HONG KONG, Sept. 19 /Xinhua-PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- To help buyers identify suppliers offering safe, high-quality products from China, Global Sources (Nasdaq: GSOL) and Bureau Veritas, one of the world’s largest and most-trusted certification authorities, have launched the B2B industry’s most comprehensive supplier assessment service.
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Co-developed by the two companies, the Supplier Capability Assessment Service verifies a range of supplier information including facilities, legal entity status, staffing, export markets, key clients, production capabilities, product capabilities, management systems and accreditations, quality control systems and development and expansion plans.
All information is obtained from in-person visits, face-to-face interviews and third-party verifications.
This service is a key component of the next generation of Global Sources Online scheduled to launch next month. The site will feature a comprehensive industry-wide search engine providing a depth and breadth of content unmatched in the industry -- and featuring an extended supplier verification toolset.
Supplier Capability Assessments of participating suppliers will be available for free to buyers at Global Sources Online
( http://www.globalsources.com ). Before the end of the year, four additional assessments, as well as production inspection and product testing services, will be available to buyers for a fee. These will address supply chain security, environmental safety, chemical safety and quality management.
Global Sources and Bureau Veritas plan to focus initially on baby and children’s products, with plans to roll out the service to other product categories.
Global Sources’ Chairman and CEO, Merle A. Hinrichs, said, “For 36 years, Global Sources has led the industry in verifying suppliers through our own stringent quality checks. Before a supplier is allowed to join our community, we visit them at least three times to confirm their company and product information.
“Earlier this year, we launched our Verified Supplier Service which enables buyers to clearly see at our website which suppliers have passed our inspections.
“Now, buyers can source from our suppliers with even more confidence knowing that an additional comprehensive assessment has been performed by one of the world’s largest and most-trusted certification authorities.”
Bureau Veritas’ Vice President of Sales & Business Development, Lisa Bate, said, “Global Sources and its suppliers already have a reputation for quality. Through this partnership we aim to add an additional level of transparency to the sourcing industry that, until now, did not exist on-line. This program will only enhance that reputation by providing the B2B industry’s most comprehensive assessment reports on China suppliers.”
For more information about Global Sources visit http://corporate.globalsources.com . More information about Bureau Veritas is available at http://www.cps.bureauveritas.com .
About Global Sources
Global Sources is a leading business-to-business (B2B) media company and a primary facilitator of two-way trade with Greater China. The core business is facilitating trade from Greater China to the world, using a wide range of English-language media. The other key business segment facilitates trade from the world to Greater China using Chinese-language media.
The company provides sourcing information to volume buyers and integrated marketing services to suppliers. It helps a community of over 635,000 active buyers source more profitably from complex overseas supply markets. With the goal of providing the most effective ways possible to advertise, market and sell, Global Sources enables suppliers to sell to hard-to-reach buyers in over 230 countries.
The company offers the most extensive range of media and export marketing services in the industries it serves. It delivers information on 1.8 million products and more than 150,000 suppliers annually through 13 online marketplaces, 12 monthly magazines, over 100 sourcing research reports and nine specialized trade shows which run 22 times a year across seven cities.
Suppliers receive more than 18 million sales leads annually from buyers through Global Sources Online ( http://www.globalsources.com ) alone.
Global Sources has been facilitating global trade for 36 years. In mainland China it has over 1,700 team members in 44 locations, and a community of over 1 million registered online users and magazine readers for
Chinese-language media.
About Bureau Veritas
Bureau Veritas is an international group with a core business of conformity assessment, applied in the areas of quality, health, safety, environment and social responsibility. Founded in 1828, Bureau Veritas is recognized and accredited by the largest national and international bodies. Though its presence in 140 countries, Bureau Veritas serves more than 280,000 customers throughout the world. In 2006, Bureau Veritas employed 26,200 staff and achieved revenue in excess of 1.8 billion euros.
Bureau Veritas’ Consumer Products Services Division is a global quality assurance partner, providing comprehensive testing and evaluation services for a full range of consumer goods through offices and laboratories in over 40 countries. The Consumer Products Services Division employs over 6,500 people worldwide to provide comprehensive assessment, inspection and testing services to designers, manufacturers, retailers and buyers of consumer products. The Consumer Products Services Division assists its clients in managing their risks, regulatory compliance, and costs through collaboratively designed programs to assess product and process performance.
Global Sources Press Contact in Asia:
Camellia So
Tel: +852-2555-5021
Email: cso@globalsources.com
Global Sources Investor Contact in Asia:
Eddie Heng
Tel: +65-6547-2850
Email: eheng@globalsources.com
Global Sources Press Contact in U.S.:
James W.W. Strachan
Tel: +1-480-664-8309
Email: strachan@globalsources.com
Global Sources Investor Contact in U.S.:
Moriah Shilton & Christiane Pelz
Lippert/Heilshorn & Associates, Inc.
Tel: +1-415-433-3777
Email: cpelz@lhai.com
