Following the lead of other major retailers, Target imposes strict conditions for their suppliers of owned-brand and licensed merchandise. In order to establish or maintain a contract with Target, your suppliers and subcontractors must display compliance in areas such as safety, labor relations, record keeping, and nondiscrimination.
By following an inspection process that addresses Target’s specific ethical standards, our highly trained compliance auditors will work with your organization, your suppliers, and their subcontractors to ensure compliance in areas such as:
Maintaining a safe workplace for all employees is key to achieving good standing with Target’s Global Compliance program. InTouch will first evaluate each supplier and then advise on the placement of adequate lighting, including battery-power emergency lighting, push-to-open emergency exits, fire extinguishers, fire hydrants and hoses, and personal protective equipment such as eyewear, ear-plugs and face masks. Our Compliance auditors can then develop and implement education programs to demonstrate best-practices in the use of all safety equipment.
While cultural differences cannot be ignored, suppliers must be audited to ensure that their workforce and practices adhere to local laws as well as Target’s high standards. During a factory audit InTouch compliance auditors will identify the use of child or compulsory labor, corporal punishment, excessive or induced overtime, as well as non-compensated overtime. Failing to meet Global Compliance labor relations standards could result in a supplier or subcontractor becoming ineligible to do business with Target for up to 3 years.
The forging of or even complete lack of employee and production records are widespread practices that could disqualify a supplier or subcontractor from establishing a contract with Target. Thorough record audits will uncover any record keeping inconsistencies that may be used to disguise overtime hours over the legal limit, as well as the illegal transshipment of goods to hide the country of origin. InTouch compliance auditors can easily determine the legitimacy of such records, and can develop and implement record keeping best practices where necessary.
While this is another area where cultural differences may be taken into account, the use of discriminatory practices towards employees is not aligned with Target’s emphasis on the preservation of Human Rights. It is not uncommon to discover pre-employment HIV and pregnancy testing, as well as discrimination against migrant workers during compliance audits.
InTouch compliance auditors will work closely with your suppliers and subcontractors to educate them about the negative effects of these discriminatory practices, and to establish standards for the equal treatment of employees.
You guys are quite efficient in making sure that you are in constant communication with our vendors to set up a time and day to have inspections handled... InTouch definitely pushed to make sure that inspections would be done in a timely manner. Any corrective actions that had to take place were executed well before the exit factory date.
Ron Eclarinal
Director of Production, Betabrand
Since InTouch does a more detailed inspection than what we had depended on with the factories, the quality of the products has improved. Where before when we might find 25 AQL defects, now it's down to three or four,because the factory knows that we want that cut back and InTouch is going to find it.
Deb Choate
Administrative Assistant, Linstol
InTouch’s auditing reduced the level of risk, whether known or unknown, to our company. From the audit findings provided by InTouch, we were much more equipped to make the correct business decision with regard to an acceptable level of risk. The InTouch audit secured our decision making process.
Jerry Davis
Vice President of Purchasing, MJS Packaging
One of our customers had been through multiple suppliers year after year and had been let down with returns and rejections. With InTouch as our eyes and ears on the ground, we retained that business for 5 years without one single rejection or complaint.
Nick Rivera
Director of Operations, MMI Textiles
The speed that we get the reports is always good. We had an experience with some other inspectors where we had to wait an extra day to get the reports. Getting the report as soon as we can is very important, so we can make a decision and give feedback back to the factory.
Denis O'Mahony
Operations and Engineering Manager, Juku Gear
From beginning to end, InTouch is so easy to work with. The inspection report is literally there the next morning when I come into work. It really makes my job easier.
Nicole Thoma
Inside Sales Specialist, MJS Packaging
