organizations that fail to act on a recall notice.
There are other consequences:
- Customers (or even supply chain partners and investors) can take legal action against an organization for poor product recall management responses.
- Customers might take their business elsewhere if organizations fail to handle recall management properly.
- The media might report about organizations that fail to handle recall management properly, which could influence future sales.
How Do Production Departments Improve Recall Responses?
Communication is essential for product recall management. If product managers learn how and what recall information to share with production departments, the entire organization could risk public safety and attract legal action. On the flip side, production departments that don’t communicate with other departments properly can endanger lives.
One way to improve recall management, is to test your recall readiness.
Meet Mock Recalls
MockRecalls is a mock recall training and consulting program to test your recall readiness. We are purely focused on protecting your product investment by working with you to create a new recall plan or analyze your current recall plan and then put it through a mock recall or recall simulation test to insure you are prepared for a possible product recall.
Final Word
Department roles during a recall vary, but production teams have some of the biggest responsibilities. These teams need to handle recall notices quickly and change workflows and production processes. Otherwise, they could risk public safety and trigger legal action from the government.
Looking to test your product recall readiness with your purchasing department? MockRecalls will help create and/or test your recall program. Click here to learn more or call us!